San Marino dreams of the playoffs for the 2026 World Cup in Liechtenstein

The most unsuccessful national soccer team of all time is currently more successful than ever before. San Marino can make history in Liechtenstein today. If the first away win in the association's history is achieved in the 101st attempt, promotion is perfect – and the World Cup playoffs are within reach.

The term “football miracle” is perhaps used in an inflated way. But what else would it be like if the most unsuccessful national team in football history, the last in the world rankings, won its group in the Nations League and suddenly even dreamed of taking part in the playoffs for the World Cup?

The national team from the small state of San Marino has a historic and perhaps unique chance this Monday evening. Local media reports on the “dream of the night of miracles” or of the “one victory” that would be enough “to make history.” The “San Marino fan account” sums it up with “X”: “Everything is possible”.

The “Titans”, as the footballers from San Marino are called, compete in Liechtenstein. The national team from the fifth smallest country in the world travels to the sixth smallest country. Only Vatican City, Monaco and the South Sea island states of Nauru and Tuvalu are even tinier. The chance for the San Marinese recreational footballers in the sky blue national dress is even greater.

In Vaduz, the capital of the principality, it's all about winning the group in the Nations League D1. It is the summit meeting of the smallest of the small. Winning the group leads to promotion to the C league of the Nations League. And maybe that will even be enough for something more in the long run. But first things first.

100 away games, 0 wins

With a win, San Marino can first and foremost end a historically long negative streak. San Marino has never won an international match outside of its own country. There were exactly 100 attempts in 34 years, 100 times nothing happened.

Almost nothing. At least the “Titans” managed four respectable draws. In 2001 in Riga, San Marino defied heavy favorites Latvia to draw 1-1 in the World Cup qualification. In 2022 there was also a 1-1 draw on the small Caribbean island of St. Lucia, when San Marino left for their first international trip outside of Europe.

San Marino got their two further away draws in Liechtenstein, of all places. In 2003, a friendly match in the principality ended goalless. In 2020, San Marino played 2-2 in the Nations League.

Liechtenstein as a good omen

The “Titans” home record is also only slightly better. In over 100 games there were just two wins. These are historically the only victories in a total of 210 country comparisons. Both times the opponent was: Liechtenstein.

In 2004, record “scorer” Andy Selva (8 goals) scored 1-0 in a friendly match. In September of this year, more than 20 years after the first success, Nicko Sensoli poked the ball into the net for the 1-0 winning goal. “Enormous pride,” he felt after the final whistle, said national coach Roberto Cevoli after the cathartic victory. “This was a game we've been waiting for for so long. Our president cried after the final whistle.”

A look at the San Marinese football history books makes it clear: When San Marino celebrates success, it is against Liechtenstein. A good omen for the showdown in Group D1 of the Nations League, for the Furioso final in the Principality.

German national coach in the principality

Here in Liechtenstein, just an hour's drive from Lake Constance, framed by the picturesque Alpine panorama, surrounded by Switzerland and Austria, football is not a big deal. There are only seven clubs in the entire country; Liechtenstein does not have its own league; the clubs play in the Swiss league system. The principality is better known as the Eldorado of finance or for its biggest export hit: Hilti AG sells its bright red impact wrenches and hammer drills all over the world.

The Liechtenstein national team hasn't attracted attention too often either. In qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, the German national team played their only international match on Liechtenstein soil to date and won 6-0. The country's national football team's greatest success is a sensational 2-2 draw against Portugal (with Cristiano Ronaldo) in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.

After all, things are now looking up under German coach Konrad Fünfstück, who coached 1. FC Kaiserslautern and most recently Werder Bremen II in the 2015/16 season: a 0-0 away draw against European Championship round of 16 side Romania in June, a 1 draw in October. 0 win against Hong Kong. It was Liechtenstein's first victory after four years without a win.

But despite all the upswing, today's home game against San Marino at first glance offers little potential to remain anchored in the memory of football fans for a long time.

Gibraltar and San Marino in a long-distance duel

The Nations League generally does not have a high status in the overheated world of football. The competition introduced by UEFA in 2018 is better than its reputation. The Nations League offers an opportunity, especially for weaker national teams, to compete at a similar level. And for San Marino, the Nations League is even a chance for something really big.

Vaduz could become the scene of the greatest football miracle in the history of the world's smallest and oldest republic. We're not just talking about San Marino's first away win. Because as if a third and historically first away win in the 101st attempt wasn't miraculous enough, the table in Group D1 of the Nations League is also going crazy. In the three-team relay, Gibraltar is ahead with six points, San Marino is in second place with four points, and Liechtenstein is last without a win with two points.

For Gibraltar, however, the Nations League is already over. The kickers from the British overseas territory have played all four games and can only look anxiously towards Liechtenstein. On Friday evening, Gibraltar conceded the 1-1 equalizer in stoppage time in San Marino, otherwise the Affenfelsen kickers would already be certain group winners.

But the late equalizer with a penalty goal from Nicola Nanni not only gave San Marino the rare feeling of not having lost a football game, but also gave them unprecedented hope for a football miracle. San Marino's first away win would mean promotion to the C league of the Nations League. A draw would at least be enough for participation in the relegation to the C-League.

Participation in the World Cup playoffs for a football dwarf?

But even the away win premiere in combination with the sensational promotion would probably not be the greatest feeling of happiness: if San Marino wins, the dwarf state footballers could hope for something much bigger. Suddenly the country with just 33,000 inhabitants would have a realistic chance of a place in the European playoffs for the 2026 World Cup.

What sounds like an absurd fever dream can actually work because of the integration of regular World Cup qualification and the Nations League. In the qualification, which will be played from March to November 2026, the 54 European national teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four or five teams. The 12 group winners qualify directly for the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The twelve runners-up make it to the playoffs. In addition, the four best group winners in the Nations League who do not occupy one of the top two places in their World Cup qualifying group will also receive a place in the playoffs. And that's where things get interesting for the dwarf states in Nations League Group D1.

The Nations League group winners from leagues A, B and C will be given the chance first and only then would it be League D's turn. But if the four places are not yet distributed because enough Nations League group winners play through the regular qualifying route directly to the final round or the playoffs (which is realistic), even the smallest of the small ones would have a chance. A soccer dwarf could also make it into the World Cup playoffs this way. Maybe even San Marino, the biggest dwarf of them all. In any case, the “Titans” are hoping for the miracle in Vaduz.