Portugal have one more hurdle to overcome in their quest for a first FIFA U17 World Cup title. Austria stand in their way of making history in Qatar, both nations reaching the final for the first time.
Bino Maçães’ side entered the tournament with plenty of confidence after winning the 2025 UEFA European U17 Championship. The Austrian side failed to qualify for the tournament in Albania, earning a spot at the World Cup as the fourth best second-placed team.
The Equipa das Quinas are competing in their fourth U17 World Cup, their best performance coming in their debut in 1989 when it was an U16 competition. Luís Figo’s side beat Bahrain in the 3rd place playoff following a narrow semi-final defeat to hosts Scotland.
Portugal Squad
Bino Maçães initially named 24 players in his squad, the number reduced to 21 with Diego Coxi, Francisco Fernandes and Eduardo Ferreira missing out.
Goalkeepers: Romário Cunha (Braga), Alex Tverdohlebov (Sporting CP), David Rodrigues (Braga)
Defenders: Daniel Banjaqui (Benfica), Gabriel Dbouk (Braga), Yoan Pereira (Porto), José Neto (Benfica), Martim Chelmik (Porto), Ricardo Neto (Benfica), Mauro Furtado (Benfica).
Midfielders: Santiago Verdi (Vitória de Guimarães), Rafael Quintas (Benfica), Martim Guedes (Vitória de Guimarães), Bernardo Lima (Porto), Miguel Figueiredo (Benfica)
Forwards: João Aragão (Braga), Duarte Cunha (Porto), Steven Manuel (Benfica), Mateus Mide (Porto), Tomás Soares (Benfica), Anísio Cabral (Benfica)
Predicted lineup
Bino Maçães has selected the same starting side in the previous two games and is not expected to make any changes for the final. Rafael Quintas and Duarte Cunha picked up knocks against Brazil but should shake them off in time.
The main options off the bench will be Yoan Pereira, Santiago Verdi, Martim ‘Zeega’ Guedes, João Aragão and Tomás Soares.
Portugal (4-2-3-1) Romário Cunha; Daniel Banjaqui, Martim Chelmik, Mauro Furtado, José Neto; Rafael Quintas, Bernardo Lima; Duarte Cunha, Mateus Mide, Stevan Manuel; Anísio Cabral
Portugal Form
Portugal fell behind against New Caledonia in their opening match at the World Cup, turning it around to secure a 6-1 victory. José Neto provided two assists and two goals in a 6-0 win over Morocco before ending the group stage with a 2-1 defeat against Japan.
Anísio Cabral bagged both goals in a 2-1 win against Belgium in the round of 32. The striker then scored his sixth goal of the tournament in a 5-0 round of 16 victory over Mexico who ended the contest with nine men.
Bino Maçães’ side beat Switzerland 2-0 in the quarter-finals thanks to goals from Mateus Mide and José Neto. Brazil proved to be a difficult opponent in the semi-final which went to a penalty shootout, Portugal surviving a crucial spot kick to advance in dramatic fashion.
Austria Form
Austria started the tournament with a deserved 1-0 win against Saudi Arabia thanks to Johannes Moser’s penalty. Moser converted another penalty in a 3-0 victory over Mali and top spot in Group L was secured after three late goals secured a 4-1 win against New Zealand.
Martin Scherb’s side haven’t conceded a goal since, more late goals coming in a 2-0 win over Tunisia. England were reduced to 10 men and swept aside 4-0 in the round of 16, Moser adding another two goals to his account.
Austria were on the back foot for large spells against Japan, coming through to win the quarter-final 1-0 with Moser on target once again. The 17-year-old continued his sensational form in the semi-finals where Austria had 33% possession against Italy, scoring both goals in a 2-0 victory.
Austria players to watch
Captain and centre-back Jakob Pokorny holds the defence together and is likely to be rejoined by Ifeanyi Ndukwe who missed the semi-final due to suspension. Austria have conceded only one goal in Qatar and their central defensive partnership is a big reason why.
Luca Weinhandl is a tall and talented midfielder who was sent off in the first half of Austria’s opening match in Qatar. Hasan Deshishku scored three goals in the group stage and added a fourth against England.
The star of the show for Austria has been Johannes Moser, the FC Liefering forward scoring eight goals in seven games. The first four goals came from the penalty spot and the last was a sweet free kick.
Head-to-head record
Portugal have met Austra in four competitive games, winning twice alongside a draw and a defeat.
They last met in the 2025 UEFA European U17 Championship quarter-finals. Zé Gomes hit a hat-trick in a 5-0 victory as Hélio Sousa’s side went on to win the tournament.
Quotes
Bino Maçães: “First, I want to say that we are very happy to be in this final. It's true that it took a lot of work, but it's the result of everything the team has done along the way, and now we are going to face an excellent team, which has also earned its place in a final. A team like Austria, which has eliminated England, Japan and Italy, will necessarily be a very good team, which will create many problems for us.”
“We want more. When you reach a final, the only thought a team can have is to win, knowing the difficulties that a game like this entails, with a very difficult opponent, very well organised, very well trained, and who will create many difficulties for us. I expect a great football match and we hope to be happy in the end.”
“When you've already played so many games, and with the final it will be five games in 15 days, which is a lot, especially with only 18 outfield players and three goalkeepers, we're all very tired, which is normal. When you play in a World Cup you face great teams, it's not possible to take it easy in any game, there's no time to rest or train.”
“It's about recovering, relying a lot on the intelligence of our players, because many times we'll have to use video to show what might happen during the game. It's difficult, but we're very happy. I also think that overcoming this comes from the confidence we've gained and the desire to be champions.”
“All of that is stronger than the fatigue that may be accumulating in both teams. I believe that both sides would like to have another day of rest, to have a final with more quality, because over time there will be accumulated wear and tear, but we want to represent Portugal well, to have a great final, so we can take the trophy home.”
“Austria has an excellent team, very complete in their game plan, and we will have to be focused on them from the first minute to the last.”
“We are here on our own merit and because we have been one of the best teams up to this point. We want to be true to ourselves in this final, to play a great game, because these opportunities only come once in a lifetime and we have to take advantage of them.”
“The Portuguese community here in Qatar have been very important in making our players feel supported and valued in what they are doing and representing. The Portuguese are very enthusiastic, as you have the opportunity to see, and this is very important and has helped us.”
“They have been our allies, the 12th player on the team, because this support brings us positive energy, and that is fundamental when there is already some wear and tear from a major competition.”
“We hope that those who are coming now will be happy, because after a long journey to get here, we really wanted to give this title to our Portuguese players, but there is a great battle to be fought, and we hope to be the winners.”
Rafael Quintas: “It's a very similar feeling to the European Championship final. We have a very similar group, few players have changed, and I think we have a very confident team that knows what it's capable of, knows how to respect the opponent, and maintains the humility it had in Europe. The team is ready for this final.”
“Austria has demonstrated a lot of its value on the field, it has shown it against its opponents, it has a great capacity to fight until the end of the game, it plays good football and we have been working to try to counter their game tomorrow.”
“The Portuguese are and always have been our 12th player. Whether they're here or at home, they're always important because they always support us, and I think they're fundamental to our success. We want to continue to make them proud!”
“Mister Bino is very demanding, he demands a lot from us, and that's very good. We like having that level of demand, because it's a good sign, it means we work well and work hard. We want to continue to demonstrate this work ethic, our spirit of sacrifice, to make Mister Bino increasingly happy, as is obvious.”
Preparados para a final 🎙️🏆
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) November 26, 2025
🔗 𝗦𝗔𝗕𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗦 👉 https://t.co/1zPKYlwT2L#FazHistória #U17WC pic.twitter.com/ZBIXVGSpeQ
