# 2026 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification
The 2026 [UEFA European Under-17 Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-european-under-17-championship) qualification was the two-round qualifying competition, played during the 2025/26 season, that decided the seven teams joining hosts Estonia at the eight-team final tournament in Estonia from 25 May to 7 June 2026, and that also served as Europe's qualifying tournament for the [FIFA U-17 World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-u-17-world-cup).[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf) • [2](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/) Italy won the final tournament, beating Belgium on penalties in the final.[3](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-205948cebeca-76c363fc64bc-1000--2026-under-17-euro-final-results/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Entry | 54 UEFA member associations took part in round 1, including Estonia, the host association's team[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf) |
| Round 1 structure | 14 mini-tournaments: 12 groups of 4 teams and 2 groups of 3 teams, played from 1 July to 18 November 2025[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf) |
| Round 2 split | The 14 group winners and 14 runners-up entered round 2 League A (seven groups of four); the remaining 26 teams played League B[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf) |
| Path to the finals | The seven League A group winners qualified for the finals; had hosts Estonia won her group, the best runner-up would have taken the vacancy[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf) |
| World Cup link | Round 2 League A doubled as Europe's qualifying tournament for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, an annual 48-team event from 2025[2](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/) |
| Final tournament | 25 May to 7 June 2026 in Estonia, staged there for the first time; won by Italy[3](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-205948cebeca-76c363fc64bc-1000--2026-under-17-euro-final-results/) |
## Competition system
Qualification was played in mini-tournaments of three or four teams hosted in one of the countries of each group, with every team playing the others in its group once under the standard three-points-for-a-win scoring system.[4](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-European-Under-17-Championship-2026/27/Article-13-Match-system-and-group-formation-qualifying-competition-Online) Fifty-four associations entered round 1 and were drawn into 12 groups of four teams and 2 groups of three teams.[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf)
**Seeding and draw conditions.** The 54 associations were split into four pots by ranking: Pot A held the associations ranked 1 to 14, Pot B those ranked 15 to 28, Pot C those ranked 29 to 42, and Pot D those ranked 43 to 54. The seeding used the round 1 overall rankings of the 2024/25 edition of the championship, in which Italy, Portugal, and England occupied the top three positions.[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf) Because the groups were of different sizes, results against fourth-placed teams were excluded when comparing teams placed first, second, and third in their groups for the overall ranking.[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf) On UEFA Executive Committee and Emergency Panel decisions, Spain and [Gibraltar](https://www.edgepedia.org/gibraltar), Belarus and Ukraine, and Kosovo and Serbia could not be drawn into the same group.[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf)
**Round 1.** The mini-tournaments were played between 1 July and 18 November 2025, with hosts and dates agreed by the teams of each group after the draw; if they could not agree, the UEFA administration decided, giving priority to associations not hosting an Under-19 mini-tournament in the same period.[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf) On completion, the 14 group winners and 14 runners-up qualified for round 2 League A, and the remaining 26 teams went to round 2 League B.[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf)
**Round 2.** The 28 League A teams were drawn into seven groups of four, and the 26 League B teams into five groups of four and two groups of two. Teams from three-team groups in round 1 were placed into four-team groups in round 2, and teams that had met in round 1 could not meet again.[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf) The seven League A group winners qualified for the final tournament in Estonia, with the best League A runner-up filling the vacancy had Estonia won her group.[1](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf)
## Qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup
The FIFA U-17 World Cup changed from 2025 to become an annual 48-team tournament, and round 2 League A of the Under-17 EURO acted as Europe's qualifying tournament for it.[2](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/) This dual role was introduced with the revamped format of the 2024/25 edition, whose qualifying competition decided not only the finalists in Albania but also Europe's 11 World Cup contenders and the leagues for 2026/27 Under-19 EURO qualifying.[5](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/029c-1e6a5f77ea99-c3890ea079ca-1000--portugal-go-one-better-in-new-look-under-17-euro-in-albania/)
## Qualified teams
The finals draw, made at Lilleküla staadion in Tallinn on 9 April 2026, placed Estonia, Belgium, Croatia, and Spain in [Group A](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-a), and [Montenegro](https://www.edgepedia.org/montenegro), France, Italy, and Denmark in [Group B](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-b), with the top two in each group advancing to the knockout phase.[2](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/)
- **Estonia** (hosts) finished fourth in round 1 Group 1, played in Estonia, and reached the final tournament as hosts for the first time; the country had previously hosted its 2012 U19 and 2023 Women's U17 squads at final tournaments.[2](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/)
- **Belgium** won round 1 Group 5 and round 2 Group A5, and had reached the semi-finals in 2025.[2](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/)
- **Croatia** qualified as round 2 Group A7 winners after finishing runner-up in round 1 Group 8, its third qualification in four years; it passed round 1 only by coming back from two down to beat the Netherlands 3-2 with an added-time penalty by Ante Beljan.[2](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/)
- **Spain** won round 1 Group 4 and round 2 Group A6; including the predecessor U16 EURO, Spain have won a record nine titles.[2](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/)
- **Montenegro** won round 1 Group 1, beating Italy 2-1, and round 2 Group A3; it was the first Montenegro U17 team at a final tournament and only the second Montenegro team at any UEFA final tournament after the previous year's Under-19 squad.[2](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/)
- **France** won round 1 Group 9 and round 2 Group A1, qualifying for the ninth time in the last ten editions after finishing runners-up in 2025.[2](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/)
- **Italy** won round 2 Group A2 as round 1 Group 1 runners-up, ending defending European and world champions Portugal's title defences with a 3-2 comeback win on Matchday 1.[2](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/)
- **Denmark** won round 2 Group A4 after finishing runner-up in Spain's round 1 group, its third qualification in five years.[2](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/)
## Outcome
The final tournament ran from 25 May to 7 June 2026, with Estonia staging the finals for the first time. Italy lifted the trophy by beating Belgium on penalties in the final.[3](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-205948cebeca-76c363fc64bc-1000--2026-under-17-euro-final-results/) For the following 2026/27 edition, the round 1 draw was seeded from the 2025/26 round 1 overall rankings, and the finals moved to Latvia.[6](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f5d4f5996d6-7deb09eb5854-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-round-1-draw/)
## References
1. [2025/26 UEFA European Under-17 Championship – Round 1 draw procedure, UEFA](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0293-1c71af6384e8-cf0bf21beda1-1000/2026u17r1draw.pdf)
2. [2026 Under-17 EURO: Meet the contenders, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-20490a89e7f2-057e150a48f1-1000--2026-under-17-euro-meet-the-contenders/)
3. [2026 Under-17 EURO final tournament: All the results, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a4-205948cebeca-76c363fc64bc-1000--2026-under-17-euro-final-results/)
4. [Article 13 Match system and group formation – qualifying competition, Regulations of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship](https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-European-Under-17-Championship-2026/27/Article-13-Match-system-and-group-formation-qualifying-competition-Online)
5. [Portugal go one better in new-look Under-17 EURO in Albania, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/029c-1e6a5f77ea99-c3890ea079ca-1000--portugal-go-one-better-in-new-look-under-17-euro-in-albania/)
6. [2026/27 Under-17 EURO round 1 draw, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02a0-1f5d4f5996d6-7deb09eb5854-1000--2026-27-under-17-euro-round-1-draw/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Seasons and editions › National team seasons and results archives › Youth and Olympic tournaments*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license