In the total chaos around the world to understand how and in what way to access the 2026 World Cup, the most complex mechanism is certainly reserved for UEFA with many national teams vying for a spot ...
In the total chaos around the world to understand how and in what way to access the 2026 World Cup, the most complex mechanism is certainly reserved for UEFA with many national teams vying for a spot and many of these called to the playoffs for the few available spots.
Among these, thanks to the criteria we will see later, San Marino also dreams, despite having 0 points in its qualifying group and an unenviable goal difference of -31.Â
SAN MARINO IN THE PLAYOFFS... IF THEY LOSE BADLY TO ROMANIA
The situation for San Marino is as follows: the tiny national team, a collector of negative records in the last Nations League, won its group in a sensational manner. By doing so, it earned the status of a potential wildcard for the playoffs to go to the World Cup.
Besides the runners-up of each group, UEFA has indeed reserved a prominent spot in the hierarchy for the winners of the groups in their division of the Nations League and, in a system that excludes the first and second of the World Cup qualifications, San Marino emerges.
The current ranking includes among the wildcards entitled through the Nations League Wales, Romania, Sweden, and Moldova. And where does the paradox of San Marino fit in?
🚨 🇸🇲 San Marino will likely be in situation in which they MUST LOSE at 🇷🇴 Romania by a few goals TO SECURE the 2026 World Cup Play-offs!
— Football Rankings (@FootRankings) October 12, 2025
📈 🇷🇴 Romania finishing Top 2 in Group H would push 🇸🇲 San Marino to secure the qualifying Play-offs via the Nations League route! pic.twitter.com/PEklhjg12U
The last match of the group will indeed be between Romania and San Marino and, considering that the Romanian national team is fighting for the second place in group H with Bosnia, it can grab the second place and free up a slot among the wildcards.
San Marino is the first of the non-wildcards and thus by losing heavily against Romania, everything could sensationally align allowing San Marino a sensational playoff semifinal where waiting for them, among the possible opponents, could also be Gattuso's Italy.Â
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
📸 Alessandro Sabattini - 2021 Getty Images
Category: General Sports
