The 2026 IFAF European Youth Flag Football Championships come down to one final day Saturday in Lido delle Nazioni, Italy, with three European titles on the line and at least two new champions guaranteed to be crowned.
Day 3 action gets underway at 08:00 CET (8 am, 2 am ET) at Po Delta Park, with the final placement games and semifinals before the action shifts to Hilderaldo Luiz Bellini Stadium in Comacchio for the three championship games.
After two days of competition, the fields have been cut down to the final contenders in U17 Boys, U17 Girls and U15 Mixed.
Germany knocks out defending champions
The biggest upset in the U17 Girls quarterfinals came from Germany, which avenged its loss to Italy in last year’s European championship game with a convincing 38-13 win over the host nation.
That ended Italy’s title defense and sent Germany into a semifinal against the Czech Republic , which won Group A and remains unbeaten through the first two days.
On the other side of the bracket, unbeaten Great Britain, the Group B winner, takes on Spain for the other spot in the final.
The winners will meet for the European championship at 18:00 CET (12 pm ET), meaning the division will have a new champion.
Watch live. IFAF Youth Flag Euros: Day 3, Sept. 26, 08:00 CET (8 am, 2 am ET)
Spain keeps title defense alive
Unlike the U17 Girls champion, defending U17 Boys champion Spain is still standing.
The Spanish advanced with a 42-25 quarterfinal victory over France and now face Finland, which survived one of Friday’s tightest games, edging Team Europe Youth by a single point.
The other semifinal sends host Italy against Israel.
Italy squeezed past Austria 34-29 in its quarterfinal, while Israel, the 2025 runner-up and a two-time European champion, held off Great Britain 40-36.
There was nothing accidental about the final four. Spain, Finland, Italy and Israel all won their respective groups on Thursday and now find themselves one victory away from playing for gold.
The U17 Boys championship game is scheduled for 15:30 CET (9:30 am ET).
New U15 champion guaranteed
There will definitely be a new champion in U15 Mixed after Germany’s bid for back-to-back titles ended in dramatic fashion Friday.
Team Europe Youth knocked off the defending champion 36-35 to book a place in Saturday’s gold medal game.
Waiting there will be Austria, which had to survive a wild 48-47 quarterfinal against Czechia before beating Spain 32-23 in the semifinal.
Austria and Team Europe Youth will play for the U15 Mixed European championship at 16:45 CET (10:45 am ET).
Final day starts at 08:00 CET
Saturday will bring the fifth annual European Youth Championships to a close after three days featuring teams from across the continent.
The action begins at Po Delta Park at 08:00 CET (8 am, 2 am ET), with the semifinals and placement games taking center stage before the tournament moves to Hilderaldo Luiz Bellini Stadium in Comacchio for the medal games.
The U17 Boys championship game kicks off at 15:30 CET (9:30 am ET), followed by the U15 Mixed final at 16:45 CET (10:45 am ET) and the U17 Girls title game at 18:00 CET (12 pm ET).
By Saturday evening, three teams will leave Italy as European champions — and in U17 Girls and U15 Mixed, there will be new names at the top of the continent.