SAN MARINO NATIONAL TEAM

2002-2003

Match Worn Shirt

Things to Know:

The San Marino national football team represents San Marino in men’s international football competitions and it is controlled by the San Marino Football Federation (FSGC). The first official game played by a San Marino team was a 4–0 defeat in a European Championships qualifier by Switzerland in 1990. Previously, a San Marino side played an unofficial match against a Canadian Olympic team in 1986, losing 1–0. Since making their competitive bow, San Marino have competed in the qualifiers of every European Championship and World Cup, but have never won a match in either competition. They have only ever won one game, beating Liechtenstein 1–0 in a friendly match on 28 April 2004. Until November 2014, San Marino were tied in last place in the FIFA World Rankings, a run that lasted since the rankings were given a new calculation methodology. They were tied for last with Bhutan (208th) in the October 2014 rankings, a 0–0 draw with Estonia during the Euro 2016 qualifying rounds ended their tenure at the foot of the rankings. The national side scored their first away goal in fourteen years against another Baltic side, Lithuania, during the same qualifying rounds. When the ranking methodology got revised again, the team fell back to the bottom, following a 1–0 loss to Moldova in the Nations League. San Marino’s national team is often considered the worst national side in the history of the sport, having only ever won a single match of the 174 they have played, conceded 730 goals and scored only 24, conceding an average of 4.20 goals per game. This criticism ignores the fact that the nation plays against fellow UEFA members, arguably the strongest confederation of FIFA, so they have little chance to play against other sides down the bottom of the FIFA rankings. San Marino once had the smallest population of any UEFA country, until the May 2013 election of Gibraltar. The republic has never won a competitive fixture. A 2004 1–0 friendly win against Liechtenstein remains their sole victory to date. The national side is mainly composed of amateur players. Only a small number of players are professionals, with many holding second jobs outside of the sport. Their 13–0 defeat at home by Germany is a European Championship record, and they have conceded ten goals on four other separate occasions. In the FIFA World Rankings, San Marino traditionally have the lowest rank of any UEFA country. Since the creation of FIFA rankings in 1992, San Marino’s average position has been 176th. In 2001, Latvia manager Gary Johnson resigned after failing to beat San Marino in a World Cup qualifier. San Marino set a European record when they went over 20 games without scoring between October 2008 and August 2012. On 8 September 2015, San Marino scored its first away goal in 14 years when Matteo Vitaioli scored against Lithuania in Euro 2016 qualification.