San Marino challenges Bangaldesh: historic contest

The third of San Marino’s four international friendlies, to be scheduled in the March and June 2026 FIFA windows, also takes on the trappings of officialdom. After recent confrontations with the Faroe Islands (1-2) and Andorra (0-0) in which the Biancazzurri not only performed well, but would have deserved far more than what they collected in both outings, Cevoli’s team will cross paths with the Bangladesh national team at the tail end of the spring.

This will be the first official match with an Asian Confederation (AFC) selection as far as San Marino’s international soccer history is concerned, which in recent years has been open to non-European matches – starting with Cape Verde-San Marino played in Murcia in 2022. After the experience with the CAF-affiliated selection, three friendly matches with national teams in CONCACAF orbit (Saint Lucia and Saint Kitts & Nevis) interspersed with a new doubleheader with an African (Seychelles). For the Bangladesh national team, the friendly in Serravalle will also have the flavor of an unprecedented one: never before have the Bengal Tigers played matches with European formations and in June they will also tread for the first time on an Old Continent playing facility.

The Asian unprecedented match will be played at the San Marino Stadium in Serravalle, next June 5. The exact kickoff time has yet to be determined, with likely placement in the late afternoon – as was the case with Andorra recently. Bangladesh occupies the 181st position in the FIFA Ranking, having dropped one step after March defeats to Vietnam and Singapore.