Slovakia national football team

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

Slovakia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Sokoli (The Falcons)[1]
Repre (The Representatives)[2]
AssociationSlovenský futbalový zväz (SFZ)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachŠtefan Tarkovič
CaptainMarek Hamšík
Most capsMarek Hamšík (132)
Top scorerMarek Hamšík (26)
Home stadiumTehelné Pole
Štadión Antona Malatinského
FIFA codeSVK
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 38 Steady (16 September 2021)[3]
Highest14 (August 2015)
Lowest150 (December 1993)
First international
(1939–1945):
 Slovakia 2–0 Germany 
(Bratislava, Slovakia; 27 August 1939)
(1993–present):
Unofficial:
 Lithuania 0–1 Slovakia 
(Vilnius, Lithuania; 14 October 1992)
Official:
 United Arab Emirates 0–1 Slovakia 
(Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 2 February 1994)
Biggest win
 Slovakia 7–0 Liechtenstein 
(Bratislava, Slovakia; 8 September 2004)
 Slovakia 7–0 San Marino 
(Dubnica nad Váhom, Slovakia; 13 October 2007)
 Slovakia 7–0 San Marino 
(Bratislava, Slovakia; 6 June 2009)
Biggest defeat
 Argentina 6–0 Slovakia 
(Mendoza, Argentina; 22 June 1995)
 Sweden 6–0 Slovakia 
(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 12 January 2017)
World Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2010)
Best resultRound of 16 (2010)
European Championship
Appearances2 (first in 2016)
Best resultRound of 16 (2016)

The Slovakia national football team (Slovak: Slovenská futbalová reprezentácia) represents Slovakia in men's international football competition and it is governed by the Slovak Football Association (SFZ), the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium from 2019 is the reconstructed Tehelné pole in Bratislava. Their head coach is Štefan Tarkovič. Slovakia is one of the newest national football teams in the world, having split from the Czechoslovakia national team after the dissolution of the unified state in 1993. Slovakia maintains its own national side that competes in all major tournaments since.

Slovakia qualified for three major international tournaments, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016, and UEFA Euro 2020. Slovakia qualified to the FIFA World Cup in 2010 after winning their qualifying group, despite two defeats against Slovenia. At the World Cup, Slovakia progressed beyond the group stage after a 3–2 win against Italy, before bowing out of the tournament after a 2–1 defeat in the knockout stage against the eventual runners-up Netherlands. It was the first time the national team ever played in a major football competition, after playing every FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign since 1998 and every UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign since 1996, after a 50-year absence from international football due to representing part of the Czechoslovakia team. The nation did come close to securing a berth at the 2006 finals in Germany, after finishing second in their group ahead of Russia and behind Portugal, before drawing Spain in their qualification play-off, in which the Slovaks lost by a wide margin on aggregate (1–5, 1–1).

The national team have achieved some noteworthy results such as the aforementioned win over the then title holders Italy at the 2010 World Cup, and a 1–0 win against Russia in September 2010. Despite this success however, the team later dropped down the rankings and a considerable drop in form went with this, as the team failed to qualify for Euro 2012 finishing their group in fourth place. They also only scored seven goals in the group, only more than minnows Andorra. Slovakia then failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, but secured a spot in France for Euro 2016 under head coach Ján Kozák, which helped the team reach their best ever position of 14th in the FIFA World Rankings.

Slovakia's traditional rival is the Czech Republic which they played twice in the qualification for the 1998 World Cup in 1997, winning 2–1 in Bratislava before losing 3–0 in Prague with both teams already eliminated, before playing each other again in 2008 and 2009 in the qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup. In these two meetings, the teams drew 2–2 in Bratislava with the Slovaks winning 2–1 in Prague. But before that, they also played each other in Euro 2008 qualifying, and they lost 3–1 in Prague and 3–0 in Bratislava.

History[]

The first official match of the first Slovak Republic (1939–1945) was played in Bratislava against Germany on 27 August 1939, and ended in a 2–0 victory for Slovakia. After the Second World War, the national football team was subsumed into the team of Czechoslovakia, and for over 50 years Slovakia played no matches as an independent country. During this period, they contributed several key players to the Czechoslovak team, including the majority of the team that won the UEFA Euro 1976 (8 of the 11 players who defeated West Germany in the final were Slovak).

Former Slovakia national team before 1945

Slovakia's first official international after regaining independence was a 1–0 victory in Dubai over the United Arab Emirates on 2 February 1994. Their match back on Slovak soil was the 4–1 win over Croatia in Bratislava on 20 April 1994. Slovakia suffered their biggest defeat since independence (6–0) on 22 June 1995, in Mendoza, against Argentina. Their biggest wins (7–0) have come against Liechtenstein in 2004 and San Marino (twice) in 2007 and 2009.

Slovakia attempted qualifying for a major championship as an independent team for the first time in Euro 1996 qualifying, but finished in third place in their qualifying group, behind Romania and France, recording wins against Poland, Israel and Azerbaijan, twice. In the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, Slovakia finished fourth in their six-team group with five wins, one draw and four defeats. Their first four games in this were all wins, with one of these against their Czech neighbors, helping the team reach their highest FIFA World Ranking to date of number 17.

Repre before match against Italy at 2010 FIFA World Cup

Slovakia participated in the FIFA World Cup for the first time as an independent nation after finishing in first in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3 ahead of Slovenia, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland and Poland. On 14 October 2009, they clinched qualification with a 1–0 away win against Poland.[5] On 24 June 2010, at the tournament proper, Slovakia finished second in the group stage after defeating reigning champions Italy in a game which ESPN dubbed "epic": the game saw three goals being scored after the 80th minute, two by Italy and one by Slovakia, as well as a disallowed goal by Italy flagged offside by "the tightest of decisions". The result led Slovakia to the knockout stage and eliminated Italy, who finished last in the group.[6] The result of this match meant that for the first time in World Cup history, both finalists from the previous tournament had been eliminated from the first round, champion Italy and runner-up France.[7][8]

In the round of 16, Slovakia played the Netherlands in the round of 16, falling behind 2–0 only to score a late goal from the penalty spot by striker Róbert Vittek, the last kick of the game in a 2–1 defeat.[9] Despite elimination, the goal returned Vittek to the top of the goalscoring charts joint top with David Villa until Villa himself later scored against Portugal in Spain's 1–0 win in the same stage of the tournament.

For Euro 2012 qualification, Slovakia was drawn against Russia, the Republic of Ireland, Armenia, Macedonia and Andorra. The good campaign in South Africa boosted team performance ahead of the qualifiers, which started in September with two 1–0 wins against Macedonia in Štadión Pasienky and Russia away. In October, however, they were easily beaten in Armenia (3–1) and drew 1–1 against the Republic of Ireland at home. In February 2011, the team was stunned in a 2–1 friendly defeat against Luxembourg and could only beat group minnows Andorra by one goal. Despite creating better chances, Slovakia earned a goalless draw with Ireland away. Four days later, after creating chances in a goalless first half, Slovakia conceded four goals to Armenia in a match that eliminated the team. In the final two group matches, Slovakia was beaten at home by Russia (1–0) and drew 1–1 in Macedonia, finishing in a mediocre fourth-place position and scoring only seven goals in the entire process. Also, for the first time since the Euro 1996 qualifying process, Slovakia finished a qualifying campaign with a negative goal differential. As a result of this outcome, coach Vladimír Weiss left his job after four full years, being replaced by his assistants Michal Hipp and Stanislav Griga, although both themselves were later replaced due to poor results. By late June, former Czechoslovakia national team footballer Ján Kozák became the head coach and followed-up the unsuccessful qualification campaign with a victory in Bosnia and Herzegovina followed by two defeats to Bosnia and Greece.

Celebration of Slovak players after match against Russia at UEFA EURO 2016

For Euro 2016 qualification, Slovakia was drawn against Spain, Ukraine, Belarus, Macedonia and Luxembourg. Slovakia began the qualifying campaign with a 1–0 victory against Ukraine in Kyiv. On 9 October 2014, Slovakia beat Spain 2–1 in a shock victory and claimed the first place. Slovakia's 3–1 victory over Belarus confirmed their status as group leaders. Later on, they won 2–0 against Macedonia in the Philip II Arena, beat Luxembourg with a score of 3–0 in Žilina, and beat Macedonia 2–1 on 14 June 2015, also in Žilina. The next matches were a 2–0 defeat against Spain, a goalless draw against Ukraine and a shocking 0–1 home defeat against Belarus. The team finished qualification by defeating Luxembourg 4–2 and got the second place, qualifying to their first European Championship.

Slovakia was drawn in Group B of Euro 2016 alongside England, Russia and Wales. Slovakia began their tournament against Wales where Ondrej Duda scored Slovakia's first goal in the history of the European Championship in an eventual 2–1 defeat. Slovakia then defeated Russia 2–1 with goals from Vladimír Weiss III and Marek Hamšík, then drew 0–0 against England to advance to the round of 16 as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams. They were eliminated at this stage by world champions Germany with a 3–0 defeat.

During the qualification campaign for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Slovakia was drawn in UEFA Group F. They were third in the group after the penultimate match ended in a 1–0 defeat to Scotland, who moved up to second place. Slovakia won their final group match 3–0 against Malta, and overtook Scotland after they failed to beat Slovenia, but missed out on a play-off place as the other second teams' results meant Slovakia finished as the worst group runners-up.

Slovakia struggled to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2020, only reached the tournament after a difficult away win over Northern Ireland. Being drawn with Spain, Sweden and Poland in group E, it was thought the Slovaks would be the breadbasket for the remaining teams, but they surprised by a victorious opening against Poland 2–1. Subsequently, however, Slovakia would be broken down by Sweden 0–1 before getting totally thrashed by Spain 0–5, thus finished third, but with the worst goal difference due to scoring own goals as a result of their disastrous performance, Slovakia was eliminated from the group stage for the first time ever.

Stadiums[]

The Slovakia national football team currently plays its home matches at the Tehelné pole in Bratislava and the Štadión Antona Malatinského in Trnava. Štadión pod Dubňom in Žilina was used from 2003 to 2015, but will not be used in the future because of the artificial grass installed in 2016. In the past, home games have occasionally been played at other venues as Všešportový areál and Štadión Lokomotívy in Košice, Štadión pod Zoborom in Nitra, Mestský štadión in Dubnica nad Váhom, and Tatran Stadion in Prešov.

Stadiums which have hosted Slovakia international football matches:

Slovakia national football team home stadiums
Nr. of
matches 		Stadium Capacity Location First match Last match
56 Tehelné pole 22,500 Bratislava v.  Germany, 27 August 1939 (2–0) v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021 (2–0)
32 City Arena – Štadión Antona Malatinského 19,200 Trnava v.  Bulgaria, 24 April 1996 (0–0) v.  Russia, 30 March 2021 (2–1)
21 Štadión pod Dubňom 11,258 Žilina v.  Greece, 30 April 2003 (2–2) v.  Iceland, 17 November 2015 (3–1)
9 Pasienky 11,591 Bratislava v.  Israel, 18 August 1999 (1–0) v.  Greece, 16 October 2012 (0–1)
4 Všešportový areál 30,312 Košice v.  Russia, 8 March 1995 (2–1) v.  Romania, 15 November 1995 (0–2)
2 Štadión pod Zoborom 7,480 Nitra v.  Belarus, 27 March 1996 (4–0) v.  Saudi Arabia, 24 May 2000 (1–1)
Štadión Lokomotívy 9,000 Košice v.  Finland, 19 August 1998 (0–0) v.  Azerbaijan, 5 September 1998 (3–0)
Mestský štadión 5,450 Dubnica nad Váhom v.  Liechtenstein, 8 September 1999 (2–0) v.  San Marino, 13 October 2007 (7–0)
1 MOL Aréna 12,700 Dunajská Streda v.  Lithuania, 30 March 1993 (2–2)
Futbalový štadión Prievidza 9,000 Prievidza v.  Slovenia, 16 November 1993 (2–0)
Štadión na Sihoti 4,500 Trenčín v.  Moldova, 5 September 2001 (4–2)
Štadión Tatranu 5,410 Prešov v.  Uzbekistan, 14 May 2002 (4–1)
Štadión FC ViOn 3,787 Zlaté Moravce v.  Iceland, 26 March 2008 (1–2)
NTC Senec 3,264 Senec v.  Montenegro, 23 May 2014 (2–0)

Team image[]

Nickname[]

Traditionally in Slovakia the team is typically referred to as the Repre (short for Reprezentácia – translates into national team). However, in 2016, during the buildup to Slovakia's first appearance at the European Championship, SFZ introduced a new nickname for the team. National team was given the nickname Slovenskí sokoli (Slovak falcons). U15 through to U21 national teams were given the nickname Slovenskí sokolíci (Slovak little falcons). Despite lack of immediate identification with the nickname by the fans, it went into usage during the tournament and the subsequent qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and is now often used, especially in the media, along with Repre, which still remains to be preferred in an informal conversation.[10]

Kit[]

Slovakia kits from 1939 to 1945 era

Slovakia's home kit since 1993 was blue, but Slovakia changed their home kit from blue to white, which lasted until 2020, when Slovakia changed its home kit to blue once again. The team wears either a set of white jerseys, shorts and socks or a set of blue jerseys, shorts and socks. A combination of a blue jersey and white shorts has also been used in some matches. Until recently, the official shirt supplier was Puma, which had signed a long-term agreement with the Slovak Association until 2026, but in 2016 the Association announced the contract had been terminated and that the national team would be supplied by Nike, which had previously supplied the team from 1995 to 2005.[citation needed]

Supplier Period
France Le Coq Sportif 1993–1995
United States Nike 1995–2005
Germany Adidas 2006–2011
Germany Puma 2012–2016
United States Nike 2016–


Competitive record[]

FIFA World Cup[]

Main article: Slovakia at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Position Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 to United States 1994 Part of  Czechoslovakia Part of  Czechoslovakia
France 1998 Did not qualify 4th 10 5 1 4 18 14
South Korea Japan 2002 3rd 10 5 2 3 16 9
Germany 2006 2nd 14 6 6 2 26 14
South Africa 2010 Round of 16 16th 4 1 1 2 5 7 Squad 1st 10 7 1 2 22 10
Brazil 2014 Did not qualify 3rd 10 3 4 3 11 10
Russia 2018 2nd 10 6 0 4 17 7
Qatar 2022 To be determined TBD 6 2 3 1 7 5
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined
Total Round of 16 1/6 4 1 1 2 5 7 – – 70 34 17 19 117 69

Current edition[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Croatia Russia Slovakia Slovenia Malta Cyprus
1  Croatia 6 4 1 1 8 1 +7 13 Qualification to 2022 FIFA World Cup — 14 Nov 11 Oct 3–0 3–0 1–0
2  Russia 6 4 1 1 10 4 +6 13 Advance to second round 0–0 — 8 Oct 2–1 2–0 11 Nov
3  Slovakia 6 2 3 1 7 5 +2 9 0–1 2–1 — 11 Nov 2–2 2–0
4  Slovenia 6 2 1 3 4 7 −3 7 1–0 11 Oct 1–1 — 1–0 14 Nov
5  Malta 6 1 1 4 6 11 −5 4 11 Nov 1–3 14 Nov 8 Oct — 3–0
6  Cyprus 6 1 1 4 1 8 −7 4 8 Oct 0–2 0–0 1–0 11 Oct —
Updated to match(es) played on 7 September 2021. Source: FIFA, UEFA

UEFA European Championship[]

Main article: Slovakia at the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Position Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 to Sweden 1992 Part of  Czechoslovakia Part of  Czechoslovakia
England 1996 Did not qualify 3rd 10 4 2 4 14 18
Belgium Netherlands 2000 3rd 10 5 2 3 12 9
Portugal 2004 3rd 8 3 1 4 11 9
Austria Switzerland 2008 4th 12 5 1 6 33 23
Poland Ukraine 2012 4th 10 4 3 3 7 10
France 2016 Round of 16 14th 4 1 1 2 3 6 Squad 2nd 10 7 1 2 17 8
Europe 2020 Group stage 18th 3 1 0 2 2 7 Squad 3rd 10 5 2 3 15 12
Germany 2024 To be determined To be determined
Total Round of 16 2/7 7 2 1 4 5 13 – – 70 33 12 25 109 89

Previous edition[]

Main article: UEFA Euro 2020 Group E
Pos Team
  • v
  • t
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification  SWE  ESP  SVK  POL
1  Sweden 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 7 Advance to knockout phase —
2  Spain (H) 3 1 2 0 6 1 +5 5 —
3  Slovakia 3 1 0 2 2 7 −5 3 —
4  Poland 3 0 1 2 4 6 −2 1 —
Source: UEFA
(H) Host

UEFA Nations League[]

UEFA Nations League record
Season Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
Portugal 2018–19 B 1 4 1 0 3 5 5 Steady 21st
Italy 2020–21 B 2 6 1 1 4 5 10 Decrease 30th
2022–23 C To be determined
Total 10 2 1 7 10 15 21st

Current edition[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation Czech Republic Scotland Israel Slovakia
1  Czech Republic (P) 6 4 0 2 9 5 +4 12 Promotion to League A — 1–2 1–0 2–0
2  Scotland 6 3 1 2 5 4 +1 10 1–0 — 1–1 1–0
3  Israel 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 8 1–2 1–0 — 1–1
4  Slovakia (R) 6 1 1 4 5 10 −5 4 Relegation to League C 1–3 1–0 2–3 —
Source: UEFA
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Results and schedule[]

Main articles: Slovakia national football team results (2020–present) and Slovakia national football team results

Below shows the results of all A-level international matches played within the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss

2020[]

8 October 2020 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying Slovakia  0–0
(4–2 p)		  Republic of Ireland Bratislava, Slovakia
20:45 Report Stadium: Tehelné pole
Attendance: 0[11]
Referee: Clément Turpin (France)
Penalties
11 October 2020 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B Scotland  1–0  Slovakia Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
20:45 Lyndon Dykes Goal 14' Report Stadium: Hampden Park
Attendance: 0
Referee: Davide Massa, Italy
14 October 2020 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B Slovakia  2–3  Israel Trnava, Slovakia
20:45 Marek Hamšík Goal 16'
Róbert Mak Goal 38'		 Report Goal 68', 76', 89' Eran Zahavi Stadium: Štadión Antona Malatinského
Attendance: 0[11]
Referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (Spain)
12 November 2020 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying Northern Ireland  1–2 (a.e.t.)  Slovakia Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
20:45 Milan Škriniar Goal 87' (o.g.) Report Goal 17' Juraj Kucka
Goal 110' Michal Ďuriš		 Stadium: Windsor Park
Attendance: 1,060
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
15 November 2020 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B Slovakia  1–0  Scotland Trnava, Slovakia
15:00 Ján Greguš Goal 31' Report Stadium: Štadión Antona Malatinského
Attendance: 0
Referee: István Kovács (Romania)
18 November 2020 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B Czech Republic  2–0  Slovakia Plzeň, Czech Republic
20:45 Tomáš Souček Goal 17'
Zdeněk Ondrášek Goal 55'		 Report Stadium: Doosan Arena
Attendance: 0
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)

2021[]

24 March 2021 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Cyprus  0–0  Slovakia Nicosia, Cyprus
20:45 Report Stadium: GSP Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (North Macedonia)
27 March 2021 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovakia  2–2  Malta Trnava, Slovakia
20:45 David Strelec Goal 49'
Milan Škriniar Goal 53'		 Report Goal 17' Luke Gambin
Goal 20' Alexander Satariano		 Stadium: Štadión Antona Malatinského
Attendance: 0
Referee: Harald Lechner (Austria)
30 March 2021 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovakia  2–1  Russia Trnava, Slovakia
20:45 Milan Škriniar Goal 38'
Róbert Mak Goal 74'		 Report Mário Fernandes Goal 71' Stadium: Štadión Antona Malatinského
Attendance: 0
Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain)
1 June 2021 International Friendly Slovakia  1–1  Bulgaria Ried im Innkreis, Austria
18:00 László Bénes Goal 27' Report Atanas Iliev Goal 9' Stadium: Keine Sorgen Arena
Attendance: 0
Referee: (Austria)
6 June 2021 International Friendly Austria  0–0  Slovakia Vienna, Austria
20:45 Report Stadium: Ernst Happel Stadion
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Urs Schnyder (Switzerland)
14 June 2021 UEFA Euro 2020 Poland  1–2  Slovakia Saint Petersburg, Russia
18:00 Karol Linetty Goal 46'
Grzegorz Krychowiak Red card 62'		 Report Goal 18' (o.g.) Wojciech Szczęsny
Goal 69' Milan Škriniar		 Stadium: Krestovsky Stadium
Attendance: 12,862
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (Romania)
18 June 2021 UEFA Euro 2020 Sweden  1–0  Slovakia Saint Petersburg, Russia
15:00 Emil Forsberg Goal 77' (pen.) Report Stadium: Krestovsky Stadium
Attendance: 11,525
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)
23 June 2021 UEFA Euro 2020 Slovakia  0–5  Spain Seville, Spain
18:00 Report Goal 30' (o.g.) Martin Dúbravka
Goal 45+3' Aymeric Laporte
Goal 56' Pablo Sarabia
Goal 67' Ferran Torres
Goal 71' (o.g.) Juraj Kucka		 Stadium: Estadio de La Cartuja
Attendance: 11,204
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
1 September 2021 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovenia  1–1  Slovakia Ljubljana, Slovenia
20:45 Petar Stojanović Goal 42' Report Goal 32' Róbert Boženík Stadium: Stožice Stadium
Attendance: 4,034
Referee: István Kovács (Romania)
4 September 2021 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovakia  0–1  Croatia Bratislava, Slovakia
20:45 Report Goal 86' Marcelo Brozović Stadium: Tehelné pole
Attendance: 9,047
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (Poland)
7 September 2021 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovakia  2–0  Cyprus Bratislava, Slovakia
20:45 Ivan Schranz Goal 55'
Martin Koscelník Goal 77'		 Report Stadium: Tehelné pole
Attendance: 6,762
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (Azerbaijan)
8 October 2021 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Russia  v  Slovakia Kazan, Russia
20:45 Report Stadium: Ak Bars Arena
11 October 2021 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Croatia  v  Slovakia Osijek, Croatia
20:45 Report Stadium: Gradski Vrt Stadium
11 November 2021 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovakia  v  Slovenia Trnava , Slovakia
20:45 Report Stadium: Anton Malatinský Stadium
14 November 2021 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Malta  v  Slovakia Ta' Qali , Malta
20:45 Report Stadium: National Stadium

Head-to-head record[]

The following table shows Slovakia's all-time international record, correct as of 7 September 2021 after a match against Cyprus. At the time of the match against Gibraltar, it was a member of UEFA, but not FIFA.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

  1. ^ Includes matches against  Serbia and Montenegro.

Players[]

Current squad[]

See also: Slovakia international footballers

The following 25 players were called up for the three World Cup qualifying fixtures against  Slovenia (1 September 2021),  Croatia (4 September 2021),  Cyprus (7 September 2021).[12] Dominik Holec's additional nomination was announced on 1 September with availability starting from the match against Croatia.[13]

Caps and fixtures correct as of 7 September 2021, after the match against Cyprus.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Dušan Kuciak (1985-05-21) 21 May 1985 (age 36) 14 0 Poland Lechia Gdańsk
1GK Marek Rodák (1996-12-13) 13 December 1996 (age 24) 9 0 England Fulham
1GK Dominik Holec (1994-07-28) 28 July 1994 (age 27) 0 0 Czech Republic Sparta Prague
1GK František Plach (1992-03-08) 8 March 1992 (age 29) 0 0 Poland Piast Gliwice
2DF Peter Pekarík (1986-10-30) 30 October 1986 (age 34) 106 2 Germany Hertha BSC
2DF Milan Škriniar (1995-02-11) 11 February 1995 (age 26) 46 3 Italy Internazionale
2DF Ľubomír Šatka (1995-12-02) 2 December 1995 (age 25) 20 0 Poland Lech Poznań
2DF Dávid Hancko (1997-12-13) 13 December 1997 (age 23) 17 1 Czech Republic Sparta Prague
2DF Martin Koscelník (1995-03-02) 2 March 1995 (age 26) 10 1 Czech Republic Slovan Liberec
2DF Martin Valjent (1995-12-11) 11 December 1995 (age 25) 9 0 Spain Mallorca
2DF Jakub Holúbek (1991-01-12) 12 January 1991 (age 30) 7 0 Poland Piast Gliwice
2DF Vernon De Marco (1992-11-18) 18 November 1992 (age 28) 0 0 Slovakia Slovak Bratislava
3MF Marek Hamšík (captain) (1987-07-27) 27 July 1987 (age 34) 132 26 Turkey Trabzonspor
3MF Juraj Kucka (1987-02-26) 26 February 1987 (age 34) 88 10 England Watford
3MF Vladimír Weiss (1989-11-30) 30 November 1989 (age 31) 74 7 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava
3MF Róbert Mak (1991-03-08) 8 March 1991 (age 30) 71 14 Hungary Ferencváros
3MF Ondrej Duda (1994-12-05) 5 December 1994 (age 26) 51 5 Germany 1. FC Köln
3MF Patrik Hrošovský (1992-04-22) 22 April 1992 (age 29) 39 0 Belgium Genk
3MF Stanislav Lobotka (1994-11-25) 25 November 1994 (age 26) 32 3 Italy Napoli
3MF Matúš Bero (1995-09-06) 6 September 1995 (age 26) 15 0 Netherlands Vitesse
3MF Tomáš Suslov (2002-06-07) 7 June 2002 (age 19) 6 0 Netherlands Groningen
3MF Jakub Hromada (1996-05-25) 25 May 1996 (age 25) 4 0 Czech Republic Slavia Prague
3MF Erik Jirka (1997-09-19) 19 September 1997 (age 23) 3 0 Spain Real Oviedo
4FW Róbert Boženík (1999-11-18) 18 November 1999 (age 21) 19 5 Germany Fortuna Düsseldorf
4FW Ivan Schranz (1993-09-13) 13 September 1993 (age 28) 11 2 Czech Republic Slavia Prague
4FW David Strelec (2001-04-04) 4 April 2001 (age 20) 7 1 Italy Spezia

Recent call-ups[]

The following players have also been recognised in national team nominations within the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Dominik Greif (1997-04-06) 6 April 1997 (age 24) 4 0 Spain Mallorca v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
GK Adam Jakubech (1997-01-02) 2 January 1997 (age 24) 1 0 France Lille v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
GK Martin DúbravkaINJ (1989-01-15) 15 January 1989 (age 32) 29 0 England Newcastle United UEFA Euro 2020
DF Norbert Gyömbér (1992-07-03) 3 July 1992 (age 29) 28 0 Italy Salernitana v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
DF Denis Vavro (1996-04-10) 10 April 1996 (age 25) 12 1 Italy Lazio v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
DF Róbert Mazáň (1994-02-09) 9 February 1994 (age 27) 11 0 Cyprus AEL Limassol v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
DF Lukáš Pauschek (1992-12-09) 9 December 1992 (age 28) 6 0 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
DF Boris Sekulić (1991-10-21) 21 October 1991 (age 29) 2 0 United States Chicago Fire v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
DF Tomáš Huk (1994-12-22) 22 December 1994 (age 26) 2 0 Poland Piast Gliwice v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
DF Tomáš HubočanINJ (1985-09-17) 17 September 1985 (age 35) 73 0 Cyprus Omonia UEFA Euro 2020
DF Branislav Niňaj (1994-05-17) 17 May 1994 (age 27) 3 0 Romania Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe v.  Bulgaria, 1 June 2021ALT
DF Kristián Koštrna (1993-12-15) 15 December 1993 (age 27) 0 0 Slovakia Spartak Trnava v.  Bulgaria, 1 June 2021ALT
DF Michal Sipľak (1996-02-02) 2 February 1996 (age 25) 0 0 Poland Cracovia v.  Bulgaria, 1 June 2021ALT
DF Martin Škrtel (1984-12-15) 15 December 1984 (age 36) 104 6 Slovakia Spartak Trnava v.  Czech Republic, 18 November 2020 ALT
DF Lukáš Skovajsa (1994-03-27) 27 March 1994 (age 27) 0 0 Czech Republic Dynamo České Budějovice v.  Czech Republic, 18 November 2020 ALT
DF Dominik Kružliak (1996-07-10) 10 July 1996 (age 25) 1 0 Slovakia Dunajská Streda v.  Israel, 14 October 2020 ALT
MF Albert Rusnák (1994-07-07) 7 July 1994 (age 27) 32 5 United States Real Salt Lake v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
MF Lukáš Haraslín (1996-05-26) 26 May 1996 (age 25) 18 1 Czech Republic Sparta Prague v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
MF Erik Sabo (1991-11-22) 22 November 1991 (age 29) 18 0 Turkey Çaykur Rizespor v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
MF László Bénes (1997-09-09) 9 September 1997 (age 24) 7 1 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
MF Jakub Považanec (1991-01-31) 31 January 1991 (age 30) 0 0 Czech Republic Jablonec v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
MF Adrián Kaprálik (2002-06-10) 10 June 2002 (age 19) 0 0 Slovakia Žilina v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
MF Róbert Pich (1988-11-12) 12 November 1988 (age 32) 0 0 Poland Śląsk Wrocław v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
MF Ján GregušINJ (1991-01-29) 29 January 1991 (age 30) 36 4 United States Minnesota United UEFA Euro 2020
MF Martin Chrien (1995-09-08) 8 September 1995 (age 26) 1 1 Hungary Mezőkövesd v.  Bulgaria, 1 June 2021ALT
MF Nikolas Špalek (1997-02-12) 12 February 1997 (age 24) 0 0 Italy Brescia v.  Bulgaria, 1 June 2021ALT
MF Michal Faško (1994-08-24) 24 August 1994 (age 27) 0 0 Czech Republic Slovan Liberec v.  Bulgaria, 1 June 2021ALT
MF Miroslav Stoch (1989-10-19) 19 October 1989 (age 31) 60 6 Unattached v.  Russia, 30 March 2021ALT
MF Jaroslav Mihalík (1994-07-02) 2 July 1994 (age 27) 8 1 Israel Maccabi Petah Tikva v.  Russia, 30 March 2021ALT
MF Miroslav Káčer (1996-02-02) 2 February 1996 (age 25) 2 0 Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň v.  Czech Republic, 18 November 2020 ALT
FW Samuel Mráz (1997-05-13) 13 May 1997 (age 24) 4 1 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
FW Ladislav Almási (1999-03-06) 6 March 1999 (age 22) 0 0 Czech Republic Baník Ostrava v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
FW David Hrnčár (1997-12-10) 10 December 1997 (age 23) 0 0 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava v.  Cyprus, 7 September 2021ALT
FW Michal ĎurišRET (1988-06-01) 1 June 1988 (age 33) 59 7 Cyprus Omonia UEFA Euro 2020
FW Pavol Šafranko (1994-11-16) 16 November 1994 (age 26) 10 0 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns v.  Bulgaria, 1 June 2021ALT
FW Adam Zreľák (1994-05-05) 5 May 1994 (age 27) 5 2 Poland Warta Poznań v.  Czech Republic, 18 November 2020 ALT
  • INJ Withdrew/Unavailable due to an injury or an illness.
  • ALT Alternate – replaces a member of the squad in case of injury/unavailability
  • RET Retired from international football

Player records[]

As of 4 September 2021
Players in bold are still active with Slovakia.

Most appearances[]

Marek Hamšík
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1. Marek Hamšík 132 26 2007–present
2. Miroslav Karhan 107 14 1995–2011
3. Peter Pekarík 106 2 2006���present
4. Martin Škrtel 104 6 2004–2019
5. Ján Ďurica 91 4 2004–2017
6. Juraj Kucka 88 10 2008–present
7. Róbert Vittek 82 23 2001–2016
8. Vladimír Weiss 74 7 2009–present
9. Tomáš Hubočan 73 0 2006–present
10. Róbert Mak 71 14 2013–present

Top goalscorers[]

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1. Marek Hamšík 26 132 0.2 2007–present
2. Róbert Vittek 23 82 0.28 2001–2016
3. Szilárd Németh 22 59 0.37 1996–2006
4. Marek Mintál 14 45 0.31 2002–2009
Róbert Mak 14 71 0.2 2013–present
Miroslav Karhan 14 107 0.13 1995–2011
7. Adam Nemec 13 43 0.3 2006–2019
Stanislav Šesták 13 66 0.2 2004–2016
9. Peter Dubovský 12 33 0.36 1994–2000
10. Juraj Kucka 10 88 0.11 2008–present

Coaching staff[]

As of 23 June 2020
Position Name
Head coach Štefan Tarkovič
Assistant coaches Marek Mintál
Samuel Slovák
Goalkeeping coach Miroslav Seman
Technical manager Róbert Tomaschek
Fitness coach Martin Rusňák
Doctor Vladimír Pener
Ján Baťalík
Masseur Mário Prelovský
Physiotherapist Marián Drinka
Martin Nozdrovický
Peter Hečko
Videoanalyst Michal Slyško
Custodians Ján Beniak
Marek Košáň

Coaching history[]

1939–1944

1993–present

Honours[]

Major tournaments[]

Minor titles[]

Recognitions[]

Czechoslovakia[]

As a part of Czechoslovakia (1918–1939 and 1945–1993), Slovak footballers achieved multiple major successful campaigns with the Czechoslovakia national team. Notably, for example, 16 of the 22 players on the Czechoslovak squad playing in the final tournament of UEFA Euro 1976 in Yugoslavia were Slovak. In both the semi-final against Netherlands and the final match against West Germany 9 of the 13 fielded players were Slovak.

The following table shows the major international successes of the Czechoslovak national team, with participation of Slovak footballers.

  • FIFA World Cup:
    • Runners-up (2): 1934, 1962[29]
  • UEFA European Championship:
    • Winners (1): 1976[29]
    • Third place (2): 1960, 1980
Competition 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
World Cup 0 2 0 2
European Championship 1 0 2 3
Total 1 2 2 5

See also[]

Notes[]

References[]

  1. ^ "SLOVENSKÍ SOKOLI". futbalsfz.sk. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  2. ^ "Prezývka slovenských reprezentantov? Suchá". aktualne.sk. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  3. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  4. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Thrilling win in the snow". ESPN. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  6. ^ "Champions dumped out". ESPN. 24 June 2010.
  7. ^ "Italy eliminated from World Cup in 1st round". AP. 24 June 2010.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Italy and France make unwanted history". AFP. 24 June 2010.
  9. ^ "Robben rocks Slovakia". ESPN Soccernet. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  10. ^ "Fanúšikov pobúril symbol reprezentantov: Sokoli? Skôr lacná napodobenina a plagiát!".
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Behind closed doors due to regulations by the Government of Slovakia.
  12. ^ Šurin, Peter (24 August 2021). "MUŽI A – V nominácii na septembrovú kvalifikáciu De Marco aj Plach, bez siedmich z Eura". futbalsfz.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Tarkovič povolal náhradníka za Kuciaka, je ním brankár Sparty". sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  14. ^ managed the team against Poland at 10 November 1998 on a caretaker basis
  15. ^ As Assistant coach he managed the team during the tour of Central and South America
  16. ^ Led the team during 2001 Merdeka Tournament in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
  17. ^ Managed the team against Turkey on 29 February 2012 on a caretaker basis
  18. ^ Managed the team against Sweden on 16 October 2018 on caretaker basis
  19. ^ Managed the team against Israel on 14 October 2020 on caretaker basis
  20. ^ "Kirin Cup 2000". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  21. ^ "Kirin Cup 2002". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  22. ^ "Kirin Cup 2004". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  23. ^ "Shanghai – International Tournaments". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  24. ^ "Chile – Ciudad de Valparaíso Tournament 2000". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  25. ^ "Cyprus International Tournament 1998". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  26. ^ "Cyprus International Tournament 2003". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  27. ^ "Friendly Tournaments (UAE) 1994–2004". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  28. ^ "Belgium and Turkey claim awards, Hungary return". fifa.com. 3 December 2015. Archived from the original on 21 July 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b "Czech Republic – Association Information". FIFA.com. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.

External links[]

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