How the lowest-ranked FIFA nation could be playing at the 2026 World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting tournament in the world and comprises the best footballing nations from all corners of the globe. The next World Cup may have one surprise.

After securing a remarkable promotion from their Nations League group, FIFA's lowest-ranked team, San Marino, is two games away from playing in North America in 2026.

San Marino, ranked 210th in the world, beat Liechtenstein 3-1 on October 18th, securing the top spot in their group with seven points.

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After securing promotion to the third tier of the Nations League, UEFA's qualifying rules state that the best four Nations League group winners who do not come first or second in their World Cup qualifying group will go to the playoffs.

If all Pot One and Pot Two teams finish first or second in their groups, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Moldova, and San Marino will be in the World Cup playoffs.

San Marino only won their first-ever game in the reverse fixture against Liechtenstein in September, but luckily for them, they don't need to win any games to qualify for the World Cup.

According to the Daily Mail, teams in the World Cup playoffs only require two draws and a win in a penalty shootout to secure a spot in football's most prestigious tournament.

Since first attempting to qualify for a major tournament in 1992, San Marino has never won a game in European or World Cup qualification, picking up three points in 32 years, per FourFourTwo.

European teams' World Cup qualifying will start in March 2025, with 12 groups of five or six teams competing to reach the tournament in North America.

For the team, which consists mostly of part-timers, World Cup qualifying may not mean much if results go their way and they end up in the playoffs. Could they really qualify for the World Cup?

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