UEFA Under-17 EURO final preview: France vs Portugal

France face Portugal in Sunday's UEFA European Under-17 Championship final at Arena Kombëtare in Tirana, Albania.

The lowdown

The two remaining teams looked every bit contenders during an absorbing tactical stalemate midway through the group stage, leading France coach Lionel Rouxel to presciently point out that the game could have been a final and his Portugal counterpart Bino to describe the encounter as a "fantastic football match with a lot of quality and intensity".

Bino's players have held their collective nerve on a rollercoaster since then, teetering 15 minutes from elimination before a comeback against Germany on Matchday 3 and twice equalising against holders Italy in the semi-finals to set up a shoot-out in which they twice missed first and were a penalty from going out.

Goalkeeper Romário Cunha, who had kept out Samuele Inacio's spot kick during regular time only for the Italy dangerman to score from the rebound, made three saves as the teams shared 12 spot kicks to settle the contest. Midfielder Tomás Soares – who required 32 minutes to score against Albania and one to strike against Germany – again proved a potent impact substitute, this time taking seven minutes to deftly prod in Portugal's second and send the tie to a shoot-out.

France have had a comparatively trouble-free passage to the final, going ahead within the first minute of their 3-0 win over Germany on Matchday 1 to set the tone for a group stage featuring three clean sheets and a closing 4-0 victory over hosts Albania despite resting a number of players, with four-goal top scorer Djylian Nguessan proving just as prolific from the bench by scoring twice inside 15 minutes after entering as a second-half substitute.

Their semi-final showdown proved a far sterner test, weathering a dominant display by a dangerous Belgium side for much of the first half – "We ran a lot, we suffered" said Rouxel – while needing several fine saves from goalkeeper Ilan Joudren and a clearance off the line by Emmanuel Mbemba. France's first effort on target made all those defensive exertions all the more worthwhile, Abdoulaye Camara hammering in a rare goal from long range.

Belgium deservedly equalised before the break but France again supported Rouxel's pre-match remarks about needing few chances to score, Rudy Matondo and Nguessan registering within nine minutes of the restart as their side made all of their first three chances count. The mark of champions? Ten days after these nations first met in Tirana, the second act looks a tantalisingly close call.

Views from the camps

Lionel Rouxel, France coach: "Everyone is ready for this final step. It will be our fifth match in two weeks and our bodies are tired, so it will partly come down to mental strength.

"Our state of mind is very good. We have to realise that we have the opportunity to add another line to the French football record.

"We'll correct a few details and a few mistakes made in the group match, but we'll stick to our guiding principle and keep our way of playing to beat Portugal."

Nguessan and Rafael Quintas are a picture of focus as they pose with the trophyUEFA via Getty Images

Djylian Nguessan, France captain: "We're all excited because it's a big event, a big match. We've put a lot of effort into it and worked hard over the last two weeks to get here.

"It's a challenge we've set ourselves to beat them. The previous match against them is gone. We're always focused on performing on the pitch, always showing what we can do and following the coach's instructions."

Bino, Portugal coach: "France are a team with talent and quality. We are too and that's why both teams have reached this point.

"We have planned strategies for the game. We haven't been afraid of anyone up until now, but we have had a lot of respect for all our opponents and this will be no exception.

"The respect we will have for France is what can lead us to win the trophy. It's going to be a great final."

Rouxel and Bino ahead of the finalUEFA via Getty Images

Rafael Quintas, Portugal captain: "France are a complete team with good players, but we have shown that we are capable of imposing our football.

"We will be able to start well and do everything we can to win. We remain humble but believe we are capable of winning this EURO.

"As captain, I will try to convey that the Portuguese people are all behind us. We have good, positive pressure on us and we will do everything to represent our country in the best way possible."

U17 EURO final refereeing team

UEFA via Getty Images

Oleksii Derevinsky of Ukraine will referee the final, assisted by compatriot Oleksii Myronov and Christopher Rae of Scotland. Dutchman Joey Kooij will be fourth official.

Previous U17 EURO final referees include Halil Umut Meler (2018) and Ivan Kružliak (2012), both on the list for UEFA EURO 2024. Two U17 EURO final referees went on to take charge of senior EURO finals, Roberto Rosetti (2002 then 2008) and Björn Kuipers (2006 then 2020).

Key stats

• France have a record of W3 L3 in the U17 final and are a game from glory for the third time in four years, winning the 2022 edition 2-1 against Netherlands and losing the 2023 decider on penalties to Germany after a 0-0 draw.
• Portugal's final record is W2 L1, losing 3-0 to Italy last year in their first appearance since beating Spain on penalties following a 1-1 draw in 2016.
• France are unbeaten against Portugal in six U17 EURO meetings, including qualifying (W4 D2).
• Portugal also won the old U16 EURO four times; only Spain, on nine, have more combined titles that Portugal's six.
• France can equal Netherlands' record of four U17 titles.
• There have been 51 goals in the 14 games at the 2025 finals, one goal short of the record for an eight-team U17 final tournament, set in 2004. That edition had an extra game, a third-place play-off.
• There have been 3.64 goals per game so far in 2025; should there be four goals in the final, the tournament will have the highest goals per game of any edition, including the U16 finals.
• The current record is held by U17 EURO 2002 and U16 EURO 2000, both of which had 116 goals in 32 games – an average of 3.63.
• Nguessan starts the final on four goals, one behind 2025 top scorer Samuele Inacio, with Tomás Soares two adrift of the Italy striker's tally.
• Tomás Soares, team-mate Mateus Mide and France's Rémi Himbert all have two assists – one behind Italy's Andrea Luongo.
• As well as having the meanest defensive record at the tournament, France conceded only twice in qualifying and kept four clean sheets in six games on the road to Albania.

Tirana's Arena Kombëtare will host the finalUEFA via Getty Images