The race for the 2022-23 Scudetto kicks off on the first weekend of September

Reigning champions La Fiorita will begin their title defence against Cailungo. This is one of the fixtures on Matchday 1 of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301 drawn last night. It will take until Matchday 7 to see a repeat of the most recent Scudetto final, with the Gialloblù from Montegiardino facing Tre Penne, who will be the first team to observe a rest round. The DAY 1 "menu", which will take place on the first weekend of September, also offers an intriguing clash between Libertas and Folgore, while the heavily revamped Cosmos will start their campaign against Murata and then meet La Fiorita – in a contest full of former players – on Matchday 4, which will also feature Tre Penne vs Tre Fiori. The opening round is completed by the ties between Domagnano and Virtus, Fiorentino and Juvenes-Dogana, Pennarossa-San Giovanni, Tre Fiori-Faetano, with a mix – depending on your point of view – of a desire to bounce back and a hunger to confirm the progress shown in recent seasons. As outgoing holders, Tre Fiori will be exempt from the first two matches of the Coppa Titano BKN301. The draw for San Marino’s oldest competition was the other outcome of last night’s ceremony. The competition kicks off on 5 October with the first legs of the Round of 16, while the second legs are scheduled for 19 October. The winners will return on 30 November, when Tre Fiori will also enter the fray. The second legs of the quarter-finals will be played on 14 December. In the top half of the bracket, Cosmos and Virtus will battle for the right to face the defending champions in the quarter-finals. Another seeded side, Folgore, will immediately see their fate tied to that of San Giovanni: the winners will meet whoever comes through Faetano-Murata. In the bottom half, La Fiorita will face Fiorentino right away; Domagnano and Libertas will be watching that tie closely. Further up, Tre Penne will open against Pennarossa, targeting a quarter-final that will feature, on the opposite side, the winners of Juvenes-Dogana vs Cailungo. The specific distribution of the four seeded teams – Tre Fiori, Folgore, Tre Penne and La Fiorita – means that last year’s final, between Tre Fiori and Folgore, cannot be repeated in any scenario. As for the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301, it is worth recalling the most significant innovation in this edition: the Scudetto will go to the team that finishes the regular season on top of the table. The play-offs will determine second place and therefore one of the other three European spots, in this case valid for the qualifiers of the UEFA Europa Conference League. The post-season will feature the teams finishing between second and seventh place in the single group – who will all qualify directly – as well as the two winners of the Preliminary Round, reserved for the sides placed between eighth and eleventh. The San Marino football season will officially kick off on 30 August on the pitch with the Supercup final between La Fiorita and Tre Fiori. Matches in all three domestic competitions will be available live and free – for registered users – on Titani.TV, the new FSGC streaming platform. Another common feature of the fixtures making up the 2022-23 football season will be the use of the official Adidas match ball supplied by Staff3000 – named Al Rihla and bearing the Fifa Quality Pro mark – a version of the same model that will be used in Qatar at the upcoming World Cup.

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