# 2016 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship
The 2016 [UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-womens-under-17-championship) was the ninth edition of the UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship, an annual competition for national women's under-17 teams of UEFA member associations, and was won by Germany, who beat holders Spain 3-2 on penalties after a goalless final in Borisov, Belarus.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) It was the biggest edition yet, with a field of 47 nations, and the third eight-team final tournament in the competition's history.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition | Ninth UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship; 47 nations entered[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) |
| Hosts and dates | Belarus, 4 to 16 May 2016[2](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/match/2019909--spain-vs-germany/final/) |
| Final | Germany 0-0 Spain (3-2 on penalties), Borisov Arena, 16 May[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) |
| Champion | Germany, a fifth title, two clear of Spain[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) |
| Attendance | Aggregate 44,653 over 16 games, more than double the previous record; 10,200 for the final, a competition record at the time[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) |
| Goals | Championship-high 58 finals goals; England's 12-0 win over Belarus set a record winning margin for a UEFA tournament of any description[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) |
| World Cup places | The two finalists and the third-place play-off winner qualified for the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Jordan[3](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda57239981-b2116307d792-1000--women-s-u17-finals-lineup-complete/) |
## Qualification
The season ran through an autumn qualifying round and a spring elite round that reduced the initial cast, joined mid-term by seeded Germany and France, to a final-round lineup of eight.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) The six elite round group winners were Germany, holders Spain, the Czech Republic, Italy, Norway, and England, with Serbia advancing as the best runners-up and Belarus qualifying automatically as hosts.[3](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda57239981-b2116307d792-1000--women-s-u17-finals-lineup-complete/) Serbia took that berth on goals scored, overtaking Denmark after a 5-1 win over Iceland in the last Group 6 match.[3](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda57239981-b2116307d792-1000--women-s-u17-finals-lineup-complete/)
The Czech Republic were making their debut in any UEFA women's finals, and the tournament was also a first appearance at this level for Serbia and hosts Belarus.[4](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda576c1f54-a5fc0451ae6b-1000--women-s-under-17-championship-finals-draw/) With these debuts, 20 countries had now taken part in the competition.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/)
## Final tournament
**Groups and venues.** The draw, conducted in Minsk by Belarus national-team goalkeeper Aleksandra Sokol, placed hosts Belarus with Serbia, England, and Norway in [Group A](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-a), and Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, and holders Spain in [Group B](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-b).[4](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda576c1f54-a5fc0451ae6b-1000--women-s-under-17-championship-finals-draw/) Group games were played on 4, 7, and 10 May at five venues: Borisov Arena (capacity 13,121), the Gorodskoi Stadium in Borisov (5,402), Traktor Stadium in Minsk (17,586), [City Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/city-stadium) in Slutsk (1,896), and Torpedo Stadium in Zhodino (6,524).[2](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/match/2019909--spain-vs-germany/final/) The semi-finals were staged in Zhodino on 13 May, and the final and the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup play-off on 16 May.[5](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda57abd2a3-8aa94869ae3a-1000--women-s-u17-finals-schedule-confirmed/)
**Group stage.** England won all three of their Group A games, including a record 12-0 defeat of hosts Belarus, and Norway also beat Serbia and the hosts.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) Group B opened with stalemates in three of its initial four matches, the lone exception being the defending champions Spain, who beat the Czech Republic 1-0; a subsequent 3-1 victory over Italy put Spain first in the group, with Germany advancing alongside them after a 4-0 defeat of the Czechs.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/)
**Knockout stage.** Spain saw off Norway 4-0 in the first semi-final with four second-half goals, three of them in the last nine minutes, while Germany pipped England 4-3 in a match in which Germany led 2-0, 3-1, and 4-2.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) England beat Norway again, 2-1, in the third-place play-off to take the last [FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-u-17-womens-world-cup) place.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/)
**The final.** Played at the Borisov Arena before a crowd of more than 10,000, the final finished goalless after 80 minutes, with Germany hitting the woodwork four times in regulation play; Germany won the shoot-out 3-2.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) The 10,200 attendance was a competition record, and a single-match record for the tournament was set three times during the two weeks.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) It was the competition's first crowd above 10,000.[6](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/history/)
## Records and context
The tournament broke several records on and off the pitch.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) The 58 finals goals were a championship high, and the 12-0 England win over Belarus set a record winning margin for a UEFA tournament of any description.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) The aggregate attendance of 44,653 across the 16 games more than doubled the previous record.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/)
The title was Germany's fifth, moving them two clear of Spain in the roll of honor.[1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/) Germany and Spain had together won seven of the previous eight editions, and the 2016 final was a repeat of the 2015 decider, which Spain had won in Iceland.[4](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda576c1f54-a5fc0451ae6b-1000--women-s-under-17-championship-finals-draw/) The pattern continued: Germany again beat Spain on penalties in the 2017 final in the Czech Republic, the third straight final between the two teams.[6](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/history/) Belarus had previously hosted the 2009 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship, making 2016 its second UEFA women's final tournament.[2](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/match/2019909--spain-vs-germany/final/)
Among the players, Spain forward Lorena Navarro entered the finals as qualifying's joint-top scorer, having scored in the 2015 final as a 14-year-old, and Germany's 15-year-old forward Anna-Lena Stolze, a [Wolfsburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/wolfsburg) prospect, scored a hat-trick in the elite round decider against Austria.[3](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda57239981-b2116307d792-1000--women-s-u17-finals-lineup-complete/)
## References
1. [Germany take title back off Spain, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda553c0c83-b8bb57202eb3-1000--germany-take-title-back-off-spain/)
2. [Spain-Germany, The final, Women's Under-17 2016, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/match/2019909--spain-vs-germany/final/)
3. [Women's U17 finals lineup complete, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda57239981-b2116307d792-1000--women-s-u17-finals-lineup-complete/)
4. [Women's Under-17 Championship finals draw, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda576c1f54-a5fc0451ae6b-1000--women-s-under-17-championship-finals-draw/)
5. [Women's U17 finals schedule confirmed, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/0252-0cda57abd2a3-8aa94869ae3a-1000--women-s-u17-finals-schedule-confirmed/)
6. [The story of the Women's U17 EURO, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/history/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › UEFA competitions › UEFA youth and futsal competitions › UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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