# UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship
The UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship is the European championship for women's national under-19 football teams, organized by UEFA, the governing body of European football. Founded in 1997/98 as an Under-18 competition, it has been an Under-19 event since 2001/02 and doubles as UEFA's route into the [FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-u-20-womens-world-cup). [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/)
| Key fact | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| First edition | 1997/98, as an Under-18 competition; Denmark and Sweden won the first two titles [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/) |
| Age band changed | Under-19 from the 2001/02 season [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/) |
| Most titles | Spain, 7 (as of 2025); Germany, 6 [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/) • [2](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/029a-1e1a58f0ebf2-009f8f003843-1000--spain-win-2025-women-s-u19-euro-at-a-glance/) |
| Longest streak | Spain, four consecutive titles (2022–2025), the first such run in any UEFA youth tournament [2](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/029a-1e1a58f0ebf2-009f8f003843-1000--spain-win-2025-women-s-u19-euro-at-a-glance/) |
| Record final score | Germany 8–1 Norway (2011 final) [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/) |
| Qualifying format | Two-division, Nations League-style format with competitive fixtures in autumn and spring, introduced in 2021/22 [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/) |
| World Cup role | Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, and England joined host Poland as UEFA's six teams at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup [2](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/029a-1e1a58f0ebf2-009f8f003843-1000--spain-win-2025-women-s-u19-euro-at-a-glance/) |
## History and evolution
Denmark and Sweden won the first two editions when the tournament began life as an Under-18 competition in 1997/98. [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/) From the 2001/02 season the format changed to Under-19s; 34 teams were whittled down to eight for the finals, and Germany beat France to complete a run of titles. [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/)
**The COVID years** removed two editions: the following two competitions (2020 and 2021) were abandoned due to the pandemic. The tournament returned in 2021/22 alongside a new qualification system. [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/)
## Format and qualification
Since 2021/22, qualifying has used a two-division, Nations League-style format, designed to ensure that all entrants play competitive games in both autumn and spring rather than being eliminated after a single round. [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/) In the pre-reform era, 34 teams entered and eight reached the finals. [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/)
## Pathway to the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
The championship doubles as UEFA's qualifier for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Through the 2025 tournament, England, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain qualified for the 2026 edition, and [Poland](https://www.edgepedia.org/poland) qualified automatically as hosts, giving UEFA six teams at that World Cup. [2](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/029a-1e1a58f0ebf2-009f8f003843-1000--spain-win-2025-women-s-u19-euro-at-a-glance/) Deep runs in the U-19 EURO therefore carry a second prize beyond the trophy itself.
## Champions and dominance
Germany accumulated five titles between 2000 and 2007 and a sixth in 2011, and for many years was the nation to beat. [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/) Spain has since overtaken that record. Its sequence began with the 2021/22 title in Czechia, where Spain came from behind to beat Norway 2–1, continued with retention in 2023 on penalties against Germany in Belgium, and a sixth title in 2023/24 with a 2–1 extra-time win over the Netherlands in [Lithuania](https://www.edgepedia.org/lithuania). [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/) In 2025, Spain beat France 4–0 in Poland for a seventh title, one more than Germany, and a record 12th top-two finish. [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/) • [2](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/029a-1e1a58f0ebf2-009f8f003843-1000--spain-win-2025-women-s-u19-euro-at-a-glance/)
Scorelines can be one-sided. Germany won the 2011 final 8–1 against Norway, a final-record scoreline, and on another run to a final set a tournament record with 23 goals, including a 7–0 group-stage win over Spain. [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/) Recent finals have been tighter, with two of Spain's title-winning finals decided by a single goal (2–1 against Norway in 2022 and 2–1 in extra time against the Netherlands in 2023/24), and the 2023 final level before a penalty shoot-out, before the 4–0 win over France in 2025. [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/)
## Recent developments
Spain has won every edition since 2022, and the 2025 triumph in Poland made it the first team to win any UEFA youth tournament four years in a row. [2](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/029a-1e1a58f0ebf2-009f8f003843-1000--spain-win-2025-women-s-u19-euro-at-a-glance/) At the 2025 finals, Spain beat France in the final, with Italy and Portugal as semi-finalists; those four teams, plus England and host Poland, formed UEFA's six-team contingent at the 2026 U-20 World Cup. [2](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/029a-1e1a58f0ebf2-009f8f003843-1000--spain-win-2025-women-s-u19-euro-at-a-glance/) The other major structural change, the two-division Nations League-style qualifying format, predates 2023, having been introduced with the 2021/22 return after the pandemic abandonments. [1](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/)
## References
1. [Tournament history: Women's U19 EURO](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/0247-0e176c35938c-14f2f20da2f4-1000--tournament-history-women-s-u19-euro/)
2. [Spain win 2025 Women's U19 EURO: At a glance](https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/news/029a-1e1a58f0ebf2-009f8f003843-1000--spain-win-2025-women-s-u19-euro-at-a-glance/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › UEFA competitions › UEFA women's competitions › UEFA women's youth championships*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license