San Marino Eyes World Cup Dream Despite FIFA’s Bottom Ranking

San Marino, San Marino — Although San Marino sits at the bottom of FIFA’s men’s soccer rankings, the tiny nation still has a chance to qualify for the World Cup next year. With fewer than 34,000 residents, San Marino has lost all seven of its World Cup qualification matches, scoring only one goal while conceding 32.

Historically, San Marino has struggled in international soccer, winning just three out of 219 matches, none of which were qualification games for either the World Cup or the European Championship. Their three wins came against Liechtenstein, another small European country.

In the recent Nations League, which was introduced by UEFA in 2018, San Marino achieved significant milestones by winning two matches against Liechtenstein and earning a draw with Gibraltar. These results allowed them to top their Nations League D group, improving their chance for a World Cup qualification.

The qualification process involves 12 group winners securing a spot, while four additional nations will enter through a play-off system in March 2026. Notably, Romania, who is in San Marino’s qualification group, currently sits third behind Austria and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

To enhance their chances of qualification, San Marino needs Romania to secure a top finish in their group. This outcome could enable San Marino to step into the play-off opportunity by finishing as one of the best group winners from the Nations League.

However, San Marino faces uncertainty as they must rely on favorable results from several other teams to keep their World Cup hopes alive. The nation’s best chance lies in one or fewer of four other teams—Romania, Czechia, Sweden, and Northern Ireland—missing a top-two finish in their groups.

With their 6,600-capacity stadium often half-empty during matches, San Marino has experienced tough defeats, including a record 13-0 loss to Germany in 2006. Despite these challenges, San Marino’s soccer journey includes moments of pride, such as the fastest World Cup qualifying goal ever scored against England in 1993.

As the qualification matches progress, San Marino remains hopeful of pulling off an upset that could lead to their long-awaited World Cup appearance.