San Marino could qualify for the 2026 World Cup playoffs: Under what conditions could this sensation occur.

An unusual opportunity for San Marino

According to The Sun: The team from San Marino could have the chance to qualify for the World Cup playoffs for free, but only if they suffer a heavy defeat in their last qualifying match.

This strange situation arose during the UEFA qualification, in which 16 European teams will be determined to participate in the World Cup next summer in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

England could become the first European team to qualify for the World Cup tomorrow if they win against Latvia.

All 12 teams finishing second will automatically qualify for the playoffs in March, where four more teams will join that qualified from the Nations League, which concluded last November.

Here San Marino, currently ranked 210th in the FIFA world rankings, gets the opportunity to make it to the playoffs.

UEFA prioritizes group winners from all four leagues of the Nations League, and thanks to this regulation, San Marino, which won its group in League D, ranks 14th in the overall standings.

Teams that automatically qualify for the World Cup or playoffs will not be considered in the Nations League calculations.

According to the latest information, this means that UEFA will not consider teams like England, Spain, Portugal, France, Norway, Czech Republic, North Macedonia, and Northern Ireland in the Nations League qualification tournaments.

San Marino's chances

This leaves teams like Wales, Romania, Sweden, and Moldova in the position of 'the lucky ones', although San Marino runs the risk of not making it to the playoffs.

San Marino's last match will be against Romania, who is three points behind Bosnia and their next opponents.

However, Bosnia is expected to play its last match against the group winners from Austria, who surprisingly lost in Bucharest on Sunday night.

If Romania avoids defeat but can improve its goal difference, San Marino will realize that another heavy defeat could be in their favor.

A second place for Romania could open up their position in the Nations League playoffs, which could give San Marino, currently having lost all its matches, the chance to reach the playoffs.

Thus, the captain of San Marino could get the chance to qualify for the playoffs if all other teams remain in their positions until the end of next month.

As a result, a defeat under the current circumstances could somehow become a potential victory for the weakest team in the world.