Portugal, Austria Set For Historic Clash in FIFA U-17 World Cup Final

Portugal, Austria Set For Historic Clash in FIFA U-17 World Cup Final

By Our Reporter 

Portugal and Austria will contest the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar after securing hard-fought semi-final victories, ensuring that a new champion will be crowned in this year’s edition of the tournament, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Both nations have reached the final of the competition for the first time, marking a significant milestone for their youth football programmes.

Portugal’s campaign began emphatically in the group stage, where they overcame an early scare to defeat New Caledonia 6–1 before recording a commanding 6–0 win over Morocco. The young Seleção then edged Japan 2–1 in a tense encounter to finish group play with maximum points.

In the knockout rounds, Portugal defeated Belgium 2–1 and swept past Mexico with a 5–0 victory. Their semi-final clash with Brazil proved the most challenging test yet, with the match ending in a draw before Portugal prevailed in a dramatic penalty shootout to book their place in the final.

Austria, meanwhile, opened their campaign with a disciplined 1–0 win over Saudi Arabia, followed by a convincing 3–0 victory against Mali. A late flurry of goals sealed their 3–0 win over New Zealand, securing the top spot in Group L.

The Austrians maintained their defensive solidity having conceded only once in the entire tournament as they advanced past Tunisia with a 2–0 win in the round of 16 and routed England 4–0 in the quarter-finals. They then edged Japan 1–0 in a tight semi-final contest before defeating Italy 2–0 to reach the championship match.

Thursday’s final, scheduled for 7 p.m., will mark the fifth meeting between Portugal and Austria at youth level. Portugal hold the edge with two wins, one draw, and one defeat. Their most memorable encounter came at the 2016 UEFA European U-17 Championship quarter-finals, where Zé Gomes scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 Portuguese victory en route to winning the tournament.

With both sides in formidable form, the upcoming showdown promises to deliver a compelling conclusion to the world’s premier U-17 football competition.