The Malta National Team is set to make history this week as it becomes the first national side to be granted a private audience with the Pope.

Ahead of their upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Finland and Poland, the team will hold a short training camp in Rome, during which they will be received by Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican before travelling to Helsinki, a spokesman for the MAlta Football Association said.

Pope Leo XIV, a well-known sports enthusiast with a particular passion for AS Roma and the Chicago White Sox, has never before met with an international football squad. This special audience therefore represents a unique and prestigious for Maltese football.

Malta will be playing against Finland on Friday and against Poland on Monday.