The Slovenia national football team have appeared at the FIFA World Cup twice, in 2002 and 2010, being eliminated in the group stage on both occasions. They achieved their first and so far only victory at the World Cup in 2010, when they beat Algeria 1–0 with a goal by Robert Koren.

Overall 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 record Qualification record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pos. Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1990Part of  YugoslaviaPart of  Yugoslavia
United States 1994Did not enterDid not enter
France 1998Did not qualify5th8017520
South Korea Japan 2002Group stage300327Squad2nd (PO)126602011
Germany 2006Did not qualify4th103341013
South Africa 2010Group stage311133Squad2nd (PO)12723206
Brazil 2014Did not qualify3rd105051411
Russia 20184th10433127
Qatar 20224th104241312
Canada Mexico United States 2026To be determinedTo be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Group stage 6114510 — 2/22 722917269480

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 330094+59
 Paraguay 31116604
 South Africa 31115504
 Slovenia 300327−50
Spain 3–1 Slovenia
Raúl 44'
Valerón 74'
Hierro 87' (pen.)		 Report Cimirotič 82'
Attendance: 28,598
South Africa 1–0 Slovenia
Nomvethe 4' Report
Attendance: 47,226
Slovenia 1–3 Paraguay
Ačimovič 45+1' Report Cuevas 65', 84'
Campos 73'
Attendance: 30,176

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
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
Algeria 0–1 Slovenia
Report Koren 78'
Attendance: 30,325
Slovenia 2–2 United States
Birsa 12'
Ljubijankić 41'		 Report Donovan 47'
Bradley 81'
Attendance: 45,573
Slovenia 0–1 England
Report Defoe 22'
Attendance: 36,893

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 Ačimovič32002
Aleš Čeh32002
Sebastjan Cimirotič32002
Amir Karić32002
Željko Milinovič32002
Džoni Novak32002
Milan Osterc32002
Miran Pavlin32002
Mladen Rudonja32002
Valter Birsa32010
Mišo Brečko32010
Boštjan Cesar32010
Zlatko Dedić32010
Samir Handanović32010
Bojan Jokić32010
Andraž Kirm32010
Robert Koren32010
Zlatan Ljubijankić32010
Milivoje Novaković32010
Aleksandar Radosavljević32010
Marko Šuler32010

Goalscorers

Five Slovenian players scored one goal each at FIFA World Cups.[8][9]

Player Goals Year
Milenko Ačimovič12002
Sebastjan Cimirotič12002
Valter Birsa12010
Robert Koren12010
Zlatan Ljubijankić12010

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Slovenia send Zahovic home". BBC Sport. 6 June 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "S Africa send Slovenia home". BBC Sport. 8 June 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  3. ↑ "Paraguay snatch vital win". BBC Sport. 12 June 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "Little Slovenia thinking big". FIFA. 17 June 2010. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  5. ↑ Viškovič, Rok (18 November 2019). "Večer v Mariboru, ko je Zlatko postal zlatko" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "World Cup 2010: Slovenia boss respects England quality". BBC Sport. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  7. ↑ Plestenjak, Rok (13 June 2018). "SP 2010: Matjaž Kek potožil: Naj gre vse skupaj k vragu" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  8. 1 2 "2002 Slovenia Men Stats, FIFA World Cup". FBref.com. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  9. 1 2 "2010 Slovenia Men Stats, FIFA World Cup". FBref.com. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.