UEFA U17 Women's Championship

About UEFA U17 Women's Championship

History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage

The UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship, or the UEFA Under-17 Women's Championship, is an annual football tournament for under-17 women’s national teams from UEFA member associations. Founded in 2007, it serves as a standalone competition and a qualifying tournament for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

Taking place in May, the tournament features eight teams, an increase from four that was implemented in 2014 following a 2011 announcement. All teams, including the host nation, go through a qualifying tournament, consisting of two rounds. However, unlike the others, the hosts are guaranteed a spot in the finals regardless. Participants are divided into two groups of four, with each country playing every other side in their group once in a single round-robin format. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage, which includes single-leg semifinals and a final.

The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup expanded from a biennial 16-team event to an annual 24-team tournament starting in 2024, and as a result, the UEFA Under-17 Women’s Championship qualifies UEFA’s five representatives each year. These slots are awarded to the top five teams in the tournament. Germany and Spain have been two of the most dominant teams in this tournament, winning the first five titles—Germany claiming the first two and Spain winning the next two. In the first 15 championships, only two other countries, Poland and France, were crowned champions.