Portugal secured their first FIFA Under-17 World Cup title with a 1-0 victory over Austria in a gripping final at Khalifa International Stadium on Thursday. Benfica forward Anísio Cabral’s 32nd-minute strike proved decisive, as the reigning U-17 European champions completed a remarkable 2025 double.
Austria, contesting their first World Cup final at any level, pressed for an equaliser and came agonisingly close late in the match when Daniel Frauscher struck the inside of the post. Despite their spirited attacks, including several near-misses and curling free-kicks, the Austrian side were unable to breach the Portuguese defence.
Portugal began brightly, with Duarte Cunha narrowly missing an early opportunity, while goalkeeper Romario Cunha made crucial saves throughout the match. Cunha tipped a header from Ifeanyi Ndukwe over the bar and kept out Hasan Deshishku on more than one occasion. Cabral’s strike, the seventh of the tournament, came after a slick team move, with only adidas Golden Boot winner Johannes Moser of Austria scoring more goals in the competition.
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The final saw Portugal’s resilience and composure tested by Austria’s rapid counter-attacks and late pressure, yet they held on to claim the nation’s first global title at the U-17 level. Mauro Furtado was named Player of the Match for his pivotal contributions.
Coach Bino hailed the performance, stating, “I feel so proud to coach these players. It was a hard journey, but with a lot of growing, for them and for me. After the great performance we had at the EUROs, to be able to win the World Cup is fantastic.”
Defender Martim Chelmik added, “We are a generation with a lot of quality, not only the players who are here, but also the ones who could be here and aren't. This speaks volumes about Portuguese football.”
Austria coach Hermann Stadler reflected on his team’s effort: “In the second half, we showed our true colours again. We put up a great fight, but played a bit too passively in the first half. Our opponents were better than us, we have to be honest.”
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