Portugal beat Austria to lift FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar

Reigning European U-17 champions Portugal beat Austria 1-0 to lift the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time.

Portugal lifted their first FIFA U-17 World Cup with a 1-0 victory against Austria in the final of the 2025 edition at Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar.

Anisio Cabral netted the only goal of the game in the 32nd minute on Thursday, handing the Portuguese the win in a match that saw both sides competing in the final at this level for the first time.

Johannes Moser of Austria was the leading scorer in the tournament coming into the final with eight goals, but it was substitute Daniel Frauscher who came closest to levelling for his side when striking the post with a low drive in the 85th minute, seconds after coming on as a substitute.

Moser’s closest rival for the Golden Boot was Cabral, who finished with seven goals following his tap after a swift Portuguese passing move, which was enough to seal the win for the reigning European U-17 champions.

The game was as tight as the scoreline suggested, with Austria shading the efforts on goal and the number of chances testing the keeper by 15 to 14 and five to four, respectively.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who is now FIFA’s chief of global football development, hailed the inaugural 48-team FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar as a “football paradise”.

The Frenchman added, “This tournament will change football in the world.

“We want every federation to make an effort to develop their youth. And at the moment, this is not the case. We believe that this tournament will push everybody to make more effort to develop their youth system and education.”

Italy beat Brazil 4-2 on penalties in the third-place playoff earlier in the day following a goalless draw after normal time.

Italy were beaten 2-0 by Austria in the semifinals, while Brazil lost 6-5 on penalties to Portugal in their last-four clash.