National Team set for League C debut, Cevoli: “We must raise our level”

On the eve of San Marino’s historic debut in League C of the UEFA Nations League, which is being introduced within the new FIFA calendar format and will demand extra effort from all national teams, Roberto Cevoli’s ideas are clear: “The level has inevitably gone up; after all, promotion to League C brings opponents of a higher calibre. Because of that, we too will have to raise the level of our performances, otherwise we risk coming out of this looking bad. We head into this important run of games in quick succession with good feelings: I can only be pleased with the four friendlies we played in March and June – although against Bangladesh we could have done something more, even if in my opinion the defeat was undeserved. That said, we showed we can react, perhaps producing our best performance in Hungary against Azerbaijan: we want to pick up again from the things we showed in that match, build on them and increase how often we reproduce them in competitive games.”

The novelty of this four-match tour de force in ten days brings with it new assessments and headaches: “It will be a first time for everyone,” Cevoli commented, “and every player called up must be ready, because we will very likely need each one of them. After all, if they are part of this group it is because they can play and – if not all of them – almost every one of them will have that opportunity. Young players are fundamentally important for us: it is no secret that the pool from which the San Marino National Team can draw is limited and, for that very reason, we have a duty to invest in these lads. Moreover, every time I have done so, I have had very positive feedback, and I hope they can continue on this trend in the future. We will have very little time to prepare for the following matches, that is true, but also to recover physically and mentally – and being able to do that effectively will be crucial. We have enlarged the group precisely to give ourselves more options, since managing bookings and any injuries might make that necessary. Naturally,” concludes the Head Coach, “we hope we will not need to rely on it too much.”

Alongside Roberto Cevoli was Enea Della Balda – a young Sammarinese midfielder who could make his debut for the San Marino National Team in this run of fixtures, if not already tomorrow. “I’m extremely excited to be part of this group; getting the chance to stake your claim with the national team and imagining your debut is the dream of every young footballer in San Marino – from the very first kicks of a ball. Regardless of whether I play or not, I know I must always be ready to come into the game in the best possible way. The match awaiting us tomorrow against Finland will clearly be a tough one: we will have to approach it with the right competitive edge and, if we do, we can perform well. On a personal level, I hope to make a positive contribution to the group – which I am delighted to have joined.”

The match between San Marino and Finland, the first in the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League for the Titans, will be broadcast live and free-to-air on San Marino RTV in Italy and San Marino from 17:55.