“All things spring from humble beginnings.” This quotation attributed to Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman philosopher, statesman and poet, still rings as true as ever, and it perfectly encapsulates the progress made by women’s football in Liechtenstein. It was only as recently as early 2020 that the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) announced the launch of a women’s national team. After months of intensive preparations, the team finally made their eagerly awaited debut in April 2021.

Fast-forward some four-and-a-half years from that initial announcement, and the LFV’s efforts are bearing fruit in a big way. With the Blue-Reds now having contested five games against teams listed in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking, Liechtenstein have broken into the ranking themselves – entering the latest edition in 187th place – and have put themselves firmly on map of the global women’s football in the process. This is yet another significant milestone in the development of the female game in the principality.

“Gracing the FIFA world ranking for the first time is a historic moment for us and a badge of pride. It’s proof that all the hard work put in by the players, the coaching staff, the association and everyone else involved is paying off,” women’s national team coach Adrienne Krysl told Inside FIFA.

“Not only will this be a shot in the arm for the team, but it also sends a message that Liechtenstein has truly arrived on the women’s football stage. It gives us visibility and will make the players feel like they’re part of something bigger. It also puts the onus on us to keep improving and to live up to our place in the ranking.” Just last month, Krysl’s charges took on Namibia in a double-header on home turf. Although the results did not quite go the Liechtenstein's way, with a 1-1 draw being followed by a 2-0 defeat in the second match, luring non-European opponents to the principality was in itself quite the coup for the LFV. The friendlies were equally special occasions for the Brave Gladiators, representing their first fixtures against a nation from outside Africa.

Besides the national team’s emergence, women’s football is also gaining an increasingly strong foothold at club level in Liechtenstein, and support from FIFA has played its part on both scores. The LFV has availed itself of no fewer than three of the initiatives under the FIFA Women’s Development Programme, namely the Club Licensing and League Development schemes and the Women’s Football Campaign. FIFA, and particularly its Women’s Football Division, also contributed to the establishment and development of the LFV’s “Frauen am Ball 2026” (Women on the Ball 2026) strategy. Bringing together all the key aspects relating to women’s football, this trailblazing strategy provides a roadmap for the LFV and clubs to team up and strengthen their commitment to – and focus on – growing the female game.

Another key step was the decision to appoint a full-time figure to both lead the women’s national team and serve as the Head of Women’s Football at the LFV. Former Switzerland international defender and FC Winterthur Frauen coach Krysl stepped into the breach a little over a year ago. “Over the coming months and years, the emphasis will be on building on all these positive developments,” the 36-year-old noted. “Our current target is to take part in the Nations League as of next year and in the Women’s World Cup qualifiers in 2026. We want to test ourselves against other national teams and gain priceless experience in order to keep pushing on.”

The overarching vision of the aforementioned 2026 strategy – which revolves around four pillars: club development, participation, competitive football and awareness – is to drive forward both elite and grassroots women’s football in the country. “Another goal is to boost interest at club level, so that more girls and women are actively playing football. However, hand in hand with increasing its appeal, I think it’s just as important to ensure that there are opportunities for women to shape the game in the long run, whether as [club or association] presidents, journalists, match officials or coaches or in another capacity,” Krysl added. Images courtesy of the LFV (©LFV/Peter Rinderer)