The UEFA European Under-18 Championship 1996 Final Tournament was held in France and Luxembourg. It also served as the European qualification for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. Players born on or after 1 August 1977 were eligible to participate in this competition.
| Championnat d'Europe de football des moins de 18 ans 1996 U-18-Fußball-Europameisterschaft 1996 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host countries | France Luxembourg |
| Dates | 23–30 July |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  France (3rd title) |
| Runners-up |  Spain |
| Third place |  England |
| Fourth place |  Belgium |
← 1995 1997 → | |
Teams
editThe following teams qualified for the tournament:
Group stage
editGroup A
edit| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 |
| Belgium
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 5 |
 Hungary
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 3 |
 Portugal
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | –4 | 1 |
| 23 July | France
|
2–1 | Hungary
|
| Portugal
|
2–2 | Belgium
| |
| 25 July | France
|
1–0 | Portugal
|
| Belgium
|
2–1 | Hungary
| |
| 27 July | France
|
1–1 | Belgium
|
| Hungary
|
3–0 | Portugal
|
Group B
edit| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 5 |
| England
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 |
 Republic of Ireland
|
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | –1 | 2 |
 Italy
|
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | –3 | 2 |
| 23 July | Spain
|
0–0 | England
|
| Italy
|
1–1 | Republic of Ireland
| |
| 25 July | Italy
|
1–1 | England
|
| Spain
|
0–0 | Republic of Ireland
| |
| 27 July | Spain
|
3–0 | Italy
|
| England
|
1–0 | Republic of Ireland
|
Third place match
editFinal
edit| France | 1 – 0 | Spain |
|---|---|---|
Henry  26' |
Report |
Referee: Rene Temmink (Netherlands)
| 1996 UEFA European Under-18 Championship |
|---|
 France Third title |
Qualification to World Youth Championship
editThe six best performing teams qualified for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.