For Maurizio Pochettino, Thursday's Conference League opener against Mjallby is more than just another fixture — it is the fulfillment of a dream nurtured since childhood. The 25-year-old defender, son of United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino, will help Inter Club d'Escaldes become the first Andorran club to compete in the league or group phase of a European competition.

Growing up watching his father play for and later manage Espanyol, including the Catalan side's run to the 2007 Uefa Cup final, the younger Pochettino long envisioned a career on Europe's stage. Now, with Inter, that ambition has become reality. "It feels like it hasn't sunk in yet," Pochettino told BBC Sport. "For such a small country, such a small league that isn't known around Europe… it's a dream come true."

Inter's qualification was secured in dramatic fashion following a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their play-off against Kosovo's Drita. After a scoreless second leg forced penalties, Pochettino converted his spot-kick before striker Faysal Chouaib sealed victory as Mauricio Pochettino watched from the stands at Andorra's national stadium.

The achievement caps a remarkable rise for a club founded in 1991 that helped establish Andorra's top division four years later. Relegated in 2015, Inter returned under new ownership in 2017 and has since won five league titles in seven seasons, ending the long dominance of FC Santa Coloma.

Former Andorra international Ildefons Lima, who holds the record for the longest international career in men's football history with 26 years and 137 caps, played a key role both as a boardroom figure and on the pitch during Inter's resurgence before retiring in 2023. "Inter's qualification shows it is possible for people to believe that reaching the final stages of the Conference League is a realistic objective," Lima said.

Manager Felip Ortiz, appointed in 2024 after years working within Barcelona's youth and coaching setup, has implemented a possession-based philosophy that has driven the club's success. "Being at Barcelona made me brave in my tactics — I am happy because playing this type of football has helped us achieve our goal," Ortiz said.

Despite the achievement, Andorran football remains a modest operation. The 10-team Primera Divisio often sees clubs sharing stadiums and facing each other multiple times per season, while most local attention gravitates toward Andorra FC, the Spanish second-tier club owned by Gerard Pique. Pochettino himself acknowledged the atmosphere can feel subdued, but insisted the competitive level is rising: "The teams in the league are getting more competitive each year because they all have that incentive to play in Europe, which is a financial incentive also."　

That financial boost is significant — Inter are projected to earn more than 3 million euros from their Conference League campaign, roughly two-and-a-half times their annual budget. Their run has also lifted Andorra into the top 50 of Uefa's club coefficient rankings, meaning four Andorran clubs will enter European qualifiers next summer for the first time.

Andorra, a nation of around 90,000 people, has long struggled on the international stage, sitting 175th in the Fifa world rankings. Yet recent results — including narrow 1-0 and 2-0 losses to England in 2025 — suggest gradual progress. Lima believes Inter's success could inspire further growth: "Hopefully, this can also help Andorran football continue to grow and develop step by step."

Inter's group stage includes daunting opponents: Red Star Belgrade, FC Copenhagen and La Liga's Getafe. Pochettino remains undaunted. "We know it will be a massive challenge playing against some great teams with much bigger budgets than us, but we also believe in ourselves," he said. "We are going to try to show the rest of Europe that we are a team that can make things difficult for the bigger opponents."

Based on reporting from BBC Sport.