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Football in San Marino | |
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Country | San Marino |
Governing body | San Marino Football Federation |
National team(s) | San Marino |
Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
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Football is the most popular sport in San Marino, as well as in Italy, the country within which it is an enclave. [1]
The San Marino Championship, founded under the auspices of the FSGC (San Marino Football Federation), is the premier footballing competition in San Marino. 16 teams take part in the competition. In 2007, UEFA granted San Marino a spot in the 1st Qualifying Round of the Champions League. In 2007 league champion S.S. Murata was the first team to represent San Marino in the Champions League when they participated in the 2007–08 competition, losing to Finland's Tampere United.
San Marino also have a representative in the Italian system with Victor San Marino (formerly San Marino Calcio) playing in Italian football's Eccellenza. San Marino Calcio played their home matches at the Stadio Olimpico of Serravalle. They were founded as early as 1960, though at times have gone under different names and not been associated with the Sammarinese FA. They have returned as Victor San Marino after a 2 year absence in 2021.
San Marino also have two cup competitions in the country: Coppa Titano, founded in 1937, in which all the teams in the league compete, and the Super Coppa Sammarinese which is between the winner of the cup and the winner of the league.
San Marino has no women's league, with them purely being represented in the Italian league system. This began as early as the 1980's, though the team only lasted 7 years and resulted in most of the players moving to play with Italian clubs. The FA attempted again in 2000, bringing together players for training and building up to entering the Italian league. As the project strengthened, they organised friendlies against Italian sides and in 2004-05 they would enter the Promozione, then called the Serie D, as San Marino Academy. For the first few years the team is predominantly Sammarinese and a national team is added to the long-term plans by the FA around 2013. Today, San Marino Academy continue to represent the nation in Italian women's football. They competed in the 2020–21 Serie A (women) for their first season in the top flight, but were relegated. The team are not listed as mainly Sammarinese anymore though, and no national side has formed as of 2022, the last in UEFA to do so. Problems of dual nationality have also struck, with Chiara Beccari being capped for the Italian U-19 team. [2]
Level | Leagues/Divisions |
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1 | Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio 16 clubs |
The San Marino national team played its first unofficial international match in 1986, achieving a result of 0–1 against the Canadian Olympic team. San Marino's first competitive game was on 14 November 1990, scoring 0–4 against Switzerland in the European Championship qualifier. San Marino have participated in the qualifiers of every European Championship and World Cup, but have not won a match in either. [3]
San Marino faced England in a World Cup qualifier on 17 November 1993. San Marino took the lead through Davide Gualtieri after 8.3 seconds - the fastest goal in World Cup qualifier competition against a side who had previously qualified. [4] San Marino was placed third at international level where they achieved 7–1.[ citation needed ]
The team drew against Turkey and Latvia, after an international career that had seen them experience 70 defeats. On 29 April 2004, San Marino recorded their first win, 1–0 against Liechtenstein in an international friendly. Andy Selva scored the only goal. [5]
On 6 September 2006, San Marino lost 13–0 to Germany at the Stadio Olimpico, one of the largest goal margin defeats in the European Championship. During this same competition, on 7 February 2007, San Marino were close to drawing with the Republic of Ireland, Stephen Ireland had scored in the 94th minute, within 8 seconds of the final whistle which resulted in them staining a 1-1. The goal scored by San Marino was their first in a European Championship qualifier since scoring 4–1 to Austria in 1998. [6]
San Marino are as of December 2024 placed bottom in the FIFA World Rankings at 210th. [7] On 10 September 2013, Alessandro Della Valle scored an equaliser in a in a 5–1 loss against Poland. It was the first time in five years that the had scored a goal in competitive matches. [8]
Key San Marino players in the past have included Massimo Bonini, a midfielder who played for the national team as well as Italy's Juventus FC from 1981 to 1988. [9] Andy Selva is the national team's top scorer with eight goals. [10]
On 4 September 2024, San Marino won 1-0 against Liechtenstein in the Nations League D, winning their first competitive game, their first win in 20 years, and their second win on record. [11]
On 18 November 2024, San Marino recorded their biggest ever win and their first away win in their history, a 3-1 win against Liechtenstein which secured promotion to the Nations League C.
Stadium | Capacity | City | Image |
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Stadio Olimpico di San Marino | 6,664 | Serravalle |
San Marino is a country in Europe enclaved by Italy.
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of the Principality of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German.
The San Marino national football team represents San Marino in men's international association football competitions. The team is governed by the San Marino Football Federation and represents the smallest population of any UEFA member. They are currently the lowest-ranked FIFA-affiliated national football team, having won three matches since their inception.
The Andorra national football team represents Andorra in men's international football and is controlled by the Andorran Football Federation, the governing body for football in Andorra. The team has enjoyed very little success due to the Principality's tiny population, the fifth smallest of any UEFA country.
The Moldova national football team represents Moldova in men's international football and is administered by the Moldovan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Moldova. Moldova's home ground is Zimbru Stadium in Chișinău and their head coach is Serghei Cleșcenco. Shortly before the break-up of the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Georgia on 2 July 1991.
Davide Gualtieri is a Sammarinese former footballer who played as a forward. He scored the second fastest goal in FIFA World Cup qualification history, against England on 17 November 1993. Gualtieri held the fastest goal record for over 23 years.
Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio is the highest competition for football clubs located at the only level of the Sammarinese football league system and has been operating since the 1985–1986 season. Currently, Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio is ranked last (55th) among European leagues according to UEFA's league coefficient, which is based on the performance of Sammarinese clubs in the Champions League, Europa League and the Conference League.
Massimo Bonini is a Sammarinese former professional football player and coach, who played as a midfielder for Italian sides Bellaria Igea, Forlì, Cesena, Juventus and Bologna.
Andy Selva is a Sammarinese former footballer and was recently the manager of Tre Fiori. During his playing career he played as a forward and captained the San Marino national team, finishing his career as their record goal scorer.
The San Marino Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Serravalle, San Marino. First opened in 1969, it is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the national stadium of San Marino.
The Montenegro national football team has represented Montenegro in men's international football since 2007. It is controlled by the Football Association of Montenegro, the governing body for football in Montenegro. Montenegro's home ground is Podgorica City Stadium in Podgorica.
S.P. Tre Fiori Football Club, also known simply as Tre Fiori, is a football section of the multi-sports club S.P. Tre Fiori, based in Fiorentino, San Marino. The club, formed in 1949, has been awarded 8 national championship titles and 8 national cup titles, making them the most successful club in the history of San Marino football. In 2018 Tre Fiori was the first team from San Marino to qualify for the next round of a UEFA competition, winning 3–1 against Bala Town F.C. on aggregate in the preliminary round of the UEFA Europa League. Tre Fiori currently hold the record for most goals scored in European competition by a Sammarinese team: eight goals. They currently play in the Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are yellow and blue.
Alex Gasperoni is a Sammarinese footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Tre Penne. He is a former Sammarinese international.
The 2014–15 Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio season was the thirtieth since its establishment. It is the highest level in San Marino, in which the country's top 15 amateur football clubs play. The season began on 12 September 2014 and ended with the play-off final on 26 May 2015.
The 2017–18 Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio was the 33rd season since its establishment. It is the highest level in San Marino, in which the country's top 15 amateur football clubs played. The season begin on 8 September 2017 and concluded with the play-off final on 23 May 2018. La Fiorita were the defending champions from the previous season. The fixtures and group compositions were announced on 19 August 2017.
Alessandro Golinucci is a Sammarinese footballer who plays for Virtus and the San Marino national football team.
Nicola Nanni is a Sammarinese footballer who plays as a forward for Italian Serie C Group B club Torres and the San Marino national team. He is considered one of the most experienced Sammarinese football players along with Massimo Bonini. He is one of only a few professional footballers from San Marino.
Lorenzo Lazzari is a Sammarinese footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie D club Victor San Marino and the San Marino national team.
Nicko Sensoli is a Sammarinese footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sammarinese club San Marino that competes in the Italian Serie D, and the San Marino national team.