Great Britain’s U17 Girls Flag Football team were crowned European Champions on Saturday after defeating Germany 33-7 in the final of the 2026 IFAF European Youth Flag Football Championships.
Great Britain U17 Girls went undefeated in the tournament, with group stage wins over Finland, Germany and Austria before defeating Spain in the semifinal and Germany in the final. Quarterback Lydia Whitestone, making her GB debut, was named U17 Girls Tournament MVP.
Great Britain’s win comes off the back of the GB Women’s team winning back-to-back European Championships in 2023 and 2025, and finishing 4th at this year’s World Championships
Great Britain U17 Boys finished 7th, while the U15 Mixed team finished in 10th.
Having narrowly defeated Germany 26-25 in the group stage, Great Britain asserted themselves in the final, as quarterback Lydia Whitestone threw first half touchdowns to Anaiah Kasenge and Izzy Olerenshaw. Great Britain’s defense held firm with its veterans Caitlin Brown, Ruby Rowlands and Emily Challinor denying the German offense on every drive. Blitzer Mia Samuels piled the pressure on Germany’s quarterback, while two-way player Hannah Winter came up with crucial plays on both sides of the football.
It was interceptions from Brown and Challinor either side of halftime that continued GB on their way to championship victory. Touchdowns in the second half from Whitestone to Olerenshaw and Winter added more points to the board, with Germany eventually finding the end-zone late in the game.
“It’s pretty special,” commented GB U17 Girls Head Coach Vic Henderson.
“I’ve got a great group of coaches, amazing players, everyone gave it their all every step of the way so I’m super proud. It’s been a lot of grit, a lot of resilience, determination, long hours, just non-stop relentless but in the best way. We’re a family, we’ve been saying that all along and it really showed during this tournament where we’ve had each other’s backs non-stop.”
“It’s incredible, I never thought that I’d be here”, commented Whitestone after the final.
“After trying for three years and only playing quarterback for one, we are just one big family that have come together. I’m so proud of everyone, especially Mia and me, who have never played for GB before and we’ve gone and shown exactly what we can do. I’ve never been on a plane before, so flying out with my family, being with all my friends, meeting new people and playing the sport I love, it’s just amazing.”
Great Britain U17 Girls’ route to the Championship
Group stage: Great Britain 39 – Finland 27, Great Britain 26 – Germany 25, Great Britain 38 – 6 Austria
Semifinals: Great Britain 19 – Spain 18
Final: Great Britain 33 – 7 Germany
Great Britain U17 Boys finish seventh
Group stage: Great Britain 26 – Spain 54, Great Britain 48 – Germany 36, Great Britain 26 – Austria 7
Quarterfinal: Great Britain 36 – Israel 40
Placement Games: Great Britain 48 – Austria 53
7th Place Playoff: Great Britain 46 – 7 Team Euro Youth
Great Britain U17 Boys faced the toughest competition early in the tournament, opening against the reigning and eventual 2026 champions Spain, who had their strength on display in a 53-26 win. GB responded well in the group stage to secure a quarterfinal place against Israel, but would fall just short after a late interception. GB ultimately finished seventh after defeating Team Euro Youth 46-7 in the placement games.
Great Britain U15 Mixed finish 10th
Group stage: Great Britain 32 – Czechia 33, Great Britain 0 – Germany 33
Placement Games: Great Britain 34 – Israel 37, Great Britain 25 – Serbia 14, Great Britain 33 – Poland 14, Great Britain 31 – Finland 0
Great Britain U15 Mixed came out firing in their opening game, but fell to a narrow one-point defeat to Czechia. A subsequent loss to Germany moved GB into the 9-13 where, after closing out with three strong wins, they would finish in tenth place.