2026 UEFA Women's Under-17 EURO: Meet the final tournament contenders

The UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship runs from 4 to 17 May in Northern Ireland.

The hosts will be joined by the seven round 2 League A group winners, competing in two groups of four (which were set in Belfast on 25 March). The top two in each group will progress to the semi-finals on 14 May, with the decider to follow three days later.

We introduce the eight teams competing for the title, and also for Europe's five berths at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco.

Match dates

Group stage Matchday 1: 4 & 5 May
Group stage Matchday 2: 7 & 8 May
Group stage Matchday 3: 10 & 11 May
Semi-finals & World Cup play-off: 14 May
Final: 17 May

Venues

Belfast: National Football Stadium at Windsor Park (2 x semi-finals, final)
Coleraine: The Showgrounds (6 x group games)
Larne: Inver Park (6 x group games, World Cup play-off)

Group A contenders

• Germany have won all four previous WU17 EURO final tournament meetings with England, winning 4-0 in the 2018/19 group stage, 8-0 in the 2017/18 semis, 4-3 in the 2015/16 semis and 5-0 in the 2014/15 group stage.
• Germany beat Norway on penalties in the 2016/17 semi-finals after a 1-1 draw.
• England and Norway have met at four WU17 EURO final tournaments. England won 3-0 in the 2023/24 group stage and in 2015/16 beat Norway 3-2 in the group stage and 2-1 for third place. Norway won 2-0 in the 2016/17 group stage.

Northern Ireland

Round 1: Group B4 runners-up (played in Luxembourg)
1-2 vs Türkiye, 2-1 vs Luxembourg
Round 2: Group B2 winners - promoted, qualified for finals as hosts (played in North Macedonia)
4-1 vs Luxembourg, 3-1 vs Georgia, 3-0 vs North Macedonia
Top scorer: Abbie Smyth (5 goals)
2024/25: Did not qualify
Previous best: Final tournament debut

• Making their debut in a WU17 EURO final tournament (Northern Ireland previously hosted WU19 EURO in 2017, getting a point against Scotland in between losses to Germany and Spain, while their seniors qualified for Women's EURO 2022).

Germany

Round 1: Group A2 runners-up (played in Germany)
2-1 vs Belgium, 0-1 vs France, 2-0 vs Republic of Ireland
Round 2: Group A1 winners (played in Sweden)
2-0 vs Republic of Ireland, 2-1 vs Sweden. 1-1 vs Denmark
Top scorers: Clara Choisy, Marie Kleemann (3 goals)
2024/25: Did not qualify
Previous best: Winners x 8 (2007/08, 2008/09, 2011/12, 2013/14, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2018/19, 2021/22)

• The record eight-time champions but returning to the finals after not qualifying in the last two seasons.

Norway

Round 1: Group A7 runners-up (played in Serbia)
5-0 vs Belarus, 2-2 vs Serbia, 0-3 vs Denmark
Round 2: Group A5 winners (played in Norway)
3-1 vs Scotland, 5-0 vs Greece, 2-1 vs Switzerland
Top scorer: Mie Hoem (3 goals)
2024/25: Runners-up
Previous best: Runners-up (2024/25)

• Norway won a semi-final at the fourth attempt last year in the Faroe Islands (beating Italy 3-1) before losing the decider to the Netherlands. Of that squad, Mie Hoem and Isa Lund played in qualifying this time around and Sigrid Gamst is also still eligible.

England

Round 1: Group A4 winners (played in Poland)
3-1 vs Scotland, 3-2 vs Poland, 5-0 vs Montenegro
Round 2: Group A2 winners (played in Croatia)
2-1 vs Türkiye, 1-0 vs Croatia, 3-2 vs Italy
Top scorer: Bryony-Rose Brodie (5 goals)
2024/25: Did not qualify
Previous best: Runners-up (2023/24)

• In 2024, England won a semi-final at the sixth attempt before losing the decider to Spain. They're the only team to win all six of their qualifiers this time around.

Group B contenders

• France went through from Group B last season in second place ahead of both Spain and Poland.
• France and Spain will meet for the ninth time at a WU17 EURO, most recently drawing 1-1 in last season's group stage and Spain winning 6-1 in the 2023/24 semi-finals. They have met in the final twice, France winning 3-2 in 2022/23 and Spain 1-0 in 2010/11.
• France and Poland are playing for the fourth tournament running, France winning group games 3-1 in 2024/25 and 3-0 in 2022/23, but Poland prevailing on penalties to finish third in 2023/24 after a 2-2 draw.
• Spain beat Poland in the group stage in both 2024/25 (3-1) and 2023/24 (1-0), as well as 2017/18 (5-0).
• France beat Finland 2-0 in the 2021/22 group stage. Spain beat Finland 4-0 in the 2021/22 group stage and 1-0 in the 2017/18 semi-finals.

France

Round 1: Group A2 winners (played in France)
2-0 vs Republic of Ireland, 1-0 vs Germany, 3-1 vs Belgium
Round 2: Group A4 winners (played in Serbia)
2-1 vs Iceland, 1-2 vs Serbia, 3-1 vs Austria
Top scorers: Margot Collin, Léa Motyka (3 goals)
2024/25: Semi-finals
Previous best: Winners x 1 (2022/23)

• France were beaten on penalties in last year's semi-finals by eventual champions Netherlands. They have reached four finals (victorious in 2023) and also won the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup (getting to the last eight in 2025).

Finland

Round 1: Group A5 winners (played in Croatia)
3-1 vs Croatia, 9-0 vs North Macedonia, 3-1 vs Italy
Round 2: Group A3 winners (played in Czechia)
7-0 vs Latvia, 3-0 vs Romania, 1-1 vs Czechia
Top scorer: Olivia Oulasvirta (8 goals)
2024/25: Did not qualify
Previous best: Semi-finals (2017/18)

• Finland ended third in 2018, beating England to qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, and also played in the U17 EURO finals in 2022 (and will host them in 2027). Olivia Oulasvirta was the overall top scorer across the two rounds of qualifying.

Spain

Round 1: Group A1 winners (played in Portugal)
6-1 vs Bulgaria, 2-0 vs Hungary, 2-0 vs Portugal
Round 2: Group A6 winners (played in Portugal)
8-0 vs Kosovo, 7-1 vs Hungary, 0-0 vs Portugal
Top scorer: Rocío Elaine (4 goals)
2024/25: Group stage
Previous best: Winners x 5 (2009/10, 2010/11, 2014/15, 2017/18, 2023/24)

• Spain went out in the group stage for the first time last season in the ten seasons since the round was introduced (they have reached the final a record 11 times from 13 semis). They still won a play-off to qualify for the World Cup but were not able to made a fourth straight final of that competition, which they won in 2018 and 2022, losing on penalties to France in the round of 16.

Poland

Round 1: Group A4 runners-up (played in Poland)
9-0 vs Montenegro, 2-3 vs England, 5-0 vs Scotland
Round 2: Group A7 winners (played in Wales)
3-0 vs Slovakia, 4-1 vs Wales, 4-3 vs Netherlands
Top scorers: Zofia Burzan, Nikola Gałuszka (4 goals)
2024/25: Group stage
Previous best: Winners x 1 (2012/13)

• After knocking out holders Netherlands in round 2, Poland are through to the finals for the fourth time in a row. They are aiming to emulate their victory in the last four-team Nyon finals of 2012/13, a squad that included several players that later took part on their senior UEFA Women's EURO debut in 2025.