Slovenia at the FIFA World Cup
The Slovenia national football team has appeared at the FIFA World Cup on two occasions, in 2002 and 2010. The team was eliminated in the group stage on both occasions. Their first and, to date, the only World Cup victory came in 2010, when Slovenia defeated Algeria 1–0 with a goal by Robert Koren.
World Cup record
From 1930 to 1990, Slovenia did not compete at the World Cup as the country was part of Yugoslavia. Since their independence in 1991, Slovenia have qualified for two World Cups and was eliminated in the group stage on both occasions.
| FIFA World Cup | Qualification | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host | Round | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Squad | Pos. | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | |
| 1930 to 1990 | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | |||||||||||||||
| 1994 |  United States | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
| 1998 |  France | Did not qualify | 5th | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 20 | ||||||||
| 2002 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} South Korea Japan | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Squad | 2nd | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 9 | |
| 2006 |  Germany | Did not qualify | 4th | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 13 | ||||||||
| 2010 |  South Africa | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | Squad | 2nd | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 4 | |
| 2014 |  Brazil | Did not qualify | 3rd | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 11 | ||||||||
| 2018 |  Russia | 4th | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 7 | |||||||||
| 2022 |  Qatar | 4th | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 12 | |||||||||
| 2026 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada Mexico United States | To be determined | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | — | 2/22 | 68 | 27 | 16 | 25 | 89 | 76 | ||
2002 FIFA World Cup
Slovenia qualified for their first World Cup in 2002 under the management of Srečko Katanec. They suffered a 3–1 defeat to Spain in their opening game. Katanec's decision to substitute midfielder Zlatko Zahovič led to an argument that ended with Zahovič being expelled from the team and sent home, and Katanec announced his intention to resign as manager after the tournament.[1] Slovenia lost their second game 1–0 to South Africa, leaving them unable to qualify from the group.[2] The side's final game ended in a 3–1 defeat to Paraguay.[3]
 | ||
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Spain |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 9 |
 Paraguay |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| South Africa |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Slovenia |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
| South Africa | 1–0 | Slovenia |
|---|---|---|
Nomvethe  4' |
Report |
2010 FIFA World Cup
Slovenia were the smallest country in terms of population to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.[4] Under the management of Matjaž Kek, the team qualified for the tournament by winning the two-legged playoff against Russia, despite losing the first leg.[5] Slovenia beat Algeria 1–0 in their opening game, securing their first ever World Cup victory, and drew 2–2 with the United States. This meant that the side only needed a draw in their final group game against England to reach the knockout stage.[6] However, a 1–0 loss to England and a United States victory over Algeria saw Slovenia finish third in the group and fail to advance.[7]
| | |
Group C
| 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 |
| Slovenia | 2–2 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Birsa 12' Ljubijankić 41' |
Report | Donovan 47' Bradley 81' |
Player records
Most appearances
Slovenia's 2010 squad did not feature a single player from the 2002 tournament, so no player had the chance to play more than three World Cup matches for Slovenia.[8][9]
| Player | Matches | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Milenko Ačimovič | 3 | 2002 |
| Aleš Čeh | 3 | 2002 |
| Sebastjan Cimirotič | 3 | 2002 |
| Amir Karić | 3 | 2002 |
| Željko Milinovič | 3 | 2002 |
| Džoni Novak | 3 | 2002 |
| Milan Osterc | 3 | 2002 |
| Miran Pavlin | 3 | 2002 |
| Mladen Rudonja | 3 | 2002 |
| Valter Birsa | 3 | 2010 |
| Mišo Brečko | 3 | 2010 |
| Boštjan Cesar | 3 | 2010 |
| Zlatko Dedić | 3 | 2010 |
| Samir Handanović | 3 | 2010 |
| Bojan Jokić | 3 | 2010 |
| Andraž Kirm | 3 | 2010 |
| Robert Koren | 3 | 2010 |
| Zlatan Ljubijankić | 3 | 2010 |
| Milivoje Novaković | 3 | 2010 |
| Aleksandar Radosavljević | 3 | 2010 |
| Marko Šuler | 3 | 2010 |
Goalscorers
Five Slovenian players scored one goal each at FIFA World Cups.[8][9]
| Player | Goals | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Milenko Ačimovič | 1 | 2002 |
| Sebastjan Cimirotič | 1 | 2002 |
| Valter Birsa | 1 | 2010 |
| Robert Koren | 1 | 2010 |
| Zlatan Ljubijankić | 1 | 2010 |
References
- "Slovenia send Zahovic home". BBC Sport. 6 June 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- "S Africa send Slovenia home". BBC Sport. 8 June 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- "Paraguay snatch vital win". BBC Sport. 12 June 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- "Little Slovenia thinking big". FIFA. 17 June 2010. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- Viškovič, Rok (18 November 2019). "Večer v Mariboru, ko je Zlatko postal zlatko" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- "World Cup 2010: Slovenia boss respects England quality". BBC Sport. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- Plestenjak, Rok (13 June 2018). "SP 2010: Matjaž Kek potožil: Naj gre vse skupaj k vragu" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- "2002 Slovenia Men Stats, FIFA World Cup". FBref.com. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- "2010 Slovenia Men Stats, FIFA World Cup". FBref.com. Retrieved 29 November 2022.