San Marino launch first senior women’s football team: ‘A dream come true’

San Marino have announced the launch of their first senior women’s national football team.

The European side had its first training session this week and will be coached by former Italy international Giulia Domenichetti, the nation’s federation announced on Tuesday.

The senior men’s team was founded in 1986 and is the lowest on the 210-team FIFA rankings. After a string of good results in 2024, including their first competitive win in 20 years against Liechtenstein, they earned promotion to the third tier of the Nations League.

On the women’s side, the nation has competed at youth level but has never had a senior team due to “limited player numbers”. The country, landlocked by Italy, has a population of around 33,600 according to the World Population Review.

“We’re only at the beginning of a journey that will have many stages,” Domenichetti, who has previously coached in the San Marino academy setup, said on Tuesday.

“We’ll also have to take into account the unique characteristics of a national team like San Marino’s: a fledgling one with still small numbers, though growing. We’ll have to have great respect for this. But, as I’ve already told this group , we’ll all work to turn today’s limitations into opportunities.

“Nothing should ever stop us or make us deviate from the path we’ve set for ourselves. For many, what’s happening these days is a dream come true. And it’s something very powerful, never to be underestimated.”

This year marks the first time that two San Marino national teams will be fielded for UEFA commitments, according to Tuesday’s announcement, with the Under-16s playing a development tournament in North Macedonia in May and the Under-19s — who are yet to win a game — having hosted a round of European Championship qualifying.

🇸🇲 A historic step for San Marino!

⚽ The country’s first-ever senior women’s national team has been launched – a major milestone in the growth of the women’s game – with former Italy international Giulia Domenichetti named as head coach.

🗣️ “This is about creating real… pic.twitter.com/YqT1rz6HoN

— UEFA (@UEFA) April 15, 2026

“The senior women’s national team is not just a team, but a project for growth, inclusion, and the future,” Pierangelo Manzaroli, one of the heads of the nation’s federation’s women’s area.

“We want to give girls concrete opportunities, enhance the work done in the academy over the last ten years, and build a strong identity, on and off the pitch. There is a rapidly growing movement: more and more families are bringing their youngest girls to the pitch to participate in new projects linked to grassroots football.

“We believe this historic day for San Marino sport can concretely enhance the growing enthusiasm and also lead to a cultural and sporting shift in the proper evaluation of women’s football. Today, we’re not just presenting a national team: we’re presenting a vision for the future of women’s football in San Marino.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Soccer, International Football, Women's Soccer

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