2026 Under-17 EURO final preview: Belgium vs Italy

First-time finalists Belgium meet 2024 winners Italy in the 2026 European Under-17 Championship final at Lilleküla staadion, Tallinn, on Sunday 7 June at 19:00 CET.

Francesco Totti, Zinédine Zidane, Vincent Kompany and The Miracle of Istanbul weave their way in as we explore the standout storylines.

The journey

Asked what it had taken for Belgium to reach the final, coach Sven Vermant says simply: "A lot of sweat and tears." A journey that started back in October with the first round of qualifying will culminate on Sunday and the experiences along the way have shaped and developed the two teams who will take the field at Lilleküla staadion. "That comes from the campaign we’ve had," Italy coach Daniele Franceschini says of the bravery shown to overcome Spain in a penalty shoot-out.

The only team to finish qualifying with a perfect six wins from six, Belgium ceded their first game on Matchday 2 of these finals against Spain, but nonetheless progressed as Group A winners before beating France 2-1 in the semi-finals. Italy were challenged to overcome holders Portugal in the second round of qualifying, but did just that to arrive at these finals. They remain the only undefeated team here after penalty shoot-out success against Spain.

The history

Belgium have made history simply by reaching the final, establishing the wins column in a semi-final record that previously stood at four losses. Eight-time semi-finalists Italy are through to their fifth final and are hoping to add a second title after their 2024 triumph.

The inspiration

When the players take the field on Sunday, they do so with inspiration from their favourite players. That much was clear in the semi-finals when Belgium winger Jayden Onia Seke celebrated in the style of Liverpool and Sweden striker Alexander Isak and his captain Elie Mbavu cites Vincent Kompany as a point of reference: "He was a young leader too and always liked to push his team-mates."

Edoardo Biondini explained that he took Zinédine Zidane's goal against Leverkusen as an example for his volley on Matchday 3, and the Italy captain has another iconic Champions League final on his mind now. "When I think of a European final, one that comes to mind is the crazy match where Milan were 3-0 up and Liverpool brought it back to 3-3 [in 2005]," says Biondini. "It shows that a final is never finished until the referee blows the final whistle."

Those icons are not so far away as they might seem – with players from the respective national teams making contact to show their support. Belgium captain Youri Tielemans wrote after the semi-finals that "what they are showing is inspiring for the whole of Belgian football," and Italy have received similar encouragement. "Before the semi-finals, our staff showed us a video from legends of Italian football," reveals Biondini. "It’s such an honour when Francesco Totti, Alessandro Del Piero and Luca Toni send you a video to compliment you. I think that video helped us to get through the difficult moments."

The shot-stoppers

Belgium and Italy impressed with their all-round performances in the semi-finals but goalkeepers Mattis Seghers and Christian Lupo played starring roles. Seghers' fingertip stop from Noah Loufoundou was crucial in Belgium surviving late France pressure while Lupo saved one penalty in regular time before making two shoot-out saves against Spain.

"[Mattis Seghers] is a good leader and he’s been really good since the start of the tournament," Belgium captain Mbavu says of his goalkeeper, though he stresses "it was a team effort and everyone did really well." Lupo himself shared his joy after a marquee performance – "when I have children or grandchildren it will certainly be an evening that I tell them about" – but also wanted to heap praise on his team-mates: "Seeing them score felt even better than when I stopped Spain’s ones. I mean it."

The shared spoils

Vermant and Franceschini have been consistent, perhaps even relentless, in pointing to the strength of the collective rather than the individual. That fact, they'll be pleased to know, is reflected in the goalscoring of their respective sides – Belgium's five goals at these finals coming from five different scorers and Italy's eight from eight.

The final mentality

UEFA asked the head coaches and captains about how they will approach Sunday's showpiece.

Sven Vermant, Belgium coach: "I’ve said from the start that you can have good games or less good games, but the minimum you bring is 100% or 120% or even more. That’s what I want to see from my team. I want us to be brave and I want us to play football. It’s also important that we’re structured and disciplined when the opponent pushes us. I want us to stay strong and not fold.”

Daniele Franceschini, Italy coach: “Finals are different games, so beyond the tactical aspect, the emotional aspect also matters. Apart from that, there is no specific key factor, so I will tell the players to experience it with calmness.”

Elie Mbavu, Belgium captain: "We’re not going to change anything about our mentality. We’ve been really focused and motivated from day one and we’re really going to push together and get as motivated as possible for the final. The coach has been emphasising the same mentality since we started in September and that’s something we’ve picked up.”

Edoardo Biondini, Italy captain: “I think we have to continue as we have since the first match against France. To do the same things and keep the tight unit that has helped us to achieve this final."