Tre Fiori host Larne at the San Marino Stadium on 7 July 2026 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League first qualifying round tie. Tre Fiori come in as reigning Campionato Sammarinese champions, while Larne arrive with recent title pedigree and a string of European campaigns already behind them. The aggregate winner advances and the gap in resources between a part time San Marino side and an established Irish League club is not exactly hidden, though a first leg draw would keep Tre Fiori alive regardless of that gap.
Danilo Girolomoni has been in charge of Tre Fiori since July 2024 having built a side that won the domestic title last season within the part time constraints of Sammarinese football, while Gary Haveron took permanent charge of Larne in October 2025 on a three year deal after serving in interim and coaching roles at the club. His emphasis on structure and set piece execution fits a side that has played in this round before and the two managers have never faced each other.
Tre Fiori wrapped up the domestic season impressively, winning around 22 of their 30 matches with a strong goal difference and reaching the Coppa Titano final, whereas Larne were dominant in the NIFL Premiership, putting eight past Dungannon, beating Linfield 2-0 and adding the Charity Shield on penalties against Coleraine.
Neither side has significant injury or suspension concerns going into this one. Larne are expected to name a settled professional XI with Rohan Ferguson in goal, a back line of Tomas Cosgrove, Sean Graham and Aaron Donnelly, Mark Randall anchoring midfield and Andy Ryan leading the attack alongside new arrivals Montel Gibson, Josh Ukek and Sam McClelland. Tre Fiori draw from a semi professional local squad whose main asset is collective defensive organisation rather than individual quality.
Larne are pragmatic and well drilled, looking to control midfield and hold territory for long stretches. The real test is patience: Graham and Ryan will find themselves up against a backline with no intention of opening up voluntarily and Randall will need to find ways past a midfield that will cede possession but make every metre hard to come by. Tre Fiori will sit deep, defend compactly and look to hurt Larne on the counter, which they execute better than most clubs at this level.
Larne's set piece delivery is a danger Tre Fiori cannot afford to ignore and disciplined marking will be essential from the off. The Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle in early July is a modest setting but home familiarity still counts for something when a side is defending hard for 90 minutes against a better resourced opponent.
The score prediction is 2-2. Tre Fiori's defensive organisation carried them through a title winning season and their counter threat, combined with the general awkwardness of early round qualifiers, makes a clean professional win for Larne harder to come by than their resources would suggest. A high scoring draw would leave the second leg genuinely open.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
