Europe's leading teenage women will battle it out in Finland from July 26 to August 8 to decide which four teams will represent the "Old Continent" at this year's FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in Thailand.   

UEFA organised its first underage Women's Championship in 1998, at which point it was restricted to U-18s. However the age limit was changed to U-19 in November 2002, and since then the tournament has been held annually.

 Bleuettes keen to hold on to their crown

France have set themselves the task of retaining the trophy they won last year in Leipzig to match Germany's record of three European titles. They have been drawn in Group B alongside Italy, Russia, and the team they beat in last year's final, Norway. "We're in a difficult group but we hope to make it all the way to the final," said French coach Bruno Bidi on hearing the draw. 

After finishing runners-up in 2001 and 2003, Norway will be hoping that they can go one better this time round and are leaving nothing to chance in their preparations.
Jarl Torske, who was the assistant manager of the Norwegian side that took gold at the Sydney Olympics, has brought together a well-balanced and solid side who are sure to provide some stiff opposition to group favourites France.
 
Italy, under Elisabetta Bavagnoli, earned their place in Finland by topping a difficult Group 5 and now face an even tougher task if they are to finish ahead of hotly fancied group rivals France and Norway. Despite the difficult task ahead, the Azzurre are hopeful that they can build on the progress they have made in recent years and raise the profile of the women's game in their own country.

Russia, by contrast, were made to suffer before grabbing a best runners-up spot to earn a place in Finland. It will be the Russians' first appearance at the Championship since reaching the quarter-finals of the inaugural U-18 edition (as it was then) in 1998. They too will be out to show that the game in their country has improved, though their task will be far from easy with the calibre of teams they are up against.  

Germany want 'their' trophy back

After winning the UEFA U-18 Championship in 2000 and 2001 and the U-19 version in 2002, the German girls were hugely disappointed last year when they failed to reach the final in front of their expectant home supporters. Now, more determined than ever, the supremely fit and highly experienced outfit will no doubt be looking for revenge - as well as their fourth title. Standing in their way in Group B will be hosts Finland, Spain and Switzerland.

The German coach Silvia Neid is adamant that her side have what it takes to win the European Championship and if recent results are anything to go by then it will not be for want of goals. Emphatic wins over Poland and Hungary (9-0) would seem to lend weight to their pre-tournament billing as group favourites.


For hosts Finland, it will be their first appearance at the latter stages of a European Championship. The side's serious approach and meticulous preparations show how determined they are not to disappoint their enthusiastic home supporters. Jarmo Matikainen's Scandinavians began their preparations in earnest in February with mixed fortune in their friendlies against Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and China. Their one major setback was a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Germany, a result the Finns will be anxious not to repeat when the sides meet again on July 28.

A more positive note was their recent 3-1 friendly win over England. Though the coach declared himself pleased with the result and the football his side played, he did sound a warning note. "Our game plan worked well in attack and in defence, but we also saw what can happen to us when we lose our concentration. The English goal was a classic example of getting overconfident."

The Spanish, by way of contrast, blazed their way to the Championship after going unbeaten in the qualifiers and scoring an incredible 30 goals in six games while conceding just three. Prolific in attack and solid in defence, they are sure to be a handful for their Group A opponents. Teams will need to keep a particularly close eye on Adriana Martín, who with 11 goals in the qualifiers has shown herself to be a natural goalscorer and the ideal partner for the side's other in-form striker, Natalia Pablos.

Coach Ignacio Quereda, who has been in charge of women's teams for 16 years, has high hopes for his team's future. With their natural talent and winning mentality, the Iberians have set their sights firmly on a ticket to Thailand. "I have a lot of confidence in my players, and I believe they have the potential to achieve their goal."

Switzerland will be feeling more confident going into their Group A games after an encouraging friendly win over France last Tuesday. Béatrice von Siebenthal's side exacted swift revenge for the 5-1 thumping they suffered at the hands of the reigning champions a few days earlier.  In their second game, the Swiss withstood some quality French attacking before scoring late on for a morale-boosting victory.

 

UEFA U-19 Women's Championship
Group A: Germany, Spain, Finland and Switzerland
Group B: Italy, France, Norway and Russia

Match Schedule: (CET)

Wednesday 28 July
13:30  Spain-Switzerland (Loviisa)
14:30  Norway-France (Hyvinkää)
17:30  Finland-Germany (Hyvinkää)
17:30  Italy-Russia (Loviisa)

Friday 30 July
14:30  Finland-Spain (Kauniainen)
14:30  Norway-Italy (Hämeenlinna)
17:30  Germany-Switzerland (Kauniainen)
17:30  France-Russia (Hämeenlinna)

Monday 2 August
13:45  Russia-Norway (Loviisa)
13:45  France-Italy (Hyvinkää)
17:45  Switzerland-Finland (Loviisa)
17:45  Germany-Spain (Hyvinkää)

Thursday 5 August
16:00  Semi-Final B1-A2 (Hämeenlinna)
19:00  Semi-Final A1-B2 (Hämeenlinna)

Sunday 8 August
17:00  Final  (Vantaa)