Meet the Under-17 EURO finalists

The UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals run from 20 May to 5 June in Cyprus, the last 16-team event before a reformatting to an eight-nation showpiece in 2025.

We introduce the contenders. The final tournament draw was on Wednesday 3 April in Ayia Napa.

The top two in each group will advance to the knockout phase.

Match dates

Group stage Matchday 1: 20/21 May
Group stage Matchday 2: 23/24 May
Group stage Matchday 3: 26/27 May
Quarter-finals: 29/30 May
Semi-finals: 2 June
Final: 5 June

GROUP A

Cyprus (hosts)

Qualified automatically as hosts
Results in 2023/24: L0-3a vs North Macedonia (22 August), D1-1a vs North Macedonia (24 August), L0-3h vs Netherlands (24 October), L0-7h vs Portugal (27 October), W1-0h vs Poland (30 October), D1-1h vs Georgia (16 January), L1-2h vs Georgia (18 January), L0-1h vs Slovakia (13 February), D2-2h vs Slovakia (15 February), L0-2h vs Ukraine (9 April), W2-1h vs Ukraine (11 April), L0-4a vs Germany (14 May)
Top scorers in 2023/24: Marios Chatzilefteri, Stavros Dimosthenous, Chryssis Evangelou, Filippos Kokkinoftas, Charalambos Michalas, Elisseos Stylianou, Marios Theocharous, Stefanos Vassiliou 1
2022/23: Elite round
Previous U17 best: First final tournament

• Qualified for the old U16 EURO final tournament in 1990 (as hosts) and 1992.

Ukraine

Qualifying round: Group 3 third place (played in Liechtenstein)
D2-2 vs Finland, W7-0 vs Liechtenstein, L0-1 vs Germany
Elite round: Group 4 winners (played in Greece)
W2-0 vs Greece, W3-0 vs Switzerland, W3-0 vs Slovakia
Top scorer: Artem Stepanov 6
2022/23: Elite round
Previous U17 best: Group stage (2002, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2016, 2017)

• Finished third in the old U16 EURO in 1994, their first entry as an independent nation.

Serbia

Qualifying round: Group 4 winners (played in Serbia)
W5-1 vs Azerbaijan, W3-0 vs Luxembourg, D2-2 vs Slovenia
Elite round: Group 6 runners-up (played in Georgia)
W2-0 vs Georgia, L0-1 vs Denmark, W3-0 vs Türkiye
Top scorer: Bogdan Kostić 3
2022/23: Quarter-finals
Previous U17 best: Semi-finals (2022)

• Having not made it past the group stage between 2002 and 2022, will now aim to do so for the third year in a row.

Czechia

Qualifying round: Group 5 runners-up (played in Portugal)
W4-0 vs Montenegro, W6-1 vs Albania, L0-2 vs Portugal
Elite round: Group 8 runners-up (played in Bosnia and Herzegovina)
W1-0 vs Belarus, W2-0 vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, L1-2 vs Poland
Top scorers: Josef Kolářík, Jiří Miček, Lukáš Moudrý, Adam Sosna 2
2022/23: Elite round
Previous U17 best: Runners-up (2006)

• Have not got past the group stage since reaching the 2006 final.

GROUP B

Denmark

Qualifying round: Group 1 third place (played in Georgia)
W4-1 vs Lithuania, L1-2 vs Georgia, D2-2 vs Austria
Elite round: Group 6 winners (played in Georgia)
D0-0 vs Türkiye, W1-0 vs Serbia, W7-0 vs Georgia
Top scorers: Nicolaj Hansen, Oliver Højer, Chidozie Obi 3
2022/23: Elite round
Previous U17 best: Semi-finals (2011)

• 2022 was the first time they had got past the group stage since 2011.

Austria

Qualifying round: Group 1 winners (played in Georgia)
W2-1 vs Georgia, W1-0 vs Lithuania, D2-2 vs Denmark
Elite round: Group 7 winners (played in Austria)
W2-0 vs Slovenia, D2-2 vs Norway, W3-1 vs Spain
Top scorers: Oghenetejiri Adejenughure, Philipp Moizi 3
2022/23: Qualifying round
Previous U17 best: Semi-finals (2003)

• First qualification since 2019.

Croatia

Qualifying round: Group 9 runners-up (played in Croatia)
W4-0 vs Kosovo, W6-0 vs Faroe Islands, L1-5 vs England
Elite round: Group 5 runners-up (played in Portugal)
D3-3 vs Germany, L0-3 vs Portugal, W5-0 vs Republic of Ireland
Top scorer: Mislav Ćutuk 6
2022/23: Group stage
Previous U17 best: Semi-finals (2005)

• Have qualified two years running for the first time at U17 level after pipping holders Germany in their elite round group on goal difference thanks to their 5-0 final-day win against Ireland; goalkeeper Antonio Rajić saved a 90th-minute penalty in their 3-3 draw against the reigning champions.

Wales

Qualifying round: Group 12 winners (played in Wales)
W1-0 vs Belgium, W4-0 vs Gibraltar
Elite round: Group 2 runners-up (played in Romania)
W2-1 vs Romania, L1-2 vs Sweden, W2-1 vs Bulgaria
Top scorer: Elliot Myles 3
2022/23: Group stage
Previous U17 best: Group stage (2023)

• Had never qualified before 2023 but now in their second straight finals.

GROUP C

Italy

Qualifying round: Group 11 runners-up (played in Italy)
W4-0 vs San Marino, D0-0 vs Northern Ireland, L1-3 vs Greece
Elite round: Group 3 winners (played in Finland)
W2-0 vs Netherlands, W5-3 vs Belgium, D2-2 vs Finland
Top scorer: Francesco Camarda 4
2022/23: Group stage
Previous U17 best: Runners-up (2013, 2018, 2019)

• Qualified for all eight 16-team tournaments under the current format.

Sweden

Qualifying round: Group 2 runners-up (played in Moldova)
W3-2 vs Moldova, W2-0 vs Latvia, L1-2 vs Poland
Elite round: Group 2 winners (played in Romania)
W2-1 vs Bulgaria, W2-1 vs Wales, D1-1 vs Romania
Top scorer: Jonah Kusi-Adare 3
2022/23: Qualifying round
Previous U17 best: Semi-finals (2013)

• Only qualified once before 2016 but have only missed two final tournaments since.

Slovakia

Qualifying round: Group 8 runners-up (played in Malta)
W4-0 vs North Macedonia, W1-0 vs Malta, L1-5 vs Spain
Elite round: Group 4 runners-up (played in Greece)
W2-1 vs Switzerland, W1-0 vs Greece, L0-3 vs Ukraine
Top scorers: Denis Valko, Šimon Vlna 2
2022/23: Elite round
Previous U17 best: Semi-finals (2013)

• The first time they have made it through U17 qualifying having played in the 2013 finals as hosts (losing to Italy in the semis, having drawn 0-0 with Sweden in the group stage).

Poland

Qualifying round: Group 2 winners (played in Moldova)
W3-0 vs Latvia, W3-0 vs Moldova, W2-1 vs Sweden
Elite round: Group 8 winners (played in Bosnia and Herzegovina)
W4-1 vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, L0-1 vs Belarus, W2-1 vs Czechia
Top scorer: Jakub Adkonis 6
2022/23: Semi-finals
Previous U17 best: Semi-finals (2012, 2023)

• Only qualified once between 2002 and 2022 but now in their third final tournament in a row. Beat Sweden 2-1 in the qualifying round in October.

GROUP D

France

Qualifying round: Group 6 winners (played in Romania)
W4-0 vs Estonia, D1-1 vs Romania, D0-0 vs Norway
Elite round: Group 1 winners (played in England)
W2-1 vs Hungary, W5-2 vs Northern Ireland, W2-1 vs England
Top scorers: Rayane Messi 4
2022/23: Runners-up
Previous U17 best: Winners x 3 (2004, 2015, 2022)

• Only missed one of the eight 16-team U17 final tournaments since 2015 and made it past the group stage in five of the previous seven. Drew 1-1 with Portugal in the 2023 group stage and beat them on penalties in the 2022 and 2004 semis. In 2023 beat England in the quarters and Spain in the semis. Also beat Spain in the 2004 final though lost to them in the 2008 decider, and also defeated England in March's elite round.

Portugal

Qualifying round: Group 5 winners (played in Portugal)
W3-0 vs Albania, W6-1 vs Montenegro, W2-0 vs Czechia
Elite round: Group 5 winners (played in Portugal)
W4-1 vs Republic of Ireland, W3-0 vs Croatia, W3-2 vs Germany
Top scorer: Gabriel Silva 6
2022/23: Group stage
Previous U17 best: Winners x 2 (2003, 2016)

• Portugal beat Spain in the 2003 and 2016 finals (having beaten England in the 2003 semis).

Spain

Qualifying round: Group 8 winners (played in Malta)
W7-0 vs Malta, W5-0 vs North Macedonia, W5-1 vs Slovakia
Elite round: Group 7 runners-up (played in Austria)
W3-0 vs Norway, W5-0 vs Slovenia, L1-3 vs Austria
Top scorer: Adrian Arnucio 6
2022/23: Semi-finals
Previous U17 best: Winners x 3 (2007, 2008, 2017)

• In a record 16th U17 final tournament, and won the old U16 title an unmatched six times. Have played England in three finals ,winning in 2007 and 2017 and losing in 2014.

England

Qualifying round: Group 9 winners (played in Croatia)
W8-0 vs Faroe Islands, W5-0 vs Kosovo, W5-1 vs Croatia
Elite round: Group 1 runners-up (played in England)
W5-1 vs Northern Ireland, W5-0 vs Hungary, L1-2 vs France
Top scorers: Divine Mukasa, Ethan Nwaneri 5
2022/23: Quarter-finals
Previous best: Winners x 2 (2010, 2014)

• Like Spain, qualified for a record-equalling 16th time. Beat Portugal in the 2014 semis, and in 2010 beat France in the semis and Spain in the final.