It goes without saying that Europe is all about soccer, and Vatican City, being a European country, is no exception. According to FIFA, residents of the city-state having been kicking the ball around within its walls for hundreds of years, and here in 2021, it’s been codified into leagues, tournaments, and even two international teams.

Pope Francis is reported to be a big fan of the sport, says Sports Illustrated. And to be fair, the Vatican’s soccer teams aren’t composed entirely of residents of the country; relatives of the residents help fill out the rosters. Nevertheless, they compete against each other. There’s even a national cup, in a manner of speaking, and the teams compete against each other for the trophy. Further, the country has a national team, complete with its own rivalry against another European micro-state (Monaco), against which it has yet to win a game. The Vatican’s women’s team recently took the field against a Roman team, and promptly lost, 10-0.

The Vatican may be the only country in the world where its soccer players have to travel internationally just to practice. The Holy See is thin on green spaces, but fortunately there are ample Roman parks, complete with soccer fields, just a short distance away.