"Of all the teams vying for one of the 48 spots in the newly expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup field, it is not an exaggeration to say that San Marino is literally the worst, ranking 210th out of 210 eligible teams in FIFA's men's world rankings. With a population of just over 34,000 -- making it the fifth-smallest recognized country in the world -- San Marino is actually the larger but significantly less famous of two microstates within Italy (as far as we know, Vatican City does not have a FIFA-recognized squad). Thus far, in its quest to play for the world's soccer championship in North America next summer, La Serenissima have lost every one of their seven World Cup qualifying matches, scoring just one goal and allowing 32."
"So, you'd be forgiven for assuming that all hope is lost for San Marino to play in the next World Cup -- but that is not actually so. For it to happen, though, there will have to be a very specific chain of events ... potentially culminating in San Marino having to lose its final World Cup qualifying match by as many goals as possible. The unlikeliest series of events European teams are awarded 16 of the 48 World Cup bids. After a lengthy round-robin qualifying format, which ends on Nov. 18, the first-place finishers in each of the 12 groups earn an automatic bid. The 12 second-place finishers each advance to a 16-team playoff with the remaining four UEFA bids still up for grabs."
"Here's where it gets a bit complicated. The final four spots in that playoff are reserved for the highest-ranked teams who won one of the 14 UEFA Nations League groups back in 2024. As fate would have it, San Marino actually won its three-team Nations League group for the 2024-25 season, notching two wins over Liechtenstein (another European microstate) and holding off Gibraltar with a draw and a loss."
San Marino ranks 210th of 210 in FIFA men's rankings and has a population just over 34,000. La Serenissima lost all seven World Cup qualifying matches, scoring one goal and conceding 32. Europe receives 16 World Cup spots: 12 group winners qualify automatically and 12 runners-up enter a 16-team playoff for remaining UEFA berths. Four playoff slots are reserved for the highest-ranked winners of 14 UEFA Nations League groups. San Marino won its three-team Nations League group by beating Liechtenstein twice and drawing with Gibraltar, placing 14th among the 14 group winners and requiring an unlikely sequence of results to qualify.
Read at ESPN.com
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