Group D of the European Championship, which takes place between May 20 and June 5 in Cyprus, brings together four European champions fighting for two places, reserved for the top two finishers, in the quarter-finals, in an edition without the European champion, Germany. Portugal was, in fact, decisive in the elimination of the Germans, by winning on the third and final matchday in the elite round, leaving the European champion in third place in their group, behind Croatia, and out of the race. In Cyprus, the team coached by João Santos can assume that they are one of the favourites after a flawless qualification, with a 100% winning record in the first group stage and then in the elite round. In the first stage, the team beat Albania, Montenegro and the Czech Republic, with a total of 11 goals scored and one conceded, and in the next stage the Republic of Ireland, Croatia and Germany, with a total balance of 10 scored and three conceded. A path that gives very good indicators to the coach João Santos, who during the campaign, between November 2023 and then in March 2024, saw the striker Gabriel Silva shine, the team's top scorer, with six goals in six games. In addition to Gabriel Silva, the midfielder Rodrigo Mora and the striker Geovany Quenda are also players to watch, in a competition in which they can capitalise on a greater projection, similar to what others have done throughout the history of the championships. Among the opponents, Spain, nine-time champions, six of which were when the tournament was still played as an under-16 category, can also count on some trump cards, after having left the qualification with the second best attack (26 goals in six games). Better than Spain, only England (29 goals), also an opponent of Portugal, while France, like Portugal, is the only team that did not lose any of the six games, although the Gauls have two draws and the 'quinas' team a full set of victories. The Portuguese team arrives at the European Championship looking for what would be their seventh title in the category, with two won after 2002, already in the under-17s, and four in the European Championship that occupies the calendar and was for the under-16s. Portugal's record includes two under-17 champion titles, in 2003 and 2016, after having already won four other trophies, in 1989, 1995, 1996 and 2000, when the competition was still limited to young athletes up to 16 years old, something that occurred until 2001. Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Florentino (Benfica) or Rafael Leão (AC Milan) are some of the names that were projected in Portugal's last conquest, in 2016, in a final won on penalties against Spain. In Cyprus, the Portuguese team starts the Group D competition precisely against Spain, on May 21, in Áquena, followed by games with England, on 24, and France, on 27, both scheduled for Larnaca. The competition also features Cyprus, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Serbia (group A), Denmark, Croatia, Austria and Wales (group B), and Italy, Sweden, Slovakia and Poland (group C).