Portugal Lifts Junior World Cup in Qatar, Ronaldo Sends Heartfelt Congratulations

Udaipur, Nov 28, 2025: Three years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo returned from Qatar with disappointment after Portugal were knocked out in the World Cup quarter-finals. But this time, his young Portugal team brought him joy. They returned from Qatar as world champions.

Portugal defeated Austria 1–0 in the final of the Under-17 World Cup at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. With this win, Portugal became Under-17 world champions for the first time. Soon after the victory, Al Nassr star Ronaldo congratulated the Portugal Under-17 team on Instagram. Under a graphic of the players, he wrote, “Giants! Congratulations, world champions!”

Benfica centre-forward Anício Cabral scored the only goal of the match in the 32nd minute. Portugal held on to this lead and secured the title. Austria also reached the Under-17 World Cup final for the first time, but they fell short on the big night.

Portugal’s Young Stars Shine on the World Stage

Cabral, who scored the winning goal in the final, finished the tournament with 7 goals. Austria’s Johannes Moser won the Golden Boot with 8 goals. This was the biggest edition in U-17 World Cup history, with 48 teams competing. More than 300 goals were scored across 100 matches.

Portugal had earlier won the U-17 European Championship in June. After becoming European champions, the young Portuguese team also conquered the world.

European Teams Dominate the Tournament

Brazil, Portugal, Austria, and Italy reached the semi-finals. After a goalless match, Brazil lost to Portugal in a tiebreaker. Austria defeated Italy 2-0 in the other semi-final. In the third-place match, Italy beat Brazil 4-2 in a tiebreaker after 0-0 in regular time.

This means all three top teams—Portugal, Austria, and Italy—were from Europe. Argentina exited the tournament after losing to Mexico in a tiebreaker in the round of 32. Portugal moved into the quarter-finals by defeating Mexico in the round of 16.

Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, now FIFA’s Head of Global Football Development, praised Qatar, calling it a “football paradise.” He also said, “This tournament will change football in the world.”