Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio (
English translation: Sammarinese Football Championship) is the highest competition for
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
clubs located at the only level of the
Sammarinese
Sammarinese () are citizens and people of the Republic of San Marino.
Language
San Marino recognizes Italian as the official language. The indigenous Sammarinese language is a variety of Romagnol spoken by approximately 83 percent of the populati ...
football league system
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' generally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
(no relegation system exists) and has been operating since the 1985–1986 season. Currently, Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio is ranked last (55th) among
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an leagues according to
UEFA's league coefficient, which is based on the performance of Sammarinese clubs in the
Champions League,
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
and the
Conference League.
Rules
Until 1996, the league had two levels, ''Serie A1'' and ''
Serie A2'', and a relegation/promotion system. However, the teams promoted from the second level could also participate in the championship
play-off
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eith ...
against Serie A1's first teams. All the clubs play at the same level since then. Before 2018–2019 season, they were split into two divisions called ''Girone'' (or "Groups"). The teams played home and away matches in their ''girone'' and once against the teams from the other ''girone''. The first three teams in each ''girone'' entered a
double-elimination
A double-elimination tournament is a type of elimination tournament competition in which a participant ceases to be eligible to win the tournament's championship upon having lost ''two'' games or matches. It stands in contrast to a single-elimin ...
play-off tournament, which was the only seen in association football world, to decide the championship winners, who qualified for the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
preliminary phase.
In the 2018–2019 season, the rules changed. All the clubs were still split into two ''girone''. The teams played once against the other teams in the same ''girone''. The top four teams in each ''girone'' proceeded to group 1 in the second stage, while the others proceeded to group 2. Teams played twice against each team in the same group. The second and the third team in group 2 proceeded to the play-off. The winner of the play-off, the top team in group 2 and the top 6 teams in group 1 proceeded to the final stage. The championship winner qualified for the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
preliminary phase and the first runner-up qualified for the
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
preliminary phase.
In the 2020–2021 season, a new format was applied. Now, all the teams play in the same league and play each other twice. At the end of the regular season, the top twelve teams proceed to the play-off tournament, deciding the winner who qualifies for the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
preliminary phase, and the loser of the final for the Conference League preliminary phase.
In the 2023-24 season, the double-round robin format remained, but the play-offs and final were discontinued for the first time in the competition’s history. This time round, the team top of the table after every team has played each other twice, are awarded the title thus keeping in line with the majority of most European leagues.
The
domestic cup winners qualify for the
Conference League preliminary phase.
Stadiums
Sanmarinese teams do not have home grounds of their own. Instead, the following venues are randomly chosen for every match:
Sometimes the
San Marino Stadium
The San Marino Stadium (formerly Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle) is a multi-purpose stadium in Serravalle, San Marino. First opened in 1969, it is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the national stadium of San Marino.
Overview
Th ...
, based in Serravalle, is also used. Since there are not many grounds, matches are played on two days of each week, usually Saturday and Sunday. The play-off finals and the European fixtures are always played in the Stadio Olimpico.
Teams (2023–24)
There are 16 teams in championship.
Champions
Winners by season
The
2019–20 season was abandoned due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Tre Fiori, with the highest points obtained before the suspension, was crowned champions and qualified for the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
.
Titles by team
Top scorers
;Most time goalscorers:
*4 times:
**
Imre Badalassi
Imre () is a Hungarian language, Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian language, Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich (name), Emmerich o ...
(2017-18, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2023-24)
;Most goals by a player in a single season:
*30 goals.
**
Imre Badalassi
Imre () is a Hungarian language, Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian language, Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich (name), Emmerich o ...
(2023-24)
See also
*
List of association football competitions
This is a list of the association football competitions past and present for international teams and for club football, in individual countries and internationally. Confirmed future competitions are also included.
The competitions are groupe ...
References
External links
Federazione Sammarinese Giuoco Calcio official site RSSSF.com
Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio summary– Soccerway
{{UEFA leagues
1
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...
1985 establishments in San Marino
Sports leagues established in 1985