European Top 5: RC Strasbourg Alsace, the club where U21s played the most minutes in 2026 (CIES)

RC Strasbourg Alsace (Ligue 1 McDonald's) is the European Top 5 club with the highest percentage of minutes played by players aged under 21 between 1 January 2026 and 1 September 2026, according to the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post published on 2 September 2026.

With 37.9% of minutes played by players aged under 21 at the time of the match, RC Strasbourg Alsace rank ahead of Paris Saint-Germain (23%, Ligue 1 McDonald’s) and RB Leipzig (20.6%, Bundesliga).

The percentage of minutes played by U21s exceeds 10% at 29 clubs in the European Top 5: 12 from France, eight from Germany, five from Spain, three from England and one from Italy.

Four French clubs occupy the top places in terms of the number of different U21 players fielded over the same period: RC Strasbourg Alsace (20), Toulouse…