Soccer’s ‘worst’ national team rises toward 2026 World Cup chance after Nations League group win

By GRAHAM DUNBAR The Associated Press

FILE - San Marino's Alessandro Golinucci, fourth right, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Euro 2024 group H qualifying soccer match between San Marino and Denmark at the San Marino Stadium in Serravalle, San Marino, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Felice Calabro, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Felice Calabro]

GENEVA (AP) — The official worst national team in men’s soccer is within sight of entering qualifying playoffs for the 2026 World Cup in North America.

San Marino’s stunning progress this year, as the team ranked No. 210 by FIFA, was capped Monday by a 3-1 win over Liechtenstein that sealed winning a UEFA Nations League group.

It was San Marino’s second victory over Liechtenstein — the first in September ended a 20-year winless run in all games for a team whose all-time record in World Cup qualifiers is zero wins, two draws and 76 losses across more than three decades.

“I even cried among the boys, I hugged the captain and it was an incredible thing,” San Marino soccer federation president Marco Tura said after Monday’s game that set several firsts for the landlocked microstate in Italy with a population of fewer than 35,000.

Now, the door to the next World Cup is ever-so-slightly open because UEFA tweaked the qualifying format to elevate teams that win a group in the Nations League, even in the fourth and lowest tier.

If results and standings go San Marino’s way next year in European qualifying groups for the World Cup, then entry awaits to the 16-team playoffs in March 2026.

San Marino being just two games away from the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico is still the stuff of dreams but winning its Nations League group was real, as was the congratulations posted Tuesday by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

The game in Liechtenstein was the last fixture in a three-team, round-robin group of minnows also including Gibraltar, which had topped the standings before kickoff in Vaduz.

San Marino trailed 1-0 at halftime, not a good sign for a team that had never rallied to win a game since starting to play international soccer 34 years ago.

Then goals started to flow for coach Roberto Cevoli’s team: Lorenzo Lazzari racing clear to beat the advancing goalkeeper in the 46th minute, Nicola Nanni’s penalty in the 66th and substitute Alessandro Golinucci’s calmly placed shot in the 76th.

“They have shown incredible values, going behind, coming back,” Lura said. “It’s the first time we win a match by coming from behind, it is the first time we score more than one goal in a (competitive) match, it’s the first time we get to the next stage, I think there’s little left to say.”

A bigger story could yet be told.

Winning the group promoted San Marino to the Nations League third tier that starts in September 2026 after the next World Cup, where Europe will send 16 entries in the first 48-team tournament.

On Dec. 13 in Zurich, FIFA will make the complex draw for 12 European qualifying groups and San Marino, as usual, is in the seeding pot of lowest-ranked teams.

The 12 group winners in November next year go to the World Cup. The 12 runners-up advance to the playoffs joined by four winners of these Nations League groups. The playoffs format is four knockout brackets, each of four teams playing single-leg games, and the winners qualify for the World Cup.

There were 16 Nations League groups finishing this week and most of those winners — including Spain, Germany, France, Portugal — will expect to top their World Cup qualifying groups.

If 12 of those 16 — also Norway, Turkey, Sweden, Romania — go on to finish in the top two of a World Cup qualifying group, then San Marino comes into play.

For UEFA, it justifies creating the Nations League a decade ago to raise the ambition of all member federations by giving them meaningful competitive games against teams of a similar level.

North Macedonia used a playoffs ticket earned in the Nations League to qualify for the 2020 European Championship. Georgia made a stunning tournament debut at Euro 2024.

The World Cup is still a long shot for San Marino, though closer than ever before.

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AP Sports Writer Daniella Matar in Milan contributed to this report

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer