This is a good article. Click here for more information.

Slovenia national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

Slovenia
Shirt badge/Association crest
AssociationFootball Association of Slovenia
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachMatjaž Kek
CaptainJan Oblak
Most capsBoštjan Cesar (101)
Top scorerZlatko Zahovič (35)
FIFA codeSVN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 64 Steady (21 October 2021)[1]
Highest15 (October–November 2010)
Lowest134 (December 1993)
First international
Unofficial
Kingdom of Yugoslavia 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

The Slovenia national football team (Slovene: Slovenska nogometna reprezentanca) represents Slovenia in men's international football and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia, the governing body for football in Slovenia. The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in Europe by UEFA. It competes in the three major professional tournaments available to European nations: the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Nations League and the UEFA European Championship. Slovenia played its first official match in 1992, one year after the country gained independence from Yugoslavia. The majority of Slovenia's home matches are played at Stožice Stadium in Ljubljana.

Slovenia have qualified for the FIFA World Cup on two occasions, and the UEFA European Championship once, but have never progressed beyond the group stage of a finals tournament. At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Slovenia achieved its first (and so far only) victory in a major tournament, defeating Algeria 1–0. The team have achieved some noteworthy results, such as beating the 2006 FIFA World Cup winners Italy 1–0 in 2004, which was Italy's only defeat in the entire 2006 World Cup campaign. Their biggest defeat came in 2002 with a 5–0 loss to France, while their highest-scoring victory was a 7–0 win over Oman in 1999.

Boštjan Cesar holds the record for Slovenia appearances, having played 101 times between 2003 and 2018. Zlatko Zahovič scored 35 goals for Slovenia and is the record holder for most goals scored.

History[]

Origins and pre-independence years (1921–1991)[]

Before Slovenia's independence in 1991, the national football team of Slovenia existed only as a regional team, not officially recognised by FIFA. On 23 June 1921, the Slovenian capital Ljubljana hosted a match between France and a selection of players from Slovenian clubs. One of the guests at the match was the acting FIFA president Jules Rimet,[3] who later initiated the first FIFA World Cup tournament. The French team won the match 5–0 and, although the match was not official by international standards, it was, at least in Slovenia, generally accepted as the first appearance of the Slovenian national team.[3][4] In the following decades, Slovenia played four more unofficial friendly matches: in 1956 against China, in 1968 against Austria, in 1990 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in 1991 against Croatia.[4]

Independence, first victory and first qualifiers (1992–1998)[]

In 1992, one year after Slovenia's independence from Yugoslavia, the national team was admitted to UEFA and FIFA.[5] On 3 June of the same year, Slovenia played its first FIFA-recognised game, a friendly match against Estonia in Tallinn.[6] The match ended in a 1–1 draw, and the first official goal for the team was scored by Igor Benedejčič. The first team manager was Bojan Prašnikar.[7] On 7 April 1993, the two teams played another friendly, and this time Slovenia achieved its first international victory by winning the match 2–0.[8]

In 1994, managed by Zdenko Verdenik, Slovenia debuted in official competitions as the team competed in the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifiers. Slovenia played in Group 4 and finished in fifth place out of six teams, with eleven points.[9] In the opening match of the qualifiers, Slovenia caused an upset and drew 1–1 at home against the 1994 FIFA World Cup finalists Italy.[10] In the qualifiers for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, however, the team fared much worse. In a group with Denmark, Croatia, Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia finished in last place, registering just one point in eight matches.[11]

Golden generation (1998–2002)[]

UEFA Euro 2000 campaign[]

In July 1998, Srečko Katanec was appointed as the new manager of the team.[12] Under his guidance, Slovenia finished the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifiers in second place, only behind Norway.[13] Zlatko Zahovič scored eight of Slovenia's twelve goals in the qualifiers.[14] In the additional playoffs, Slovenia faced Ukraine. The first leg was played in Ljubljana, which Slovenia won 2–1 after going a goal behind. Zahovič scored Slovenia's first goal, and Milenko Ačimovič scored a goal from the halfway line late in the match for the final score of 2–1.[15] The second match was played in snowy conditions in Kyiv. Sergei Rebrov scored from the penalty spot in the 68th minute to give Ukraine a lead, while Slovenia equalised eight minutes later with a goal by Miran Pavlin.[16] The 1–1 draw meant that Slovenia won 3–2 on aggregate and qualified for its first major tournament.[16]

Slovenia's lineup for their first ever game at a major tournament, against FR Yugoslavia at the UEFA Euro 2000.[17]

At UEFA Euro 2000, Slovenia were drawn into Group C, together with Spain, FR Yugoslavia and Norway. In the first game, Slovenia played against Yugoslavia and took a 3–0 lead after one hour of play, with Zahovič scoring twice and Pavlin once. However, Yugoslavia made a comeback as they scored three goals in just six minutes for a final score of 3–3, despite playing with only ten players after Siniša Mihajlović was sent off when the score was still 3–0 for Slovenia.[17] The second game against Spain was played in Amsterdam. Spain took a 1–0 lead early in the game with a goal by Raúl, but Slovenia equalised after one hour of play as Zahovič scored his third goal of the tournament. Just a minute later, Spain was leading again as Joseba Etxeberria scored the winning goal.[18] In the last round of the group stage, Slovenia played against Norway and still had a chance to progress to the quarterfinals. The match finished in a goalless draw and Slovenia won its second point of the tournament, but was eliminated.[19]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
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
3  Norway 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4
4 Slovenia 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2
Source: RSSSF

2002 FIFA World Cup campaign[]

For the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Slovenia were drawn into a group with Russia, FR Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Faroe Islands and Luxembourg.[20] In its first five qualifying games, Slovenia won only one match (away at Luxembourg), and even drew 2–2 with the underdogs Faroe Islands despite leading 2–0 with less than five minutes remaining.[21] In the next five matches, however, Slovenia won four times, including a last minute victory over Russia.[20] Slovenia finished in second place without a single defeat, and advanced to the playoff stage.[20] In the playoffs, Slovenia faced Romania. They came from a goal down to win the first game 2–1 with the goals from Ačimovič in the first half and Milan Osterc in the second half.[20] In the second leg in Bucharest, Slovenia took the lead with a goal scored by Mladen Rudonja.[20] The final result was 1–1, and Slovenia qualified for its second consecutive major tournament and first ever World Cup.[22][23]

At the World Cup, Slovenia played in Group B with Spain, Paraguay and South Africa. In the first game, Slovenia faced Spain for the second time in a row at a big tournament, having lost the previous game at Euro 2000. Spain took the lead late in the first half with the goal from Raúl. Juan Carlos Valerón scored Spain's second goal 15 minutes before full-time for a 2–0 lead. A few minutes later, Sebastjan Cimirotič scored the first World Cup goal for Slovenia to reduce the score to 2–1, before Fernando Hierro scored in the 87th minute for the final score of 3–1.[24] The match is notable due to the conflict between manager Katanec and star player Zahovič, after which Katanec announced his retirement after the tournament, while Zahovič was expelled from the team and sent home.[25] Slovenia lost the two remaining matches against South Africa (1–0) and Paraguay (3–1) and finished last in the group with three defeats.[26][27]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Spain 3 3 0 0 9 4 +5 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Paraguay 3 1 1 1 6 6 0 4
3  South Africa 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 4
4 Slovenia 3 0 0 3 2 7 −5 0
Source: RSSSF

Decline (2003–2007)[]

After the resignation of Katanec, Prašnikar took over the team on a four-year contract.[28] The team has undergone some major changes, with several key players retiring from the national team.[29]

In the UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying campaign, Slovenia played against France, Israel, Cyprus and Malta. Despite all the changes, Slovenia comfortably finished in second place with four wins out of eight games, but lost in both matches against France without scoring any goals.[30] In the playoffs, Slovenia played against its biggest rivals, Croatia. The first leg was played in Zagreb, where Croatia took the lead as Dado Pršo scored a goal in the fifth minute, while Slovenia equalised in the 22nd minute with a goal by Ermin Šiljak, for the final score of 1–1.[30][31] In the second leg, Pršo scored the only goal of the game 15 minutes into the second half.[30] Croatia qualified for the UEFA Euro 2004 with the aggregate score of 2–1, and Slovenia failed to qualify for its third consecutive major tournament. Šiljak scored a total of nine goals in the whole campaign, thus becoming the top goalscorer of the whole UEFA qualification tournament.[32]

In May 2004, Prašnikar was replaced by Branko Oblak.[33] Under Oblak's management, Slovenia played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Grouped with Italy, Norway, Scotland, Belarus and Moldova, the team started well with victories over Moldova and Italy and a draw against Scotland, but still finished in fourth place after securing only five points in the remaining seven matches.[34] With the victory over Italy, Slovenia became the only team to beat the eventual world champions, as Italy did not lose another game during the entire campaign (qualifiers and the main tournament).[35]

Oblak was still in charge of Slovenia when the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers 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 dismissed by the Football Association of Slovenia.[36] During his two-year stint as the manager, Oblak tried out over forty different players.[37]

In January 2007, Matjaž Kek was appointed as the new manager of the national team.[38] He led Slovenia in the remainder of the Euro 2008 qualifiers, where Slovenia finished in sixth place, only above Luxembourg.[39]

First World Cup victory (2008–2011)[]

Slovenian players celebrating Nejc Pečnik's goal against Russia in the 2010 World Cup playoffs.

For the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Slovenia were drawn into a group with the Czech Republic, Poland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia and San Marino.[40] In its opening match, Slovenia held Poland to a 1–1 draw in Wrocław, before winning two consecutive home games against Slovakia and Northern Ireland, respectively.[41] Slovenia then won only one point in the two games against the Czech Republic and lost away to Northern Ireland, and thus fell to fifth place in the group.[42] However, the team greatly improved its form and won the last four games without conceding a single goal.[41] As runners-up, Slovenia qualified for the playoffs, where they were drawn against Russia.[43] The first leg was played in Moscow. The match ended in a 2–1 win for the home side, with Nejc Pečnik scoring a crucial away goal for Slovenia late in the game.[44] In the second leg, held in Maribor, Slovenia defeated Russia 1–0 with a goal by Zlatko Dedić, advancing to the main tournament with an aggregate score of 2–2 due to the away goals rule.[45] The top scorer of the national team during the qualifying campaign was Milivoje Novaković with five goals.[46]

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Slovenia played in Group C alongside England, Algeria and the United States. In the opening game against Algeria, Slovenia achieved its first ever victory at the World Cup after Robert Koren scored the only goal in the match for a 1–0 victory.[47] In their second game against the United States, Slovenia were leading 2–0 at half-time with goals from Valter Birsa and Zlatan Ljubijankić, however, Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley scored in the second half for the United States for the final score of 2–2.[48] In their last match of the group stage, Slovenia lost to England 1–0 with a goal by Jermain Defoe. The United States defeated Algeria with a goal scored in the last moments of the match, thus eliminating Slovenia from the tournament.[49]

Slovenia vs. United States at the 2010 World Cup

After the 2010 World Cup, Slovenia achieved their highest ever position in the FIFA World Rankings, as the team was ranked 15th in October 2010.[50] However, Slovenia started the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers with an unexpected home defeat against Northern Ireland.[51] Two defeats against Italy and another unexpected home defeat, this time against Estonia, meant that Slovenia finished only in fourth place in the group, behind Italy, Estonia and Serbia.[52]

Katanec's second spell and management changes (2011–2018)[]

In October 2011, the Football Association of Slovenia appointed Slaviša Stojanović as the new manager.[53] He led the team in only nine matches, including the first four matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, where Slovenia recorded one victory and three defeats.[54] He was sacked by the end of 2012 and was replaced by Katanec, who had previously led the team between 1998 and 2002.[55][56] Under his leadership, Slovenia lost at home to Iceland, before winning four consecutive games to finish third in the group, two points behind Iceland.[54] In the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2016, Slovenia came close to directly qualifying for the tournament for the first time, however, the team lost a decisive game away to Switzerland.[57] Slovenia led 2–0 with less than 15 minutes remaining, but the Swiss team then scored three times to win 3–2.[58] As the third-placed team, Slovenia advanced to the playoffs, where they were eliminated by the Ukraine 3–1 on aggregate.[57] The qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup were similar to the previous ones, as Slovenia narrowly lost two decisive away matches against Slovakia and England.[59] After the defeat at Wembley, where Harry Kane scored the only goal of the match in the 94th minute, Katanec announced his resignation as the manager.[60] In December 2017, Tomaž Kavčič became the new manager.[61]

In 2018, Slovenia competed in the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League. In accordance with the FIFA World Rankings, the team competed in the third-tier Group C along with Bulgaria, Cyprus and Norway.[62] After the poor run of results, in which Slovenia obtained only one point in the first four matches, Kavčič was sacked. He became the manager with the shortest tenure in Slovenian history, leading the team in only seven games.[63] As Slovenia finished last in the group, they were supposed to be relegated to the bottom tier Group D, but UEFA changed the system for the next edition and the team remained in Group C.[64]

Kek's second spell and Nations League promotion (2019 to present)[]

Kek was appointed as the manager for the second time in November 2018.[65] Slovenia failed to make a breakthrough during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers, losing both games against Austria and obtaining only one point against North Macedonia.[66] Despite the unexpected 2–0 home victory against Poland, Slovenia finished fourth in the group.[66] In the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, however, Slovenia remained undefeated in all six games against Greece, Moldova and Kosovo. Under the leadership of team captain Jan Oblak, Slovenia held Greece to a 0–0 draw in both matches, and also obtained all twelve available points against Moldova and Kosovo, thus securing first place in the group and promotion to Group B for the 2022–23 edition.[67] In the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Slovenia once again failed to qualify for the main event. They started the campaign with a 1–0 home victory versus Croatia with a goal by Sandi Lovrić, which was notably Slovenia's first victory over their neighbour rivals after failing to beat them in the previous eight matches.[68] After two narrow defeats against Russia and a surprising defeat to Cyprus, Slovenia finished fourth in the group with four wins in ten matches, behind Croatia, Russia and Slovakia.[69]

Team image[]

Nickname and mascot[]

The Slovenian national team does not have an official nickname and was the only team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup without one.[70][71] During the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Slovenian journalists and the Football Association of Slovenia tried to choose a nickname for the team, but the process failed to gain the support of fans.[72] In 2010, the Slovenian web portal Siol organized a fan vote and the nickname "Kekci", a reference to the Slovenian fictional child character Kekec and the then national team manager Matjaž Kek, finished in first place.[73] However, the nickname was never officially adopted by the Football Association of Slovenia.[70] "Kekci" is still occasionally used by the Slovenian media when referring to the national team.[74][75]

During the 2010 World Cup, some foreign media articles used the nickname "Zmajčeki" (English: Little Dragons) when referring to the Slovenian national team,[76][77] however, this was the old nickname of Slovenian club NK Olimpija Ljubljana when they competed in the Yugoslav football system.[70] Because Olimpija had a long tradition in the former Yugoslav First League, football fans and the media in the countries of the former Yugoslavia still use this nickname today when referring to the Slovenian team.[78][79] The 1998–2002 generation, managed by Srečko Katanec, is still referred to as the 'golden generation'.[80][81]

In 2002, Slovenia received an official mascot for its appearance at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The mascot, called Trigi, is based on a round shape representing the Earth or a ball, with the Triglav mountain symbol on its head in a green, white and blue colour combination.[82][83]

Kits and colours[]

Until 1993,[84] Slovenia played its matches in white, blue and red, which are the traditional colours of the country.[85][86] In 1993, the board of the Football Association of Slovenia decided to change the main colours to green and white, which were also the main colours of Olimpija from the capital city of Ljubljana.[87][88]

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 to change the jersey colours to white for home matches and blue for away matches.[89] The new colours came into effect in April 2012, when Nike unveiled the new home kits. The strip was all-white with a blue and green trim.[90] The new away kit, introduced a few months earlier, was all-blue with a green and white trim.[88] In 2016, the all-green version returned as an away kit, while the light blue kit became the new home kit.[91]

At the FIFA World Cup tournaments in 2002 and 2010, the Slovenian kit included an abstract shape of a mountain, which represented a stylized depiction of Triglav, the highest mountain in the country.[87]

Kit suppliers[]

Since 2007, the kit provider of the national team is Nike.[92] Previously, the kit providers were Puma, Adidas, Uhlsport, and Kappa.

Kit provider Period
Germany Puma[93] 1993–1996
Germany Adidas[94] 1997–2001
Germany Uhlsport[95] 2002–2003
Italy Kappa[96] 2003–2006
United States Nike[92] 2007–present

Rivalries[]

Slovenia's main football rivals are its neighbours Croatia. The matchup between the two sides is known as the Neighbourhood derby (Slovene: Sosedski derbi).[29][97] As of September 2021 they have played each other eleven times (ten official matches and one unofficial match).[98][99] One of the most notable matches between Slovenia and Croatia took place in 2003, where the two teams met in the qualifying playoffs for UEFA Euro 2004. After a 1–1 draw in the first match in Zagreb, Slovenia then lost 1–0 at home and failed to qualify for its third consecutive major tournament.[29] In March 2021, Slovenia finally managed to defeat Croatia after failing to do so in the previous nine matches, as they won 1–0 at home during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[100]

Home stadium[]

A total of ten venues in eight cities have hosted Slovenia's home matches.[101] Most of these matches have been played in Ljubljana at the Stožice Stadium, with a seating capacity of 16,038.[102][103] The final training sessions and physical preparation of the team before domestic matches are held at the National Football Centre Brdo in Predoslje.[104][105]

Stožice Stadium hosted the most home matches of the national team.

The first home stadium of Slovenia was the Bežigrad Stadium, located in the Bežigrad District in Ljubljana. It was the main stadium of the national team until 2004, when UEFA banned it due to insufficient infrastructure.[106] In the same year, the newly built Arena Petrol in Celje became the new main venue of the team for the next three years.[107][108] For the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Slovenia moved to the recently renovated Ljudski vrt stadium in Maribor, where the team remained undefeated in their six home matches during the qualifying campaign (five wins and a draw), consequently qualifying for the main tournament.[109] Stožice were built in 2010, and since then the venue has hosted most of the national team's home competitive matches.[110] During the inaugural international match at the venue in August 2010, the highest ever home attendance of the Slovenian team was achieved, as 16,135 spectators gathered for a friendly match between Slovenia and Australia.[110]

Other venues where Slovenia played at least one home match are the Bonifika Stadium in Koper, Fazanerija City Stadium in Murska Sobota, Domžale Sports Park in Domžale, Nova Gorica Sports Park in Nova Gorica, Stanko Mlakar Stadium in Kranj, and ŽŠD Ljubljana Stadium in Ljubljana.[101]

Results and fixtures[]

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

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.[111]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

2021[]

24 March 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovenia 1–0  Croatia Ljubljana, Slovenia
20:45 UTC+1 Lovrić Goal 15' Report Stadium: Stožice Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
27 March 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Russia  2–1  Slovenia Sochi, Russia
17:00 UTC+3 Dzyuba Goal 26', 35' Report Iličić Goal 36' Stadium: Fisht Stadium
Attendance: 13,008
Referee: Marco Di Bello (Italy)
30 March 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Cyprus  1–0  Slovenia Nicosia, Cyprus
19:00 UTC+3 Pittas Goal 42' Report Stadium: GSP Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Andreas Ekberg (Sweden)
1 June Friendly North Macedonia  1–1  Slovenia Skopje, North Macedonia
18:00 UTC+2 Elmas Goal 55' Report Črnigoj Goal 90+7' Stadium: National Arena Todor Proeski
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Besfort Kasumi (Kosovo)
4 June Friendly Slovenia 6–0  Gibraltar Koper, Slovenia
20:45 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Bonifika
Attendance: 1,035
Referee: Haris Kaljanac (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
1 September 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovenia 1–1  Slovakia Ljubljana, Slovenia
20:45 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Stožice Stadium
Attendance: 4,034
Referee: István Kovács (Romania)
4 September 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovenia 1–0  Malta Ljubljana, Slovenia
18:00 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Stožice Stadium
Attendance: 4,571
Referee: Andris Treimanis (Latvia)
7 September 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Croatia  3–0  Slovenia Split, Croatia
20:45 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Stadion Poljud
Attendance: 16,237
Referee: Clément Turpin (France)
8 October 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Malta  0–4  Slovenia Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45 UTC+2 Report
Stadium: National Stadium
Attendance: 3,967
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (Greece)
11 October 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovenia 1–2  Russia Maribor, Slovenia
20:45 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Ljudski vrt
Attendance: 6,524
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (Portugal)
11 November 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovakia  2–2  Slovenia Trnava, Slovakia
20:45 UTC+1
Report
  • Zajc Goal 18'
  • Mevlja Goal 62'
 Stadium: Anton Malatinský Stadium
Attendance: 2,726
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (Finland)
14 November 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Slovenia 2–1  Cyprus Ljubljana, Slovenia
15:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Stožice Stadium
Attendance: 5,117
Referee: Sergey Ivanov (Russia)

Management[]

Since 1991, eight managers have officially been in charge of the national team.[112] Bojan Prašnikar, Srečko Katanec and Matjaž Kek are the only three managers with more than one spell.[112]

Prašnikar was appointed as the inaugural manager in June 1991.[113] He was later in charge of Slovenia on two more occasions, in 1998 and between 2002 and 2004.[114] Prašnikar was often criticized by the media and fans for playing too defensively,[115][116] most notable during the second leg of the UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying play-offs against Croatia at home, where Slovenia lost 1–0 and failed to qualify.[31]

Katanec was first appointed in 1998, and was in charge until June 2002.[117] Under his guidance, Slovenia qualified for both the 2000 UEFA European Football Championship and the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and this period is commonly referred to as the 'golden generation' of Slovenian football.[81] In the 2000 European Championship qualifiers, Katanec was acknowledged for using high-pressing tactics with forwards Sašo Udovič and Mladen Rudonja, in order to exhaust the opponent's defenders in the first half; then in the second half, he would move Zlatko Zahovič further forward towards the goal, and substitute in Milenko Ačimovič for better creativity.[118] At the 2002 World Cup, he came into conflict with Zahovič after substituting him out in Slovenia's inaugural World Cup match against Spain.[119] As a result, Katanec resigned after the tournament.[120] During his second spell between January 2013 and October 2017, Katanec was criticised for constantly experimenting as he tried out a total of 62 different players in five years.[121] He was also criticised for his communication with the media, inconsistent tactics and underestimation of his own players.[122]

Tomaž Kavčič is the manager with the shortest managerial tenure, having been in charge for only seven matches in 2018 before being sacked.[123] He was replaced by Igor Benedejčič, who became the first manager to be appointed as a caretaker.[124]

Srečko Katanec led Slovenia to its first major tournament appearance after qualifying for the 2000 UEFA European Football Championship.

List of managers[]

Statistics updated as of 14 November 2021, after the match against Cyprus.

Manager Tenure Played Won Drawn Lost Major tournaments Ref.
Bojan Prašnikar 1991–1993 4 1 2 1 — [114]
Zdenko Verdenik 1994–1997 32 10 8 14 — [125]
Bojan Prašnikar 1998 5 1 1 3 — [114]
Srečko Katanec 1998–2002 47 18 16 13 Euro 2000 – Group stage
2002 World Cup – Group stage 		[117]
Bojan Prašnikar 2002–2004 16 6 3 7 — [114]
Branko Oblak 2004–2006 23 6 7 10 — [126]
Matjaž Kek 2007–2011 49 20 9 20 2010 World Cup – Group stage [127]
Slaviša Stojanović 2011–2012 9 2 2 5 — [128]
Srečko Katanec 2013–2017 42 16 7 19 — [117]
Tomaž Kavčič 2017–2018 7 1 1 5 — [129]
Igor Benedejčič 2018 2 0 2 0 — [130]
Matjaž Kek 2018– 30 14 8 8 — [127]

Players[]

See also: List of Slovenia international footballers

Current squad[]

The following players were called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Slovakia and Cyprus in November 2021.[131]

Caps and goals are correct as of 14 November 2021, after the match against Cyprus.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Jan Oblak (captain) (1993-01-07) 7 January 1993 (age 28) 44 0 Spain Atlético Madrid
12 1GK Vid Belec (1990-06-06) 6 June 1990 (age 31) 18 0 Italy Salernitana
16 1GK Igor Vekić (1998-05-06) 6 May 1998 (age 23) 0 0 Portugal Paços de Ferreira
2 2DF Žan Karničnik (1994-09-18) 18 September 1994 (age 27) 4 0 Slovenia Mura
3 2DF Jure Balkovec (1994-09-09) 9 September 1994 (age 27) 23 0 Turkey Fatih Karagümrük
4 2DF Miha Blažič (1993-05-08) 8 May 1993 (age 28) 16 0 Hungary Ferencváros
5 2DF Žan Rogelj (1999-11-25) 25 November 1999 (age 21) 3 0 Austria WSG Tirol
6 2DF Jaka Bijol (1999-02-05) 5 February 1999 (age 22) 25 0 Russia CSKA Moscow
11 2DF Sven Karić (1998-03-07) 7 March 1998 (age 23) 1 0 Slovenia Domžale
17 2DF Miha Mevlja (1990-06-12) 12 June 1990 (age 31) 44 2 Turkey Alanyaspor
20 2DF Petar Stojanović (1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 (age 26) 32 1 Italy Empoli
4 3MF Nino Kouter (1993-12-19) 19 December 1993 (age 27) 6 0 Turkey Manisa FK
8 3MF Sandi Lovrić (1998-03-28) 28 March 1998 (age 23) 18 3 Switzerland Lugano
10 3MF Miha Zajc (1994-07-01) 1 July 1994 (age 27) 29 7 Turkey Fenerbahçe
11 3MF Haris Vučkić (1992-08-21) 21 August 1992 (age 29) 12 5 Croatia Rijeka
14 3MF Jasmin Kurtić (1989-01-10) 10 January 1989 (age 32) 74 2 Greece PAOK
15 3MF Leo Štulac (1994-09-26) 26 September 1994 (age 27) 8 0 Italy Empoli
18 3MF Timi Max Elšnik (1998-04-29) 29 April 1998 (age 23) 1 0 Slovenia Olimpija Ljubljana
22 3MF Adam Gnezda Čerin (1999-07-16) 16 July 1999 (age 22) 7 1 Croatia Rijeka
23 3MF Blaž Vrhovec (1992-02-20) 20 February 1992 (age 29) 5 0 Slovenia Maribor
7 4FW Josip Iličić (vice-captain) (1988-01-29) 29 January 1988 (age 33) 79 16 Italy Atalanta
9 4FW Andraž Šporar (1994-02-27) 27 February 1994 (age 27) 34 5 England Middlesbrough
13 4FW Žan Celar (1999-03-14) 14 March 1999 (age 22) 1 0 Switzerland Lugano
19 4FW David Tijanić (1997-07-16) 16 July 1997 (age 24) 1 0 Turkey Göztepe
21 4FW Benjamin Verbič (1993-11-27) 27 November 1993 (age 27) 38 5 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv

Recent call-ups[]

The following players have also been selected by Slovenia in the past twelve months, but are not part of the current squad.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Martin Turk (2003-08-21) 21 August 2003 (age 18) 0 0 Italy Parma v.  Gibraltar, 4 June 2021
GK Žiga Frelih (1998-02-06) 6 February 1998 (age 23) 0 0 Portugal Gil Vicente v.  Cyprus, 30 March 2021
DF Žan Kolmanič (2000-03-03) 3 March 2000 (age 21) 0 0 United States Austin FC v.  Russia, 11 October 2021
DF Nejc Skubic (1989-06-13) 13 June 1989 (age 32) 23 1 Turkey Konyaspor v.  Croatia, 7 September 2021
DF Aljaž Struna (1990-08-04) 4 August 1990 (age 31) 21 1 Canada CF Montréal v.  Croatia, 7 September 2021
DF Mario Jurčević (1995-06-01) 1 June 1995 (age 26) 4 0 Croatia Osijek v.  Croatia, 7 September 2021
DF Žan Zaletel (1999-09-16) 16 September 1999 (age 22) 0 0 Slovenia Celje v.  Gibraltar, 4 June 2021
DF Kenan Bajrić (1994-12-20) 20 December 1994 (age 26) 4 0 Cyprus Pafos v.  North Macedonia, 1 June 2021 INJ
DF Bojan Jokić (1986-05-17) 17 May 1986 (age 35) 100 1 Russia Ufa v.  Cyprus, 30 March 2021
MF Domen Črnigoj (1995-11-18) 18 November 1995 (age 25) 21 3 Italy Venezia v.  Slovakia, 11 November 2021 INJ
MF Jon Gorenc Stanković (1996-01-14) 14 January 1996 (age 25) 7 1 Austria Sturm Graz v.  Slovakia, 11 November 2021 WD
MF Damjan Bohar (1991-10-18) 18 October 1991 (age 30) 16 1 Croatia Osijek v.  Croatia, 7 September 2021
MF Jan Repas (1997-03-19) 19 March 1997 (age 24) 3 0 Slovenia Maribor v.  Gibraltar, 4 June 2021
MF Amedej Vetrih (1990-09-16) 16 September 1990 (age 31) 13 0 Turkey Gaziantep v.  Cyprus, 30 March 2021
FW Luka Zahović (1995-11-15) 15 November 1995 (age 26) 9 0 Poland Pogoń Szczecin v.  Slovakia, 11 November 2021 WD
FW Benjamin Šeško (2003-05-31) 31 May 2003 (age 18) 7 1 Austria Red Bull Salzburg v.  Slovakia, 11 November 2021 INJ
FW Jan Mlakar (1998-10-23) 23 October 1998 (age 23) 5 1 Croatia Hajduk Split v.  Croatia, 7 September 2021
FW Blaž Kramer (1996-06-01) 1 June 1996 (age 25) 5 0 Switzerland Zürich v.  Cyprus, 30 March 2021
Notes
  • INJ = Withdrew due to injury
  • WD = Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Previous squads[]

Records[]

Individual records[]

As of 14 November 2021, 217 players have made at least one appearance for the Slovenian national team.[132][133] With 101 caps, Boštjan Cesar has the most appearances for Slovenia.[134] Cesar also started the most matches as captain (39)[135] and had the longest career as a Slovenian international footballer: 15 years, 1 month and 15 days.[136] Zlatko Zahovič is the highest-scoring Slovenia player with 35 goals.[137] Sašo Udovič scored the most goals in a single match, scoring five against Iceland in 1996.[138]

As of 14 November 2021[134]
Players in bold are still active with Slovenia.
Boštjan Cesar is Slovenia's all-time most capped player.
Most appearances
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Boštjan Cesar 101 10 2003–2018
2 Bojan Jokić 100 1 2006–present
3 Valter Birsa 90 7 2006–2018
4 Samir Handanović 81 0 2004–2015
5 Milivoje Novaković 80 32 2006–2017
Zlatko Zahovič 80 35 1992–2004
7 Josip Iličić 79 16 2010–present
8 Mišo Brečko 77 0 2004–2015
9 Milenko Ačimovič 74 13 1998–2007
Aleš Čeh 74 1 1992–2002
Jasmin Kurtić 74 2 2012–present
Top goalscorers
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Zlatko Zahovič 35 80 0.44 1992–2004
2 Milivoje Novaković 32 80 0.4 2006–2017
3 Sašo Udovič 16 42 0.38 1993–2000
Josip Iličić 16 79 0.2 2010–present
5 Ermin Šiljak 14 48 0.29 1994–2005
6 Milenko Ačimovič 13 74 0.18 1998–2007
7 Tim Matavž 11 39 0.28 2010–present
8 Primož Gliha 10 28 0.36 1992–1998
Boštjan Cesar 10 101 0.1 2003–2018
10 Milan Osterc 8 44 0.18 1997–2002
Zlatko Dedić 8 49 0.16 2004–2013

Team records[]

  • Biggest victory: 7–0 vs. Oman, 8 February 1999[139]
  • Heaviest defeat: 0–5 vs. France, 12 October 2002[139]
  • Most consecutive victories: 4
    • From 5 June 1999 against Latvia to 4 September 1999 against Georgia[139][140]
    • From 18 November 2009 against Russia to 13 June 2010 against Algeria[139][140]
    • From 6 September 2020 against Moldova to 14 October 2020 against Moldova[140]
  • Most consecutive matches without defeat: 9, from 3 September 2020 against Greece to 24 March 2021 against Croatia[140]
  • Most consecutive defeats: 4 (achieved on 5 occasions, most recently in 2014)[139][140]
  • Most consecutive matches without victory: 9, from 6 September 2018 against Bulgaria to 7 June 2019 against Austria[140]
  • Most consecutive matches without scoring: 4
    • From 13 October 2004 against Norway to 26 March 2005 against Germany[139][140]
    • From 5 March 2014 against Algeria to 8 September 2014 against Estonia[139][140]
  • Most consecutive matches without conceding a goal: 6, from 3 September 2020 against Greece to 11 November 2020 against Azerbaijan[140]

Competitive record[]

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
United States 1994 Did not enter
France 1998 Did not qualify 8 0 1 7 5 20 5/5
South Korea Japan 2002 Group stage 30th 3 0 0 3 2 7 12 6 6 0 20 11 2/6; won play-offs
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 10 3 3 4 10 13 4/6
South Africa 2010 Group stage 18th 3 1 1 1 3 3 12 7 2 3 20 6 2/6; won play-offs
Brazil 2014 Did not qualify 10 5 0 5 14 11 3/6
Russia 2018 10 4 3 3 12 7 4/6
Qatar 2022 10 4 2 4 13 12 4/6
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined
Total Group stage 2/8[a] 6 1 1 4 5 10 72 29 17 26 94 80

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
England 1996 Did not qualify 10 3 2 5 13 13 5/6
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Group stage 13th 3 0 2 1 4 5 12 6 3 3 15 16 2/6; won play-offs
Portugal 2004 Did not qualify 10 4 3 3 16 14 2/5; lost play-offs
Austria Switzerland 2008 12 3 2 7 9 16 6/7
Poland Ukraine 2012 10 4 2 4 11 7 4/6
France 2016 12 5 2 5 19 14 3/6; lost play-offs
Europe 2020 10 4 2 4 16 11 4/6
Germany 2024 To be determined
Total Group stage 1/7[a] 3 0 2 1 4 5 76 29 16 31 99 91

UEFA Nations League[]

UEFA Nations League record
Season 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 Same position 38th
2020–21 C 3 Group stage 1st 6 4 2 0 8 1 Rise 33rd
2022–23 B Future event
Total 12 4 5 3 13 9 33rd
  1. ^ a b Statistics since 1992, when Slovenia became a member of FIFA.

Head-to-head record[]

The following table shows Slovenia's all-time international record, correct as of 14 November 2021 after the match against Cyprus.[141][142]

Key
Positive balance (more wins)
Neutral balance (equal W/L ratio)
Negative balance (more losses)
  1. ^ Includes matches against FR Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro.

Honours[]

Minor tournaments[]

Third place: 2002
  • Cyprus International Tournament[144]
Runners-up: 1998, 2006
Runners-up: 1999, 2000
Winners: 1994
Runners-up: 1996

Other awards[]

  • Best Mover of the Year: 1999

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b T. D. L. (26 August 2015). "Prva tekma slovenske reprezentance". Slovenski nogometni portal (in Slovenian). Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  4. ^ a b Jerič, Slavko (6 September 2013). "Prva tekma slovenske nogometne reprezentance že leta 1921" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Dawn of a golden age". UEFA. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Zgodovina" [History] (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  7. ^ Plestenjak, Rok; Viškovič, Rok (11 October 2010). "Estonija zgodovinska za Slovenijo in tudi Keka" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Slovenia vs Estonia, 7 April 1993". eu-football.info. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  9. ^ "European Championship 1996 qualifications". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  10. ^ Rijavec, Matej (22 March 2011). "Video: Nepriznani gol Milaniča v Mariboru, v Vidmu dobro branil Zupan" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  11. ^ "World Cup 1998 Qualifying". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  12. ^ "2. julij: Katanec prvič sedel na klop reprezentance" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  13. ^ "European Championship 2000". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  14. ^ Golob, Aleš (23 April 2020). "Zahovič v Atenah spisal prvo poglavje nogometne pravljice" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  15. ^ Rijavec, Matej (13 November 2009). "Video: 10 let od Ačimovičevega gola s sredine igrišča" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  16. ^ a b Plestenjak, Rok (17 November 2019). "Premraženi Slovenci kljub "svinjskemu" sojenju šokirali svet" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  17. ^ a b "Yugoslavia – Slovenia – UEFA Euro 2000". UEFA. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Slovenia – Spain – UEFA Euro 2000". UEFA. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  19. ^ "UEFA Euro 2000 – Standings". UEFA. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  20. ^ a b c d e "World Cup 2002 Qualifying". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  21. ^ Viškovič, Rok (31 May 2011). "Fersko opozorilo iz leta 2000" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  22. ^ "Slovenia in wonderland". BBC Sport. 15 November 2001. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  23. ^ Rijavec, Matej (14 November 2011). "Video: 10 let od prve uvrstitve Slovenije na nogometni SP" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  24. ^ "Spain 3–1 Slovenia". FIFA. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  25. ^ Plestenjak, Rok (3 June 2020). "Zlatko Zahović o sporu v Južni Koreji: Rudi Zavrl se je odločil, da bo konflikt" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  26. ^ "South Africa 1–0 Slovenia". FIFA. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  27. ^ "Slovenia 1–3 Paraguay". FIFA. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  28. ^ "Prašnikar bo podpisal za štiri leta" (in Slovenian). Slovenian Press Agency. 8 July 2002. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  29. ^ a b c Plestenjak, Rok (20 December 2020). "Hrvaška zaušnica, ki je zapekla Slovenijo kot še nobena" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  30. ^ a b c "European Championship 2004". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  31. ^ a b Plestenjak, Rok (18 November 2013). "Bojan Prašnikar: Bunker proti Hrvaški? Takšne obsodbe me še danes zabolijo" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  32. ^ Rožman, Andraž (3 October 2006). "Državni prvak v treh državah". Dnevnik (in Slovenian). Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  33. ^ "Oblak novi selektor" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 24 May 2004. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  34. ^ "World Cup 2006 Qualifying". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  35. ^ "FOTO in VIDEO: Slovenija nad Belorusijo z dvojcem Iličić-Birsa, Cesar bo odigral prvih pet minut". 24ur.com (in Slovenian). 26 March 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  36. ^ "Oblak ni več selektor izbrane vrste" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 27 November 2006. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  37. ^ "Oblak: 'Vedeli smo, da delamo za drugega'". Žurnal24 (in Slovenian). 11 October 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  38. ^ "Novi selektor je Matjaž Kek". Delo (in Slovenian). 5 January 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  39. ^ "European Championship 2008". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  40. ^ "Slovencem slovanska skupina" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 25 November 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  41. ^ a b "World Cup 2010 Qualifying". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  42. ^ "Severni Irci spodrezali slovenska krila" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 1 April 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  43. ^ "Slovenija bo v dodatnih kvalifikacijah igrala z Rusijo". Dnevnik (in Slovenian). 19 October 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  44. ^ T. G.; A. V. (14 November 2009). "Video/foto: Gol Pečnika vrnil Slovence med žive" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  45. ^ "World Cup misery for Hiddink as Russia slump in Slovenia". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 November 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  46. ^ "Milivoje Novaković, international footballer". eu-football.info.
  47. ^ R. K.; A. V.; Matej Rijavec (13 June 2010). "Foto/video: Koren odrešil Slovence velikih muk" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  48. ^ S. J.; M. L.; T. O. (18 June 2010). "Foto/Video: Ob polčasu evforija, na koncu zadovoljstvo" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  49. ^ Dotto, Dario (23 June 2010). "Američani razžalostili Slovenijo" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  50. ^ "Slovenija na lestvici FIFA na rekordnem 15. mestu". Delo (in Slovenian). 20 October 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  51. ^ R. K.; To. G. (3 September 2010). "Šok v Ljudskem vrtu! Bridek poraz proti Severni Irski" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  52. ^ "European Championship 2012". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  53. ^ Sportal (24 October 2011). "Uradno: Slaviša Stojanović novi selektor" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  54. ^ a b "World Cup 2014 Qualifying". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  55. ^ "Slaviša Stojanović ni več selektor reprezentance Slovenije" (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. 9 December 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  56. ^ Kos, Klemen (4 January 2013). "Srce mi bije kot prvič" (in Slovenian). Nogomania. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  57. ^ a b "European Championship 2016". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  58. ^ M. R. (5 September 2015). "Video/foto: Slovenija v zadnjih 15 minutah od nebes do pekla" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  59. ^ "World Cup 2018 Qualifying". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  60. ^ Ž. J. (7 October 2017). "Katančev odstop povzročil velik preplah na Hrvaškem". Žurnal24 (in Slovenian). Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  61. ^ Viškovič, Rok (4 December 2017). "Brez presenečenja, Tomaž Kavčič je novi selektor Slovenije" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  62. ^ Plestenjak, Rok (5 September 2018). "Novost Uefe, ki je poskrbela za zmedo, a tudi bogate nagrade" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  63. ^ Grošelj, Matej (17 October 2018). "Mijatović odpustil Kavčiča po manj kot letu dni". Dnevnik (in Slovenian). Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  64. ^ Gruden, Toni (24 September 2019). "Čeferin: "Tega nisem uredil jaz, čeprav je ugodno za Slovenijo"" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  65. ^ "Matjaž Kek novi selektor slovenske reprezentance" (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  66. ^ a b "European Championship 2021". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  67. ^ M. L. (18 November 2020). "Obramba zdržala grške napade, Slovenija v ligo B" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  68. ^ Iskra, Uroš (25 March 2021). "Ibrahimović se je vrnil po petih letih in se takoj izkazal" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  69. ^ "WC Qualifiers Europe 2021/2022 – Group H". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  70. ^ a b c T. G. (20 May 2010). "Ferguson pozabil na Slovenijo, za Reuters "zmajčeki"" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  71. ^ Viškovič, Rok (22 December 2009). "Od Olsenove bande do Piratske ladje" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  72. ^ Plestenjak, Rok (13 January 2010). "Green Dragons: Več kot besede povedo dejanja" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  73. ^ Sportal (21 April 2010). "Najbolj so vam všeč Kekci" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  74. ^ J. K. (16 November 2010). "Mladi "Kekci" izgubili proti Hrvatom". Žurnal24 (in Slovenian). Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  75. ^ Gruden, Toni (12 September 2019). ""Kekci" v prvi štartni vrsti za preboj na Euro 2020" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  76. ^ "Factbox on Slovenia". Reuters. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  77. ^ "Koren: Slovenia's strength in unity". FIFA. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2020.[dead link]
  78. ^ "Hrvatska patila i pala u Sloveniji (VIDEO)". mozzartsport.com (in Serbian). 24 March 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  79. ^ Okorn, Jože (7 September 2010). "Srbski strah pred glasnimi Slovenci: Slovenija je še brez zmage proti reprezentancam, ki so nastale po razpadu Jugoslavije". Dnevnik (in Slovenian). Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  80. ^ Š. Ro. (12 December 2016). "Katanec in Zahović bosta združila moči". Delo (in Slovenian). Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  81. ^ a b Plestenjak, Rok (7 October 2009). "Zlata generacija tresla mreže (video)" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  82. ^ Okorn, Jože (24 January 2002). "Trigi je maskota". Dnevnik (in Slovenian). Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  83. ^ "Rodil se je Trigi". 24ur.com (in Slovenian). 23 January 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  84. ^ Plestenjak, Rok (10 December 2009). "Zeleno-belim dresom reprezentance odklenkalo" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  85. ^ Plestenjak, Rok; Dotto, Dario (8 December 2009). "Se reprezentanca vrača h koreninam?" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  86. ^ "Državni simboli". vlada.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  87. ^ a b Prelc, Peter (20 September 2011). "Zeleni, beli, rdeči, modri, le enotni ne" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  88. ^ a b T. G. (28 February 2012). "Potrjeno – novi gostujoči dres Slovenije je moder!" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  89. ^ A.G. (10 December 2009). "Nogometaši od leta 2012 v novih dresih" [Footballers in the new kits since 2012] (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  90. ^ D. O. (19 April 2012). "Vršič: Kombinacija novih dresov je lepa in nas lahko ponese tudi v Brazilijo". Delo (in Slovenian). Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  91. ^ T.O.; M. R. (21 March 2016). "Foto: Po 16 tekmah in manj kot dveh letih ima Slovenija nov dres" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  92. ^ a b "NZS in Nike še šest let" (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. 12 February 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  93. ^ "Nogometna zveza Slovenije pred novimi tekmami" (in Slovenian). Slovenian Press Agency. 5 October 1993. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  94. ^ "Glasbenik krojil usodo nogometašem" (in Slovenian). Slovenian Press Agency. 20 December 1996. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  95. ^ "NZS in Uhlsport z roko v roki" (in Slovenian). Slovenian Press Agency. 25 March 2002. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  96. ^ "NZS dobila novega opremljevalca reprezentanc" (in Slovenian). Slovenian Press Agency. 13 August 2003. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  97. ^ Grošelj, Matej (7 December 2020). "Kekovi Sloveniji vroč sosedski derbi s Hrvaško". Dnevnik. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  98. ^ "Slovenia vs Croatia H2H Results". eu-football.info. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  99. ^ Rijavec, Matej (24 March 2021). "Iz TV-arhiva: Kako je Primož Gliha po hat-tricku v Splitu rezal torto" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  100. ^ Gruden, Toni (25 March 2021). "Slovenija le dočakala zmago nad Hrvaško. Veselje da, evforija pa ne" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  101. ^ a b "Vsa prizorišča" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  102. ^ "Stadion Stožice" [Stozice Stadium]. sport-ljubljana.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  103. ^ "Stadion" [Stadium] (in Slovenian). NK Olimpija Ljubljana. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  104. ^ "Nacionalni nogometni center Brdo". Radio Prvi (in Slovenian). 13 November 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  105. ^ "Slovenski nogometaši začeli priprave na tri nujne malteške točke" (in Slovenian). Slovenian Press Agency. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  106. ^ "Za kaj vse je kriv nogomet". Dnevnik (in Slovenian). 6 January 2004. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  107. ^ "V Celju obračun dveh evropskih presenečenj zadnjih let" (in Slovenian). Slovenian Press Agency. 30 March 2004. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  108. ^ "Arena Petrol, Celje, football venue". eu-football.info. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  109. ^ "Stadion Ljudski Vrt, Maribor, football venue". eu-football.info. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  110. ^ a b "Stadion Stožice, Ljubljana, football venue". eu-football.info. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  111. ^ "Slovenia national football team – fixtures". eu-football.info. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  112. ^ a b "Vsi selektorji" [All managers] (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  113. ^ "Prašnikar v Cottbusu: To je zame doslej največji izziv". Delo (in Slovenian). 28 September 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  114. ^ a b c d "Bojan Prašnikar, football manager". eu-football.info. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  115. ^ Okorn, Jože (21 November 2003). "Bunker je bil popoln samomor". Dnevnik (in Slovenian). Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  116. ^ Krstovski, Jan (30 August 2008). "Treba bo počistiti vse oslarije!". Žurnal24 (in Slovenian). Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  117. ^ a b c "Srečko Katanec, football manager". eu-football.info. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  118. ^ Viškovič, Rok; Cirman, Primož (8 October 2016). "Padli bog slovenskega nogometa" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  119. ^ Gruden, Toni (5 June 2012). "Boleč spomin na dni, ko se je v Koreji kupovala Šmarna gora" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  120. ^ "Katanec napovedal odstop". 24ur.com (in Slovenian). 5 June 2002. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  121. ^ Viškovič, Rok (6 October 2017). "Prišel je kot zmagovalec, odhaja kot velik poraženec" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  122. ^ Zore, Miran (9 October 2017). "Pet Katančevih največjih grehov" (in Slovenian). Nogomania. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  123. ^ T. J.; M. L. (17 October 2018). "Kavčič ni več selektor, njegov naslednik še ni znan" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  124. ^ Plestenjak, Rok (2 November 2018). "Slovenijo bo vodil Igor Benedejčič" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  125. ^ "Zdenko Verdenik, football manager". eu-football.info. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  126. ^ "Brane Oblak, football manager". eu-football.info. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  127. ^ a b "Matjaž Kek, football manager". eu-football.info. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  128. ^ "Slaviša Stojanović, football manager". eu-football.info. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  129. ^ "Tomaž Kavčič, football manager". eu-football.info. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  130. ^ "Igor Benedejčič, football manager". eu-football.info. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  131. ^ "Kek izbral za zaključek kvalifikacij" (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  132. ^ "Slovenia Footballers". eu-football.info. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  133. ^ "Nastopi" [Appearances] (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  134. ^ a b "Most Slovenia Caps". eu-football.info. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  135. ^ "Kapetani" [Captains] (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  136. ^ "Slovenia footballers by career length". eu-football.info. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  137. ^ "Top Slovenia Goal Scorers". eu-football.info. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  138. ^ Rožman, Andraž (25 September 2015). "Nogometni rekordi: od Lewandowskega do Verbiča". Dnevnik (in Slovenian). Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  139. ^ a b c d e f g "Rekordi" [Records] (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  140. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Slovenia Football Results". eu-football.info. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  141. ^ "Slovenia Head to Head against all teams". eu-football.info. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  142. ^ "Vsi izidi (1992–2020)" [All results (1992–2020)] (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  143. ^ "Carlsberg Cup 2002". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  144. ^ "Cyprus International Tournaments". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  145. ^ "Oman International Tournament 1999". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  146. ^ "Oman International Tournament 2000". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  147. ^ "Malta (Rothmans) International Tournament". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  148. ^ "Rothmans Tournament 1996 (Malta)". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""