Portugal will face Austria in the final of the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup at the Khalifa International Stadium.
A second-half brace from Johannes Moser fired Austria past Italy, while reigning European champions Portugal edged four-time world champions Brazil on penalties to book their place in the showpiece.
Beyond the fireworks expected in Qatar’s football cathedral, what makes this final truly special is that the tournament is set to crown a brand-new champion.
As anticipation grows for what promises to be a thrilling contest, this piece takes a closer look at Europe’s long and varied history in U17 World Cup finals.
1985: Nigeria 2-0 West Germany
Europe’s first appearance in a FIFA U17 World Cup final came in the inaugural tournament in China. West Germany, led by the prolific Marcel Witeczek, who had scored back-to-back hat-tricks in the quarter-final and semi-final, advanced to face a relatively unknown Nigerian side that had edged Guinea in the last four.
Despite the Germans’ firepower, the Golden Eaglets stunned the favourites in the final at Beijing’s Workers' Stadium.
Nigeria produced a fearless performance, sealing a historic 2–0 victory with goals from Jonathan Akpoborie and Victor Igbinoba.
1987: Soviet Union 1-1 (4-2 on pens) Nigeria
In Canada, Europe won their first U17 World Cup title when the Soviet Union defeated defending champions Nigeria at the University of Toronto’s Varsity Stadium.
The match was a repeat of their group-stage meeting, which ended 1–1, but this time Aleksandr Piskaryov’s team came out on top.
Yuriy Nikiforov put the Soviets ahead in the sixth minute, but Nigeria hit back five minutes later with a fine goal from Philip Osondu. With neither side able to find a winner in normal or extra time, the final went to penalties, where the Soviet Union scored four kicks to the Africans’ two to claim the trophy.
1989: Saudi Arabia 2-2 (5-4 on pens) Scotland
Europe reached the U17 World Cup final for the third consecutive edition when hosts Scotland made it through, but the Scots were unable to replicate the Soviet Union’s title-winning form from two years earlier.
Fuelled by a 1-0 semi-final win over Portugal, Scotland took an early lead in the final at Hampden Park, Glasgow, with Ian Downie scoring in the seventh minute, followed by Paul Dickov doubling the advantage in the 25th minute.
However, Saudi Arabia came back strongly in the second half, with Alreshoudi Sulaiman scoring in the 49th minute and Waleed Al Terair equalizing in the 65th.
In the decisive penalty shootout, Dickov and Brian O’Neil missed their kicks, allowing Saudi Arabia to stun the football world and become the first Asian nation to lift the FIFA U17 World Cup.
1991: Ghana 1-0 Spain
Europe’s hopes of claiming the U17 World Cup were dashed as Spain fell to Ghana in the final held in Florence.
Both teams had entered the decider unbeaten, having previously played out a 1-1 draw in the group stage, with Pepe Galvez cancelling Nana Opoku’s opener.
The final promised a historic first title for either side, but in a grueling encounter, it was the Africans who had the edge. Emmanuel Duah’s decisive 77th-minute strike proved the difference, securing Black Starlets’ victory and leaving Spain’s dream of U17 glory unfulfilled.
2001: France 3-0 Nigeria
After a 12-year absence from the U17 World Cup final, Europe returned in style as France claimed the title, overwhelming Musa Abdullahi’s Nigeria at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
The final was a rematch of their group stage encounter, where the Golden Eaglets had edged Les Bleus 2-1, with Florent Sinama Pongolle’s goal unable to overturn strikes from Karimu Shuaibu and Victor Brown.
This time, French team dominated, with Sinama Pongolle, Anthony Le Tallec, and Samuel Pietre all finding the net to secure Europe’s second U17 World Cup triumph.
2003: Brazil 1-0 Spain
Spain came close to claiming the tournament in Finland, but a decisive goal from Leonardo gave Brazil a 1-0 victory in Helsinki.
The only goal arrived just seven minutes in when Brazilian captain Joao curled a 20-metre free-kick against the post, leaving Leonardo to tap in from close range.
Spain created several promising chances but were repeatedly denied by goalkeeper Bruno, who was in superb form. The final held at Helsinki’s Toolo Stadium, was also the first FIFA U-17 final played on artificial turf.
2007: Nigeria 0-0 (3-0 on pens) Spain
It was another heartbreak for Europe as Spain fell to Nigeria in the final. After a thrilling 0-0 stalemate through extra time, the title was decided on penalties, where Nigeria triumphed 3-0 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Goalkeeper Oladele Ajiboye emerged as the hero, saving two crucial spot-kicks and securing the Golden Eaglets’ third U-17 crown, following their wins in China (1985) and Japan (1993).
Matthew Edile, Daniel Joshua, and Ganiyu Oseni converted for Nigeria, while Spain’s Asier Illaramendi missed, and Fran Merida and Iago had their penalties saved.
2009: Switzerland 1-0 Nigeria
Debutants Switzerland stunned hosts Nigeria with a 1-0 victory to claim the world title in Abuja. Haris Seferovic’s 63rd-minute header proved decisive, securing the Europeans’ first-ever World Cup title at any level.
The Swiss, who had won every match in the tournament, held off late Eaglets chances with Nasim Ben Khalifa and Pajtim Kasami holding sway in the midfield.
Europe celebrated as the Swiss lifted the trophy with Spain completing the continent’s strong showing by defeating Colombia 1-0 in the third-place match.
2017: England 5-2 Spain
England made history in the first all-European U-17 World Cup final by defeating Spain 5-2 in Kolkata.
In the seven-goal thriller, the Spaniards had taken a two-goal lead through early goals from Sergio Gomez in the 10th and 31st minutes, having previously beaten England on penalties in the UEFA U-17 Championship final.
The English team responded before half-time with Rhian Brewster scoring, followed by Morgan Gibbs-White’s equaliser. Phil Foden then scored twice around a Marc Guehi strike to seal the victory and ensured Europe claimed a fourth triumph.
2023: Germany 2-2 (4-3) France
Germany won the title for the first time after a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout win over France in Surakarta, marking the second all-European final in the U17 World Cup history.
Paris Brunner and Noah Darvich had given Germany a two-goal lead, but the French fought back through Saimon Bouabre and an 85th-minute equaliser from Mathis Amougou.
During kicks from the penalty mark, goalkeeper Konstantin Heide saved two penalties to secure the shootout victory to cement Europe’s growing dominance at youth level.
