European micronation international results

[Patrick Thistle]

This is one of my niche interests, mainly because my Grandma was from the Faroes.

This is the final micronation table from the most recent World Cup qualifying campaign (taken off that thread)

1 Faroe Islands Points = 9; GD = -12
2 Luxembourg Points = 6; GD = -18
3 Andorra Points = 4; GD = -21
4 Malta Points = 1; GD = -22
And the nil pointers
5 Liechtenstein GD = -38
6 Gibraltar GD = -44
7 San Marino GD = -49

Of note in that campaign:
Faroes and Luxembourg managed to avoid bottom placed finishes in their group, although Faroes were helped by having Andorra in their group.
Andorra were bottom of their group but only on goal difference.
San Marino were one goal shy of a round -50 for the campaign.

It's going to be interesting to see how Group D in the UEFA Nations League pans out. All 7 micronations are in that group. The complete roll call is:
Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Faroes, Georgia, Gibraltar, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, San Marino

I fancy some of the micronations against those opponents. Kosovo really struggled in their first ever qualifying campaign last time out. Latvia have dropped points against Faroes in the past.

However, I doubt any of the micronations will top the group and get to Euro 2020.

[Bored Of Education]

Yeah, you've only focussed on the FIFA micronations, you mainstream sell-out.

[Patrick Thistle]

It's even worse than that, Bored. These are only the UEFA ones.

The Conifa nations have their own threads.

[Duncan Gardner]

4 obvious omissions from PT's list...

Actually judging by recent club results in UEFA competitions, we've already dropped from minnow to plankton level. Bah

[Patrick Thistle]

I was going on population not performance, Duncan.

Micronations is probably a technical term somewhere but I'm using it to describe nations that have a population of a small market town.

[Patrick Thistle]

For reference here are the populations from recent censuses / UN estimates / Wikipedia

Luxembourg 576,249 (2016)
Malta 436,947 (2016)
Andorra 77,281 (2016)
Faroe Islands 50,322 (2017) - less than Greenland who play in Conifa
Leichtenstein 38,192 (2018)
Gibraltar 34,408 (2016)
San Marino 33,562

Technically I probably shouldn't be counting Luxembourg and Malta in this. In contrast every other country in group D has over a million inhabitants, although Kosovo, Estonia and Latvia have less than 2 million.

Given that Luxembourg has 10 times the population of the Faroes makes Faroes earning more points than them in the last round of WC Qualifying even more impressive, imo. Northern Cyprus (CONIFA member) has a population of 313,626. It's hard to get a population figure for Yorkshire but the Yorkshire and the Humber region is well over 5 million.

[Diable Rouge]

For reference here are the populations from recent censuses / UN estimates / Wikipedia

Luxembourg 576,249 (2016)
Malta 436,947 (2016)
Andorra 77,281 (2016)
Faroe Islands 50,322 (2017) - less than Greenland who play in Conifa
Leichtenstein 38,192 (2018)
Gibraltar 34,408 (2016)
San Marino 33,562

Technically I probably shouldn't be counting Luxembourg and Malta in this. In contrast every other country in group D has over a million inhabitants, although Kosovo, Estonia and Latvia have less than 2 million.

Given that Luxembourg has 10 times the population of the Faroes makes Faroes earning more points than them in the last round of WC Qualifying even more impressive, imo. Northern Cyprus (CONIFA member) has a population of 313,626. It's hard to get a population figure for Yorkshire but the Yorkshire and the Humber region is well over 5 million.

And Luxembourg were highly competitive in the Sixties, coming remarkably close to the Euro 64 semis, so could have been another North if their development had continued.

[seand]

Iceland's population is smaller than Malta, but probably fair to say they've been 'promoted' from the minnows group, for the time being at least

[Duncan Gardner]

I was going on population not performance, Duncan.

Micronations is probably a technical term somewhere but I'm using it to describe nations that have a population of a small market town

Aye I was making a cheap gag about England and its even smaller non-sovereign neighbors. As you probably realised.

I'd also exclude Malta and Luxembourg from the 'micro' group.

[Patrick Thistle]

Iceland's population is smaller than Malta, but probably fair to say they've been 'promoted' from the minnows group, for the time being at least

Yes, that's a good point.

Maybe I should keep it to countries with less than 100,000 inhabitants.

[Patrick Thistle]

Of the 5 micronations (as defined by thread consensus) the ones bound to earn points in Division D of the Nations League are Gibraltar and Liechtenstein who will play each other twice in Group D4. The other three micros are each grouped with three bigger countries.

[Diable Rouge]

Aye I was making a cheap gag about England and its even smaller non-sovereign neighbors. As you probably realised.

I'd also exclude Malta and Luxembourg from the 'micro' group.

Malta have never accomplished anything of note in a European group, and they're under a million for population, so hard to exclude them. Montenegro are an odd case, similar to Malta in population, and rarely threatening to qualify, but generally mid-table in groups.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Having been around Malta a bit I can't even imagine where they have managed to grow enough grass to make a football pitch. The whole place is a sandstone sunblasted rock and very little of it is flat. Think the Isle of Man transported to Tattooine. Can't blame them for not being footballers

[ursus arctos]

They have a hybrid artificial pitch now (they used to play internationals on what was effectively a dirt pitch).

[Greenlander]

I remember a wonderful full page colour picture from my Argentina 78 book of Malta match against East Germany showing a number of fans in matching bluey purple flares sitting on a brick wall that ran along the touchline and a pitch that looked no better than concrete.

Malta had black and white hooped goalposts that looked like they were stolen from the nearest zebra crossing as well.

[ursus arctos]

[Patrick Thistle]

Today's results. Andorra got an away point in Latvia. Liechtenstein and Gibraltar both lost.

[mirko bolesan]

Today's results. Andorra got an away point in Latvia. Liechtenstein and Gibraltar both lost.

Four clean sheets in a row from Andorra.

Cape Verde (0-0), UAE (0-0), Liechtenstein (1-0) and now Latvia (0-0).

[Patrick Thistle]

Faroes beat Malta 3-1 last night. Good result for Foroyar.

[Various Artist]

Four clean sheets in a row from Andorra.

Cape Verde (0-0), UAE (0-0), Liechtenstein (1-0) and now Latvia (0-0).

Cor, samba soccer here!

Keep up the posts though chaps, this is interesting stuff.

[Patrick Thistle]

San Marino lost 5-0 in Belarus today. They did better than Iceland, though, who got thumped 6-0 by Switzerland.

[Patrick Thistle]

If it was a table
Faroes 3 points:GD+2
Andorra 1 point:GD=0
Liechtenstein 0 / -1
Gibraltar 0 / -2
San Marino 0 / -5

[Patrick Thistle]

One time OTF Micronation, Luxembourg, battered Moldova 4-0 today.

[Patrick Thistle]

In the "Battle of the Minnows", Liechtenstein beat Gibraltar 2-0 last night.

[Patrick Thistle]

Andorra picked up another point with a home draw against Kazakhstan. Faroes lost 2-0 in Kosovo, wiping out their goal difference.