Slovenia at the FIFA World Cup

Overview of Slovenia at the FIFA World Cup

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

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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

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Year  | Round  | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad  | Pos. | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA
1930 to 1990 | Part of  Yugoslavia | Part of  Yugoslavia
1994 | Did not enter | Did not enter
1998 | Did not qualify | 5th | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 20
2002 | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Squad | 2nd (PO) | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 11
2006 | Did not qualify | 4th | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 13
2010 | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | Squad | 2nd (PO) | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 6
2014 | Did not qualify | 3rd | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 11
2018 | 4th | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 7
2022 | 4th | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 12
2026 | To be determined | To be determined
2030
2034
Total  | Group stage | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10  | —  | 2/7 | 72 | 29 | 17 | 26 | 94 | 80

## 2002 FIFA World Cup

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Slovenia squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup

* 1 Simeunovič
* 2 Sankovič
* 3 Milinovič
* 4 Vugdalić
* 5 Galič
* 6 Knavs
* 7 Novak
* 8 A. Čeh (c)
* 9 Osterc
* 10 Zahovič
* 11 Pavlin
* 12 Dabanovič
* 13 Rudonja
* 14 Gajser
* 15 Tavčar
* 16 Tiganj
* 17 Pavlović
* 18 Ačimovič
* 19 Karič
* 20 N. Čeh
* 21 Cimirotič
* 22 Nemec
* 23 Bulajič
* Coach: Katanec

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

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Pos | Team

* v
* t
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| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

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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: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

2 June 2002

20:30

Spain | 3–1|  Slovenia

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Raúl 44'
Valerón 74'
Hierro 87' (pen.) | Report | Cimirotič 82'

Gwangju World Cup Stadium, Gwangju

Attendance: 28,598

Referee: Mohammed Guezzaz (Morocco)

* * *

8 June 2002

15:30

South Africa | 1–0|  Slovenia

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Nomvethe 4' | Report |

Daegu World Cup Stadium, Daegu

Attendance: 47,226

Referee: Ángel Sánchez (Argentina)

* * *

12 June 2002

20:30

Slovenia | 1–3|  Paraguay

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Ačimovič 45+1' | Report | Cuevas 65', 84'
Campos 73'

Jeju World Cup Stadium, Seogwipo

Attendance: 30,176

Referee: Felipe Ramos Rizo (Mexico)

## 2010 FIFA World Cup

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Slovenia squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup

* 1 S. Handanović
* 2 Brečko
* 3 Džinić
* 4 Šuler
* 5 Cesar
* 6 Ilić
* 7 Pečnik
* 8 Koren (c)
* 9 Ljubijankić
* 10 Birsa
* 11 Novakovič
* 12 J. Handanović
* 13 Jokić
* 14 Dedić
* 15 Krhin
* 16 Šeliga
* 17 Kirm
* 18 Radosavljević
* 19 Fileković
* 20 Komac
* 21 Stevanović
* 22 Mavrič
* 23 Matavž
* Coach: Kek

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 play-off 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

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Pos | Team

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| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

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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

13 June 2010

13:30

Algeria | 0–1|  Slovenia

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| Report | Koren 78'

Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane

Attendance: 30,325

Referee: Carlos Batres (Guatemala)

* * *

18 June 2010

16:00

Slovenia | 2–2|  United States

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Birsa 12'
Ljubijankić 41' | Report | Donovan 47'
Bradley 81'

Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

Attendance: 45,573

Referee: Koman Coulibaly (Mali)

* * *

23 June 2010

16:00

Slovenia | 0–1|  England

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| Report | Defoe 22'

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

Attendance: 36,893

Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

## Player records

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### Most appearances

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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

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Milenko Ačimovič | 3 | 2002
Aleš Čeh | 3 | 2002
Sebastjan Cimirotič | 3 | 2002
Amir Karić | 3 | 2002
Željko Milinovič | 3 | 2002
Džoni Novak | 3 | 2002
Milan Osterc | 3 | 2002
Miran Pavlin | 3 | 2002
Mladen Rudonja | 3 | 2002
Valter Birsa | 3 | 2010
Mišo Brečko | 3 | 2010
Boštjan Cesar | 3 | 2010
Zlatko Dedić | 3 | 2010
Samir Handanović | 3 | 2010
Bojan Jokić | 3 | 2010
Andraž Kirm | 3 | 2010
Robert Koren | 3 | 2010
Zlatan Ljubijankić | 3 | 2010
Milivoje Novaković | 3 | 2010
Aleksandar Radosavljević | 3 | 2010
Marko Šuler | 3 | 2010

### Goalscorers

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

Player  | Goals  | Year

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Milenko Ačimovič | 1 | 2002
Sebastjan Cimirotič | 1 | 2002
Valter Birsa | 1 | 2010
Robert Koren | 1 | 2010
Zlatan Ljubijankić | 1 | 2010

## See also

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* Slovenia at the UEFA European Championship

## References

[edit]

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. ^ a b "2002 Slovenia Men Stats, FIFA World Cup". FBref.com. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
9. ^ a b "2010 Slovenia Men Stats, FIFA World Cup". FBref.com. Retrieved 29 November 2022.

* v
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Slovenia national football team

General|

* Football Association of Slovenia
* History
* Results
* 1992–2019
* 2020–present
* Unofficial matches
* Managers
* Players

Venues|

| 10+ matches|

* Bežigrad Stadium
* Ljudski vrt
* Stadion Z'dežele
* Stožice Stadium

|

1–9 matches|

* Bonifika Stadium
* Domžale Sports Park
* Fazanerija City Stadium
* Nova Gorica Sports Park
* Stanko Mlakar Stadium
* ŽŠD Stadium

World Cups|

* Summary
* 2002
* 2010

European Championships|

* Summary
* 2000
* 2024

Other tournaments|

* Malta International Tournament
* 1994
* 1996
* Cyprus International Football Tournament
* 1998
* 2006
* Oman International Tournament
* 1999
* 2000
* Lunar New Year Cup
* 2002
* Nations League

Other teams|

* Men
* Slovenia B
* Under-17
* Under-19
* Under-21
* Futsal
* Women

* v
* t
* e

Countries at the FIFA World Cup

* Team appearances
* All-time table

AFC|

* Australia1
* China
* Indonesia2
* Iran
* Iraq
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kuwait
* North Korea
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* South Korea
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan

CAF|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Cameroon
* DR Congo2
* Egypt
* Ghana
* Ivory Coast
* Morocco
* Nigeria
* Senegal
* South Africa
* Togo
* Tunisia

CONCACAF|

* Canada
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* El Salvador
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Panama
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States

CONMEBOL|

* Argentina
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Chile
* Colombia
* Ecuador
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Uruguay

OFC|

* New Zealand

UEFA|

* Austria
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Czech Republic2
* Denmark
* East Germany3
* England
* France
* Germany2
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Israel1
* Italy
* Netherlands
* Northern Ireland
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Republic of Ireland
* Romania
* Russia2
* Scotland
* Serbia2
* Slovakia2
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* Wales

1 Have been member of multiple confederations. 2 Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under another name(s). 3 Team and national federation no longer exist.
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Pos]: Position
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points