Slovenia national football team

The Slovenia national football team (Slovene: Slovenska nogometna reprezentanca) represents Slovenia in men's international football and is governed by the Football Association of Slovenia, the governing body for football in Slovenia. Between 1920 and 1991, Slovenian players played for the Yugoslavia national football team. Slovenia played its first official match in 1992, one year after the country gained independence from Yugoslavia.

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Slovenia women's national football team.

Slovenia
AssociationFootball Association of Slovenia
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachMatjaž Kek
CaptainJan Oblak
Most capsBoštjan Cesar (101)[1]
Top scorerZlatko Zahovič (35)[1]
Home stadiumStožice Stadium
FIFA codeSVN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 62 (10 December 2020)[2]
Highest15 (October–November 2010)
Lowest134 (December 1993)
First international
Unofficial
Slovenia 0–5 France 
(Ljubljana, Kingdom of Yugoslavia; 23 June 1921)
Official
 Estonia 1–1 Slovenia 
(Tallinn, Estonia; 3 June 1992)
Biggest win
 Oman 0–7 Slovenia 
(Muscat, Oman; 8 February 1999)
Biggest defeat
 France 5–0 Slovenia 
(Saint-Denis, France; 12 October 2002)
World Cup
Appearances2 (first in 2002)
Best resultGroup stage, 2002 and 2010
European Championship
Appearances1 (first in 2000)
Best resultGroup stage, 2000

Slovenian national team has participated in three major football competitions. In 1999, Slovenia qualified for the UEFA Euro 2000 after eliminating Ukraine in a playoff. Slovenia achieved another success two years later, qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, this time defeating Romania in a playoff. The team did not lose a match in its whole qualifying campaign, finished in second place with six wins and six draws, but did not obtain any points in the group stage of the finals. Despite failing to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Slovenia was the only team to defeat the eventual World Cup winners Italy during the campaign. Slovenia qualified for its last major tournament in 2009 after defeating Russia in a playoff to clinch a berth for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

History

Origins

Before Slovenian independence in 1991, the Slovenian national team existed only as a regional team not officially recognized by FIFA. It had a similar status as the Catalonia national football team. The team had mostly played exhibition matches against teams from other republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and was represented by Slovenian players under the traditional colours of white, blue and red.

The first football clubs were formed at the beginning of the 20th century during the period when most of the territory of present-day Slovenia was still within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the end of the World War I, Slovenia, along with Croatia, joined the Kingdom of Serbia forming the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which would be renamed into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. On 24 April 1920, the Ljubljana Football Subassociation was formed as the Slovenian branch of the Yugoslav Football Association and organised the first football leagues. The winner of the Ljubljana Subassociation League had access to the Yugoslav Championship. On 23 June 1921, the Slovenian capital Ljubljana hosted a match between the French national team and selection of players from Slovenian clubs. The Chef de Mission of the guests was the acting FIFA President, Jules Rimet, who later initiated the first World Cup tournament. France won 5–0 and, although the match was not official by international standards, it was, at least in Slovenia, widely accepted as the first appearance of a Slovenian national team.[3][4]

Independence and early years (1991–1998)

In 1991, Slovenia was the first of the republics, alongside Croatia, to gain independence from Yugoslavia. With the recognition of the new country by the international community, the team was also recognized by FIFA and UEFA. The new Slovenian national football team played its first FIFA-recognized game on 3 June 1992 in Tallinn against Estonia.[5] The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Igor Benedejčič scoring the first goal for the new team.[6] The first coach of the team was Bojan Prašnikar.

It was not until its third game on 7 April 1993 that the team achieved its first international victory by defeating Estonia 2–0 at the ŽŠD Stadium in Ljubljana, with goals scored by Samir Zulič and Sašo Udovič.[5]

From 1994 to 1997, the team was managed by Zdenko Verdenik, who was the first to lead the team through qualifications for a major tournament. In a group with Italy, Croatia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Estonia, the team won three games and took eleven points in ten matches of the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifications.[7]

Verdenik also coached the team through qualifications for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In a group with Croatia, Denmark, Greece, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the team finished in last place with only one point in eight matches and a goal differential of −15.

Afterwards, Verdenik was sacked and Bojan Prašnikar was named as the Slovenian coach for the second time. At the time, he was also the head coach of the Slovenian top division club Maribor and was given an ultimatum from the Football Association of Slovenia that he could only manage one team. He decided in favor of Maribor, and the Football Association of Slovenia appointed Srečko Katanec as the head coach.[8]

UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying campaign

The first qualifications for the new coach were for the UEFA Euro 2000. Slovenia was drawn into a group with Norway, Greece, Latvia, Albania, and Georgia. Slovenia finished in second place, with Zlatko Zahovič scoring eight out of twelve team goals.

Second place in the group meant that the team was to play additional qualifications against Ukraine. The first leg was played in Ljubljana, which Slovenia won 2–1. Zlatko Zahovič scored the first goal, bringing his total in the qualifying campaign to nine,[9] while Milenko Ačimovič scored from the halfway line late in the game for the final score of 2–1.[10] The second leg was played in snowy conditions in Kyiv. Sergei Rebrov scored in the 68th minute, while Slovenia equalised eight minutes later with a goal scored by Miran Pavlin.[11] The 1–1 draw meant that Slovenia has won 3–2 on aggregate and qualified on its first major tournament.

UEFA Euro 2000
Slovenia's lineup for their opening match against Yugoslavia at the UEFA Euro 2000.[12]

For its first major tournament, Slovenia was drawn into group C, together with Spain, Yugoslavia, and Norway.

In the first game of the group, Slovenia played against Yugoslavia and took a 3–0 lead after one hour of play, with Zlatko Zahovič scoring twice and Miran Pavlin once. Yugoslavia made a comeback as they scored three goals in only six minutes for the final score of 3–3.[12]

The second game was played in Amsterdam against Spain. Spain took the 1–0 lead quickly with a goal by Raúl. Slovenia equalised after one hour of play as Zlatko Zahovič scored his third goal of the tournament. Spain then took the lead again after only sixty seconds with a goal by Joseba Etxeberria. About 10,000 Slovenian fans gathered to see the match at Amsterdam Arena, which is still a record for the most Slovenian spectators on a football game outside Slovenia.[13]

In the last round of the group stage, Slovenia played against Norway and still had chances to progress to the quarterfinals. The match finished 0–0 and the team won its second point of the tournament.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Spain 3 2 0 1 6 5 +1 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  FR Yugoslavia 3 1 1 1 7 7 0 4[lower-alpha 1]
3  Norway 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4[lower-alpha 1]
4  Slovenia 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head result: Norway 0–1 FR Yugoslavia.

2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign

For the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Slovenia was drawn into a group together with Russia, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Faroe Islands, and Luxembourg. Zlatko Zahovič scored four goals during the campaign, in which Slovenia finished in second place and thus qualifying to the playoffs. In the playoffs, Slovenia was drawn against Romania.

The first leg of the playoffs was played in Slovenia. Slovenia won the game 2–1 with the goals from Milenko Ačimovič in the first half and Milan Osterc in the second half. In the second leg in Bucharest, Slovenia took the lead with a goal scored by Mladen Rudonja, which was his first and only goal for the national team in 65 appearances.[14] Romania equalised with a goal scored by Cosmin Contra with 25 minutes remaining. The final result was 1–1 with Slovenia qualifying to its second consecutive major tournament and the first-ever World Cup.[15]

Through the whole qualifying campaign, Slovenia played a total of twelve games and was undefeated with a total of six wins and six draws.

2002 FIFA World Cup

Slovenia played in the group B with Spain, Paraguay, and South Africa. All matches in the group were played in South Korea.

In the first game, Slovenia played against Spain for the second time in a row at a major tournament. Under heavy rain, Spain took the lead late in the first half with the goal from Raúl. Valerón added a second 15 minutes before full-time for a 2–0 lead. Seven minutes later, Sebastjan Cimirotič managed to score the first World Cup goal for Slovenia to reduce the score to 2–1. Fernando Hierro scored a penalty goal in 87th minute for the final score of 3–1. This match is infamous in Slovenia due to the conflict between coach Srečko Katanec and player Zlatko Zahovič in the dressing room after the game, which resulted in Zlatko Zahovič being sent home and Srečko Katanec's resignation after the tournament.[16] Slovenia lost the two remaining matches against South Africa (1–0) and Paraguay (3–1). Milenko Ačimovič scored the second goal for Slovenia at the tournament.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Spain 330094+59
 Paraguay 31116604
 South Africa 31115504
 Slovenia 300327−50

Bojan Prašnikar period

After the resignation of Srečko Katanec, Bojan Prašnikar was named as head coach for the third time.

UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying campaign

In the UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying campaign, Slovenia played against France, Israel, Cyprus, and Malta. The team finished in second place and managed to qualify for its third consecutive playoffs.

This time, Slovenia had to play against its neighboring country as the draw set a duel against Croatia. The first leg was played in Zagreb and Croatia managed to get in the lead as Dado Pršo scored a goal in the fifth minute, while Slovenia equalized 15 minutes later with a goal scored by Ermin Šiljak, for the final score of 1–1.[17] In the second leg, Dado Pršo scored the only goal of the game 15 minutes into the second half. That meant that Croatia has qualified for the UEFA Euro 2004 with the aggregate score of 2–1. Bojan Prašnikar was later criticised by the media and the fans for his defensive tactics as Slovenia only managed to take one shot on target during the two playoff games.[17] Prašnikar was later replaced by Branko Oblak.[18]

Ermin Šiljak scored a total of nine goals in the whole campaign, thus becoming the best goalscorer of the whole UEFA zone qualifications.[19]

Branko Oblak period (decline)

When Branko Oblak took charge of the Slovenian national team, most players from the era of Srečko Katanec had retired from football and during his two-year stint as the manager, Oblak tried out over forty different players.[20]

National team's main competition under Oblak's management were qualifiers for 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Grouped with Italy, Norway, Scotland, Belarus, and Moldova, the team had a great start with wins over Moldova and Italy and a draw against Scotland, but still finished in fourth place after only securing five points in the remaining seven matches.

Oblak was still in charge of the team when qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2008 started. Grouped with the Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Albania, and Luxembourg, the team started out with defeats to Bulgaria and Belarus, thus significantly reducing their chances to qualify, and as a result, in November 2006, Oblak was dimissed by the Football Association of Slovenia.[21] In January 2007, Matjaž Kek was appointed as the new manager of the national team.[22]

Matjaž Kek period

After the campaign for the Euro 2008 was finished, with Slovenia finishing in sixth place, it was speculated that Kek will be replaced by an Italian coach of Slovene origin, Edoardo Reja.[23] However, that did not happen and Kek was given a chance to prove himself in a qualifications for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3

Slovenia was drawn into a group with the Czech Republic, Poland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, and San Marino.[24] Slovenia held Poland to a 1–1 draw in Wrocław[25] and then won its first two home games against Slovakia (2–1) and Northern Ireland (2–0).[26] Slovenia then won only one point[27] in the two games with the Czech Republic and lost away against Northern Ireland,[28] when they got back on track with the home 5–0 victory over San Marino.[29] After that, the team defeated Poland at home (3–0)[30] and defeated Slovakia in Bratislava (2–0) who were at the time the main contenders for the first place.[31] In the last round, Slovenia needed a win over San Marino (3–0) and a draw/loss of Slovakia in Poland to clinch the first position. Slovakia, however, won an away game in Poland 1–0 and therefore Slovenia finished in second place and was headed to the playoffs for the fourth time in history.[32]

Slovenia was drawn against Russia in the playoffs.[33] Other possible opponents were France, Portugal, and Greece. The first leg was played in Moscow. The match ended 2–1 for the home side, with Nejc Pečnik scoring an away goal for Slovenia late in the game.[34] In the second leg, played in Maribor, Slovenia defeated Russia 1–0 with a goal by Zlatko Dedić. Slovenia has qualified for the main tournament with an aggregate score of 2–2 due to the away goals rule.[35][36] Slovenia was the only unseeded team that managed to qualify from the playoffs.

The top scorer for the national team during the qualifying campaign was Milivoje Novaković with five goals.[37] Slovenia was undefeated at home during the campaign as the team managed to achieve five victories and a draw with a total goal difference 13–1.

2010 FIFA World Cup
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup Group C
Slovenia vs. United States at the 2010 World Cup

Slovenia was drawn into Group C alongside England, Algeria, and the United States. Slovenia won their first ever match at the major tournaments in the opening game against Algeria at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, with Robert Koren scoring the only goal of the game.[38] In their second game against the United States, Slovenia was leading 2–0 at half time with Valter Birsa and Zlatan Ljubijankić scoring for Slovenia, however, Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley scored for the United States for the final score of 2–2. In their last match in the preliminary round, Slovenia lost to England 1–0 with a goal from Jermain Defoe. Because the United States defeated Algeria with the goal scored in the last moments of the match, the Slovenian team was eliminated.[39]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United States 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  England 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5
3  Slovenia 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
4  Algeria 3 0 1 2 0 2 −2 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

Stadiums

Slovenia has played home matches in eight different cities at ten different stadiums since the first official home game against Estonia in 1993. Below are the stadiums, where Slovenia played at least ten international matches.

Bežigrad Stadium
Main article: Bežigrad Stadium

Bežigrad Stadium is located in the capital city of Ljubljana and was the main stadium until 2004, when UEFA banned it due to insufficient infrastructure. The stadium was built in 1935 and has hosted a total of 27 matches of the national team, which is more than any other stadium in the country. It has a total capacity of 8,211 and was the main venue of the national team in the qualifications for the UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup, in which Slovenia qualified, and the qualifications for the UEFA Euro 2004, when the team secured second position in the group and then lost in playoffs. The stadium has been closed since 2008.

Ljudski vrt
Main article: Ljudski vrt

Ljudski vrt is situated in Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city and is known of being the home ground of the most successful club in the country NK Maribor. After the renovation of the stadium in 2008, the ground became the main venue of the national team, and in the same year, Ljudski vrt hosted the first national team match since 1999. The stadium current capacity is 12,702 covered seats.[40][41] Ljudski vrt was the main home venue in the qualifications for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where Slovenia did particularly well as the team was undefeated in all six home games, winning five and drawing one match with a goal difference 13–1.

Stadion Z'dežele
Main article: Stadion Z'dežele

Stadion Z'dežele is a stadium located in Celje, the third largest city of Slovenia. It was built in 2003 onwards in separate phases and was the main venue for the national team in the qualifications for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. The capacity of the stadium is 13,059 seats from which only around 50% are covered.[42] Slovenia played 17 matches on this stadium, with the last one played in 2013.

Stožice Stadium
Main article: Stožice Stadium

Stožice Stadium is located in the capital city of Ljubljana. The stadium has a capacity of 16,038 seats[43][44] and is the main venue for the national team. The opening match was played in August 2010 against Australia, which Slovenia won 2–0.[45]

Team image

Kit provider

Since 2007, the kit provider of the national team is Nike.[46] Previously, the kit providers were Puma, Adidas, Uhlsport, and Kappa.

Kit provider Period
Puma[47] 1993–1996
Adidas[48] 1997–2001
Uhlsport[49] 2002–2003
Kappa[50] 2003–2006
Nike[46] 2007–present

Colours and kit evolution

Up until 1993, Slovenia played its matches in white, blue and red, which are the traditional colours of Slovenia.[51][52] In 1993, the board of the Football Association of Slovenia decided to change the main colours to green and white, inspired by Olimpija from the capital city of Ljubljana, which played in the same colours.[53][54][55]

In 2009, a new board of the Football Association of Slovenia immediately opted for a change of the colours. In December 2009, the board voted for the change of the jersey colours to white for home matches and blue for away matches.[56] The new colours came into effect in April 2012, when Nike revealed the new home kits. The strip was all-white with a blue and green trim.[57] The new away kit, which was presented a couple of months earlier, was all-blue with a green and white trim.[55] In March 2016, the new kits were revealed with all-green variation returning as an away kit, while the light blue kit became a home kit.[58]

At the 2002 and 2010 FIFA World Cup tournaments, Slovenian kit included an abstract mountain shape, representing the stylized depiction of Triglav, the highest mountain in the country.[54]

Nickname

Slovenia's National Team doesn't have an official nickname and was the only team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup without one.[59][60] During the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Slovenian journalists and the Football Association of Slovenia engaged in a nickname selection process for the national team, but the attempt failed to gain support of the fans who believed the only suitable nickname would be one that occurred organically.[61] In 2010, the Slovenian web portal Siol organized a fan vote and the nickname 'Kekci',[62] which referred both to the Slovenian fictional child character Kekec, as well as the then national team manager Matjaž Kek, was selected but was then never officially adopted by the Football Association of Slovenia.[59] 'Kekci' is still occasionally used by the Slovenian media when reporting on the national team.[63][64]

During the 2010 World Cup, some media articles suggested for the team to take up the name of 'Little Dragons', (Slovene: Zmajčki),[65][66] but the fans opposed the idea, as that had already been the official nickname of NK Olimpija Ljubljana and dragon as a mythical creature was already a symbol of the capital city Ljubljana, but was not representative of the rest of the country.[59][67] However, NK Olimpija's long tradition in the former Yugoslav First League, some football fans in countries of former Yugoslavia still use this nickname when referring to the Slovenian national team.[59][68] The 1998–2002 generation, managed by Srečko Katanec, is still referred to as the 'golden generation'.[69][70]

Results and fixtures
Main article: Slovenia national football team results (2020–present)

The following matches were played or are scheduled to be played by the national team in the past or in the upcoming twelve months. All results (home and away) list Slovenia's goal tally first.

  Win   Draw   Loss

Date Location Opponent Score Competition Slovenia scorers
3 September 2020 Ljubljana, Slovenia  Greece 0–0 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C Group 3
6 September 2020 Ljubljana, Slovenia  Moldova 1–0 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C Group 3 Bohar  28'
7 October 2020 Ljubljana, Slovenia  San Marino 4–0 International friendly Mitrović  17', 42', Vučkić  25' (pen.), Rep  48'
11 October 2020 Pristina, Kosovo  Kosovo 0–1 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C Group 3 Vučkić  22'
14 October 2020 Chișinău, Moldova  Moldova 0–4 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C Group 3 Lovrić  8', Vučkić  37' (pen.), 42', 55' (pen.)
11 November 2020 Ljubljana, Slovenia  Azerbaijan 0–0 International friendly
15 November 2020 Ljubljana, Slovenia  Kosovo 2–1 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C Group 3 Kurtić  63', Iličić  90+4' (pen.)
18 November 2020 Athens, Greece  Greece 0–0 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C Group 3

Players

Current squad

Squad for the matches against Azerbaijan on 11 November, against Kosovo on 15 November and Greece on 18 November 2020.[71]
Caps and goals updated as of 18 November 2020, after the match against Greece.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Jan Oblak (captain) (1993-01-07) 7 January 1993 33 0 Atlético Madrid
12 1GK Vid Belec (1990-06-06) 6 June 1990 16 0 Salernitana
16 1GK Matjaž Rozman (1987-01-03) 3 January 1987 0 0 Celje
17 2DF Miha Mevlja (1990-06-12) 12 June 1990 33 1 Sochi
20 2DF Petar Stojanović (1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 22 0 Dinamo Zagreb
2 2DF Nejc Skubic (1989-06-13) 13 June 1989 20 1 Konyaspor
3 2DF Jure Balkovec (1994-09-09) 9 September 1994 12 0 Fatih Karagümrük
4 2DF Miha Blažič (1993-05-08) 8 May 1993 11 0 Ferencváros
23 2DF Kenan Bajrić (1994-12-20) 20 December 1994 2 0 Slovan Bratislava
19 2DF Mario Jurčević (1995-06-01) 1 June 1995 2 0 Osijek
7 3MF Josip Iličić (vice-captain) (1988-01-29) 29 January 1988 68 10 Atalanta
14 3MF Jasmin Kurtić (1989-01-10) 10 January 1989 65 2 Parma
21 3MF Benjamin Verbič (1993-11-27) 27 November 1993 34 5 Dynamo Kyiv
10 3MF Miha Zajc (1994-07-01) 1 July 1994 22 5 Genoa
6 3MF Jaka Bijol (1999-02-05) 5 February 1999 14 0 Hannover 96
13 3MF Domen Črnigoj (1995-11-18) 18 November 1995 13 2 Venezia
22 3MF Amedej Vetrih (1990-09-16) 16 September 1990 11 0 Gaziantep
18 3MF Haris Vučkić (1992-08-21) 21 August 1992 10 5 Zaragoza
8 3MF Sandi Lovrić (1998-03-28) 28 March 1998 6 1 Lugano
5 3MF Nino Kouter (1993-12-19) 19 December 1993 4 0 Mura
— 3MF Adam Gnezda Čerin (1999-07-16) 16 July 1999 1 0 Rijeka
— 3MF David Tijanić (1997-07-16) 16 July 1997 1 0 Raków Częstochowa
11 4FW Tim Matavž (1989-01-13) 13 January 1989 39 11 Al-Wahda
9 4FW Andraž Šporar (1994-02-27) 27 February 1994 24 2 Braga
15 4FW Damjan Bohar (1991-10-18) 18 October 1991 11 1 Osijek

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Slovenia squad in the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Jon Gorenc Stanković (1996-01-14) 14 January 1996 1 0 Sturm Graz v.  Kosovo, 15 November 2020 INJ
DF Nemanja Mitrović (1992-10-15) 15 October 1992 5 2 Maribor v.  Azerbaijan, 11 November 2020 INJ
DF Luka Krajnc (1994-09-19) 19 September 1994 4 0 Fortuna Düsseldorf v.  Moldova, 6 September 2020
DF Erik Janža (1993-06-21) 21 June 1993 1 0 Górnik Zabrze v.  Moldova, 6 September 2020
MF Rajko Rep (1990-06-20) 20 June 1990 5 1 Hartberg v.  Moldova, 14 October 2020
MF Dejan Petrovič (1998-01-12) 12 January 1998 2 0 Rapid Wien v.  Moldova, 14 October 2020
MF Saša Živec (1991-04-02) 2 April 1991 2 0 Zagłębie Lubin v.  Moldova, 6 September 2020
FW Blaž Kramer (1996-06-01) 1 June 1996 3 0 Zürich v.  Moldova, 14 October 2020
FW Lovro Bizjak (1993-11-12) 12 November 1993 1 0 Sheriff Tiraspol v.  Moldova, 14 October 2020
FW Mitja Lotrič (1994-09-03) 3 September 1994 0 0 Würzburger Kickers v.  Moldova, 6 September 2020

Notes:

  • INJ Withdrew due to injury

Previous squads

Competition history

FIFA World Cup
Main article: Slovenia at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA Position
1930–1990 Part of  Yugoslavia
1994 Did not enter
1998 Did not qualify 8 0 1 7 5 20 5/5
2002 Group stage 30th 3 0 0 3 2 7 12 6 6 0 20 11 2/6 Won Playoff
2006 Did not qualify 10 3 3 4 10 13 4/6
2010 Group stage 18th 3 1 1 1 3 3 12 7 2 3 20 6 2/6 Won Playoff
2014 Did not qualify 10 5 0 5 14 11 3/6
2018 10 4 3 3 12 7 4/6
2022 TBD
2026
Total Group stage 2/7[lower-alpha 1] 6 1 1 4 5 10 62 25 15 22 81 68

UEFA European Championship
Main article: Slovenia at the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record UEFA European Championship qualifying record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA Position
1960–1992 Part of  Yugoslavia
1996 Did not qualify 10 3 2 5 13 13 5/6
2000 Group stage 13th 3 0 2 1 4 5 12 6 3 3 15 16 2/6 Won Playoff
2004 Did not qualify 10 4 3 3 16 14 2/5 Lost Playoff
2008 12 3 2 7 9 16 6/7
2012 10 4 2 4 11 7 4/6
2016 12 5 2 5 19 14 3/6 Lost Playoff
2020 10 4 2 4 16 11 4/6
2024 TBD
Total Group stage 1/7[lower-alpha 1] 3 0 2 1 4 5 76 29 16 31 99 91

UEFA Nations League
UEFA Nations League record
Year Division Group Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
2018–19 C 3 Group stage 4th 6 0 3 3 5 8 38th
2020–21 C 3 Group stage 1st 6 4 2 0 8 1 33rd
2022–23 B Future event
Total Group stage
League C		 2/2 12 4 5 3 13 9 33rd
  1. Statistics since 1992, when Slovenia became a member of FIFA.

Statistics
Top Goalkeepers
# Name Career Caps Win Draw Loss Win % Clean Sheets Clean Sheet %
1 Samir Handanovic 2004-2015 80 29 16 35 36% 27 34%
2 Marko Simeunovic 1991-2004 51 20 14 17 39% 15 29%
3 Jan Oblak 2012- 33 15 7 11 45% 17 52%
4 Mladen Dabanovic 1998-2003 23 6 6 8 26% 5 22%
5 Vid Belec 2014- 16 3 3 7 19% 4 25%

Managers
Name Period Played Won Drawn Lost Win % Drawn % Lost % Achievements
Bojan Prašnikar 1991–1993 4 1 2 1 25.00 50.00 25.00
Zdenko Verdenik 1994–1997 32 10 8 14 31.25 25.00 43.75
Bojan Prašnikar 1998 5 1 1 3 20.00 20.00 60.00
Srečko Katanec 1998–2002 47 18 16 13 38.30 34.00 27.70 2000 Euro; 2002 World Cup
Bojan Prašnikar 2002–2004 16 6 3 7 37.50 18.75 43.75 2004 Euro Qualifying Play-offs
Branko Oblak 2004–2006 23 6 7 10 26.10 30.40 43.50
Matjaž Kek 2007–2011 49 20 9 20 40.82 18.37 40.82 2010 World Cup
Slaviša Stojanovič 2011–2012 9 2 2 5 22.22 22.22 55.56
Srečko Katanec 2013–2017 42 16 7 19 38.10 16.66 45.23 2016 Euro Qualifying Play-offs
Tomaž Kavčič 2017–2018 7 1 1 5 14.29 14.29 71.43
Igor Benedejčič 2018 2 0 2 0 00.00 100.0 00.00
Matjaž Kek 2018– 18 9 5 4 50.00 27.78 22.22 Uefa Nations League C: Promotion to League B

References
  1. "Statistika" [Statistics] (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
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  4. T. D. L. (26 August 2015). "Prva tekma slovenske reprezentance" (in Slovenian). SNPortal.si. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  5. "Zgodovina" [History] (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  6. Rok Plestenjak; Rok Viškovič (11 October 2010). "Estonija zgodovinska za Slovenijo in tudi Keka" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
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Last updated: 18 November 2020[1]

All-time team record

The following table show Slovenia's all-time international record, correct as of 18 November 2020 after the match against Greece.[2][3] Only official FIFA recognized matches after the Slovenian independence are included; prior 1992, the unofficial Slovenian team played a total of five matches.[4]

Key
Positive balance (more wins)
Neutral balance (equal W/L ratio)
Negative balance (more losses)
Slovenia all-time statistics per opponent
Opponent
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Win%
 Albania742162+457.14%
 Algeria210112−150%
 Argentina100102−20%
 Australia110020+2100%
 Austria410325–325%
 Azerbaijan10100000%
 Belarus512258−320%
 Belgium201102−20%
 Bosnia and Herzegovina4004410−60%
 Bulgaria401328−60%
 Canada110010+1100%
 China PR10100000%
 Ivory Coast100103−30%
 Colombia100101−10%
 Croatia8035815−70%
 Cyprus10532179+850%
 Czech Republic511327−520%
 Denmark4004111−100%
 England6015410−60%
 Estonia9612135+866.66%
 Faroe Islands4310123+975%
 Finland201113−20%
 France3003210−80%
 Georgia421154+150%
 Germany100101−10%
 Ghana110020+2100%
 Greece7043311−80%
 Honduras100115−40%
 Hungary430153+275%
 Iceland4301157+875%
 Israel523085+340%
 Italy721435−228.57%
 Saudi Arabia110020+2100%
 Kosovo220031+2100%
 Latvia540192+780.00%
 Lithuania6222117+433.33%
 Luxembourg440091+8100%
 Malta6510101+983.33%
 Mexico110021+1100%
 Moldova4400101+9100%
 Montenegro211031+250%
 Netherlands200203−30%
 New Zealand110031+2100%
 North Macedonia6114612−616.66%
 Northern Ireland511323−10%
 Norway9126816−811.11%
 Oman2200110+11100%
 Paraguay100113−20%
 Poland823399025%
 Qatar210142+250%
 Romania82331013−325%
 Russia521267−140%
 San Marino5500200+20100%
 Scotland503237−40%
 Serbia[b]615087+116.66%
 Slovakia632163+350%
 South Africa100101−10%
 Spain200225−30%
 Sweden201101−10%
  Switzerland9216817−922.22%
 Trinidad and Tobago110031+2100%
 Tunisia211032+150%
 Turkey210121+150%
 Ukraine623177033.33%
 United Arab Emirates20203300%
 Uruguay200204−40%
 United States201145−10%
 Wales10100000%
Total2539063101313305+835.57%

Honours

Minor tournaments

Other awards

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. ^
    Includes matches against FR Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro.

References
  1. "National football team managers from Slovenia". eu-football.info. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  2. "Slovenia national football team v all opponents in all times". eu-football.info. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  3. "All matches" (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  4. "Vsi izidi (1992–2019)" [All results (1992–2019)] (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  5. "Carlsberg Cup 2002". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  6. "Cyprus International Tournaments". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  7. "Oman International Tournament 1999". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  8. "Oman International Tournament 2000". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  9. "Malta (Rothmans) International Tournament". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  10. "Rothmans Tournament 1996 (Malta)". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
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