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Slovakia national football team

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Slovakia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Sokoli (The Falcons)[1]
Repre (The Representatives)[2]
AssociationSlovenský futbalový zväz (SFZ)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachFrancesco Calzona
CaptainMilan Škriniar
Most capsMarek Hamšík (138)
Top scorerMarek Hamšík (26)
Home stadiumTehelné pole
Štadión Antona Malatinského
Košická futbalová aréna
FIFA codeSVK
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 41 Increase 1 (24 October 2024)[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
Appearances9 (first in 1934 as Czechoslovakia
2010 as Slovakia)
Best resultAs Czechoslovakia: Runners-up (1934, 1962)
As Slovakia: Round of 16 (2010)
European Championship
Appearances6 (first in 1960 as Czechoslovakia
2016 as Slovakia)
Best resultAs Czechoslovakia: Champions (1976)
As Slovakia: Round of 16 (2016, 2024)

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. Historically, up to the split in 1993, the team participated mostly as Czechoslovakia,[5][6][7][8][9] while it also competed as Slovakia during World War II.

Since 1993, Slovakia has qualified for four major international tournaments, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016, UEFA Euro 2020 and UEFA Euro 2024. Slovakia qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 2010 after winning their qualifying group. 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 newly independent national team had 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. 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).

History

[edit]

Slovak Republic and Czechoslovakia

[edit]
The Slovakia national team in 1940

The first official match of the first Slovak Republic was played in Bratislava against Germany on 27 August 1939, and ended in a 2–0 victory for Slovakia. The Slovak team played a series of friendlies during the Second World War, all against Axis-aligned nations.[10]

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).[11]

1994–present: Slovakia

[edit]

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 first home match was a 4–1 victory 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 victories (7–0) have come against Liechtenstein in 2004, as well as 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, one of them against their Czech neighbors, helping the team reach their highest FIFA World Ranking to date, 17th.

2010 FIFA World Cup

[edit]
The Slovakia national team before the match against Italy at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Slovakia participated in the FIFA World Cup for the first time as an independent nation after finishing in first in Group 3 of 2010 World Cup qualification ahead of Slovenia, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, and Poland. On 14 October 2009, they clinched qualification with a 1–0 away win against Poland.[12][13][14][15] 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.[16] The result of this match meant that for the first time in World Cup history, both finalists from the previous tournament had been eliminated in the first round, champion Italy and runner-up France.[17][18][19][20][21]

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.[22] 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.

UEFA Euro 2012

[edit]

In the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying, Slovakia was drawn against Russia, the Republic of Ireland, Armenia, Macedonia and Andorra. The campaign in South Africa boosted team performance ahead of the qualifiers, which started in September with two 1–0 wins against Macedonia at Štadión Pasienky and Russia away. However, in October, 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. 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 after the unsuccessful qualifying campaign with a victory in Bosnia and Herzegovina followed by two defeats to Bosnia and Greece.[23]

UEFA Euro 2016

[edit]
A celebration of Slovak players after the match against Russia at UEFA EURO 2016

In the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, 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.[24] 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. Slovakia finished qualification by defeating Luxembourg 4–2 and got the second place, qualifying to their fourth European Championship, first as an independent nation.[25][26][27]

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,[28] then drew 0–0 against England to advance to the round of 16 as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.[29][30][31][32] They were eliminated at this stage by world champions Germany with a 3–0 defeat.[33]

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

[edit]

During the qualification campaign for the 2018 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,[34][35] but they missed out on a play-off place as the other second teams' results went against them, meaning Slovakia finished as the worst group runners-up.[36][37]

UEFA Euro 2020

[edit]

Slovakia struggled to qualify for Euro 2020, only reaching the tournament after a difficult away victory over Northern Ireland. Being drawn with Spain, Sweden and Poland in group E, Slovakia beat Poland 2–1. However, Slovakia subsequently lost to Sweden 0–1 before getting thrashed by Spain 5–0, thus finishing third with the worst goal difference due to scoring own goals as a result of their performance. Slovakia was eliminated in the group stage for the first time ever.

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

[edit]

The country finished third in 2022 World Cup qualifying behind Croatia and Russia, the latter of which would be banned from the final tournament due to the country's invasion of Ukraine. Despite the third-place finish in the group, the team dropped points to footballing minnows Cyprus and Malta.

UEFA Euro 2024

[edit]

After a series of disappointing results, former Napoli coach Francesco Calzona was appointed as the manager.

Slovakia's poor form meant they were placed as low as the fifth pot for the qualifying phase of the tournament, the worst position the country has ever been in and realistically must qualify directly for UEFA Euro 2024.[38] Slovakia was drawn into a group with Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein. After a poor 0–0 draw in the first match against Luxembourg, the team won seven and lost two matches in total, both being narrow losses against Portugal (0–1 at home and 3–2 away). As a result, Slovakia qualified automatically for Euro 2024 by finishing second in their qualifying group.[39][40][41]

The team was drawn in Group E of Euro 2024, together with Belgium, Ukraine, and Romania. In Frankfurt on 17 June, Slovakia produced one of the biggest shocks in the history of the tournament by beating Belgium 1–0.[42][43]

Slovakia eventually progressed to the knockout stage of the tournament. In the round of 16, they faced eventual Runner-up England and lost 2-1 in extra time. Slovakia's Ivan Schranz became the joint-UEFA European Football Championship Top Goalscorer of Euro 2024.[44]

Stadium

[edit]

The Slovakia national football team plays its home matches at the Tehelné pole in Bratislava and the Štadión Antona Malatinského in Trnava.[45] Štadión pod Dubňom in Žilina was used from 2003 to 2015, but cannot be used because of artificial grass installation in 2016. In the past, home games have occasionally been played at other venues including Všešportový areál and Štadión Lokomotívy in Košice, Štadión pod Zoborom in Nitra, Mestský štadión in Dubnica nad Váhom, and Tatran Stadion in Prešov.

Stadia which have hosted Slovakia international football matches:

Slovakia national football team home stadiums
Nr. of
matches
Stadium Capacity Location First match Last match
62 Tehelné pole 22,500 Bratislava v.  Germany (2–0)
27 August 1939
v.  Sweden (2–2)
11 October 2024
37 Štadión Antona Malatinského 19,200 Trnava v.  Bulgaria (0–0)
24 April 1996
v.  Wales (4–0)
9 June 2024
21 Štadión pod Dubňom 11,258 Žilina v.  Greece (2–2)
30 April 2003
v.  Iceland (3–1)
17 November 2015
9 Pasienky 11,591 Bratislava v.  Israel (1–0)
18 August 1999
v.  Greece (0–1)
16 October 2012
4 Všešportový areál 30,312 Košice v.  Russia (2–1)
8 March 1995
v.  Romania (0–2)
15 November 1995
2 Štadión pod Zoborom 7,480 Nitra v.  Belarus (4–0)
27 March 1996
v.  Saudi Arabia (1–1)
24 May 2000
Štadión Lokomotívy 9,000 Košice v.  Finland (0–0)
19 August 1998
v.  Azerbaijan (3–0)
5 September 1998
Mestský štadión 5,450 Dubnica nad Váhom v.  Liechtenstein (2–0)
8 September 1999
v.  San Marino (7–0)
13 October 2007
1 MOL Aréna 12,700 Dunajská Streda v.  Lithuania (2–2)
30 March 1993
Futbalový štadión Prievidza 9,000 Prievidza v.  Slovenia (2–0)
16 November 1993
Štadión na Sihoti 6,366 Trenčín v.  Moldova (4–2)
5 September 2001
Štadión Tatranu 5,410 Prešov v.  Uzbekistan (4–1)
14 May 2002
ViOn Aréna 4,008 Zlaté Moravce v.  Iceland (1–2)
26 March 2008
NTC Senec 3,264 Senec v.  Montenegro (2–0)
23 May 2014
Košická futbalová aréna 12,555 Košice v.  Azerbaijan (2–0)
8 Sep 2024

Team image

[edit]

Nickname

[edit]

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. The national team was given the nickname Slovenskí sokoli (Slovak Falcons). The U15 to U21 national teams were given the nickname Slovenskí sokolíci (Slovak Little Falcons). Despite a lack of immediate identification with the nickname by the fans, it went into usage during the tournament and the subsequent qualification for the 2018 World Cup and is now often used, especially in the media, along with Repre, which still remains to be preferred in an informal conversation.[46]

Kit

[edit]
Slovakia kits from 1939 to 1945 era

Slovakia's home kit since 1993 is blue, but Slovakia changed their home kit from blue to white, which lasted for 25 years 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 2016–2024
Italy Macron 2024–

Results and fixtures

[edit]

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

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

[edit]
19 November 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Bosnia and Herzegovina  1–2  Slovakia Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
20:45
Report
Stadium: Bilino Polje
Attendance: 3,800
Referee: Julian Weinberger (Austria)

2024

[edit]
23 March 2024 Friendly Slovakia  0–2  Austria Bratislava, Slovakia
18:00 Report Stadium: Tehelné Pole
Referee: Trustin Farrugia Cann (Malta)
26 March 2024 Friendly Norway  1–1  Slovakia Oslo, Norway
19:00 Report
Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion
Attendance: 9,099
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili (Georgia)
5 June 2024 Friendly Slovakia  4–0  San Marino Wiener Neustadt, Austria
18:00
Report Stadium: Wiener Neustadt Arena
Attendance: 452
Referee: Julian Weinberger (Austria)
9 June 2024 Friendly Slovakia  4–0  Wales Trnava, Slovakia
20:45
Report Stadium: Štadión Antona Malatinského
Attendance: 6,348
Referee: Daniel Stefański (Poland)
17 June 2024 UEFA Euro 2024 Group E Belgium  0–1  Slovakia Frankfurt, Germany
18:00 Report Stadium: Waldstadion
Attendance: 45,181
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (Turkey)
21 June 2024 UEFA Euro 2024 Group E Slovakia  1–2  Ukraine Düsseldorf, Germany
15:00
Report Stadium: Merkur Spiel-Arena
Attendance: 43,910
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
26 June 2024 UEFA Euro 2024 Group E Slovakia  1–1  Romania Frankfurt, Germany
18:00
Report
Stadium: Waldstadion
Attendance: 45,033
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)
30 June 2024 UEFA Euro 2024 Round of 16 England  2–1 (a.e.t.)  Slovakia Gelsenkirchen, Germany
18:00 CEST (UTC+2)
Report
Stadium: Arena AufSchalke
Attendance: 47,244
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (Turkey)
5 September 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League Estonia  0–1  Slovakia Tallinn, Estonia
21:45 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Lilleküla Stadium
Attendance: 6,128
Referee: Matej Jug (Slovenia)
8 September 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League Slovakia  2–0  Azerbaijan Košice, Slovakia
18:00 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Košická futbalová aréna
Attendance: 11,435
Referee: Damian Sylwestrzak (Poland)
11 October 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League Slovakia  2–2  Sweden Bratislava, Slovakia
20:45 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Tehelné pole
Attendance: 15,381
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
14 October 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League Azerbaijan  1–3  Slovakia Baku, Azerbaijan
20:00 UTC+4 Report
Stadium: Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium
Attendance: 4,269
Referee: Rohit Saggi (Norway)

Coaching staff

[edit]
As of 9 June 2024[47]
Position Name
Head coach Francesco Calzona
Assistant coaches Simone Bonomi
Gianluca Segarelli
Marek Hamšík
Goalkeeping coach Ján Novota
Team manager Marek Hamšík
Technical director Giovanni Paolo de Matteis
Fitness coaches Alessandro Bulfoni
Dávid Brünn
Translator Pavol Farkaš
Doctors Jozef Almási
Zsolt Fegyveres
Masseur Mário Prelovský
Physiotherapists Marián Drinka
Peter Hečko
Martin Nozdrovický
Video analyst Marco Brini
Custodians Ján Beniak
Marek Košáň

Coaching history

[edit]

1939–1944

Name Period Pld W D L GF GA GD PG
Slovak Republic (1939–1945) Vojtech Závodský 1939 1 1 0 0 2 0 +1 3.00
Slovak Republic (1939–1945) Rudolf Hanák 1939–1940 2 1 0 1 5 4 +1 1.50
Slovak Republic (1939–1945) Štefan Priboj 1940–1941 4 0 1 3 5 10 −5 0.08
Slovak Republic (1939–1945) Štefan Čambal 1941–1942 2 0 0 2 1 6 −5 0.00
Slovak Republic (1939–1945) Ferdinand Daučík 1942–1944 7 1 1 5 10 24 −14 0.19
Total 16 3 2 11 23 44 −21 0.69

1993–present

Name Period Pld W D L GF GA GD PG
Slovakia Jozef Vengloš 6 April 1993 – 15 June 1995 16 5 4 7 21 30 −9 1.19
Slovakia Jozef Jankech 4 July 1995 – 23 October 1998 34 18 6 10 51 33 +18 1.76
Slovakia Dušan Radolský[note 1] 10 November 1998 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 0.00
Slovakia Dušan Galis 1 January 1999 – 23 February 1999 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Slovakia Jozef Adamec 26 February 1999 – 30 November 2001 34 13 11 10 38 31 +7 1.47
Slovakia Anton Dragúň[note 2] 17 November 1999 – 25 November 2001 4 1 0 3 2 7 −5 0.25
Slovakia Stanislav Griga[note 3] 21 June 2001 – 25 June 2001 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 1.00
Slovakia Ladislav Jurkemik 1 February 2002 – 31 December 2003 19 6 5 8 27 26 +1 1.21
Slovakia Dušan Galis 1 January 2004 – 12 October 2006 31 12 12 7 53 36 +17 1.55
Slovakia Ján Kocian 2 November 2006 – 30 June 2008 17 3 5 9 30 28 +2 0.82
Slovakia Vladimír Weiss 7 July 2008 – 31 January 2012 40 16 8 16 56 53 +3 1.40
Slovakia Michal Hipp[note 4] 1 January 2012 – 29 February 2012 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 3.00
Slovakia Stanislav Griga
Slovakia Michal Hipp
26 April 2012 – 13 June 2013 12 3 4 5 11 14 −3 0.92
Slovakia Ján Kozák 2 July 2013 – 14 October 2018 56 29 10 17 81 57 +24 1.73
Slovakia Štefan Tarkovič[note 5] 15 October 2018 – 21 October 2018 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1.00
Czech Republic Pavel Hapal 22 October 2018 – 16 October 2020 16 6 4 6 25 20 +5 1.38
Slovakia Oto Brunegraf[note 6] 14 October 2020 1 0 0 1 2 3 −1 0.00
Slovakia Štefan Tarkovič 20 October 2020 – 7 June 2022 22 8 7 7 26 24 +2 1.41
Slovakia Samuel Slovák[note 7] 8 June 2022 – 13 June 2022 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 1.50
Italy Francesco Calzona 30 August 2022 – ongoing 24 12 6 6 37 21 +16 1.75
Total 334 135 83 116 468 391 +77 1.46

Players

[edit]

Current squad

[edit]

The following players were called up for 2024–25 UEFA Nations League fixtures against Sweden and Azerbaijan on 11 and 14 October 2024, respectively.[48]

Caps and goals updated as of 14 October 2024, after the match against Azerbaijan.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Marek Rodák (1996-12-13) 13 December 1996 (age 27) 23 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ettifaq
1GK Henrich Ravas (1997-08-16) 16 August 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Poland Cracovia
1GK Dominik Takáč (1999-01-21) 21 January 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava

2DF Peter Pekarík (1986-10-30) 30 October 1986 (age 38) 134 2 Slovakia Žilina
2DF Milan Škriniar (captain) (1995-02-11) 11 February 1995 (age 29) 76 3 France Paris Saint-Germain
2DF Dávid Hancko (1997-12-13) 13 December 1997 (age 26) 46 4 Netherlands Feyenoord
2DF Norbert Gyömbér (1992-07-03) 3 July 1992 (age 32) 44 0 Saudi Arabia Al-Kholood
2DF Ľubomír Šatka (1995-12-02) 2 December 1995 (age 28) 34 1 Turkey Samsunspor
2DF Denis Vavro INJ (1996-04-10) 10 April 1996 (age 28) 26 2 Germany VfL Wolfsburg
2DF Adam Obert INJ (2002-08-23) 23 August 2002 (age 22) 9 0 Italy Cagliari
2DF Michal Tomič (1999-03-30) 30 March 1999 (age 25) 6 0 Norway Bodø/Glimt
2DF Samuel Kozlovský (1999-11-19) 19 November 1999 (age 24) 1 0 Poland Widzew Łódź
2DF Timotej Hranica (2005-05-28) 28 May 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Slovakia Žilina

3MF Ondrej Duda (1994-12-05) 5 December 1994 (age 29) 80 15 Italy Hellas Verona
3MF Stanislav Lobotka (1994-11-25) 25 November 1994 (age 29) 63 4 Italy Napoli
3MF Patrik Hrošovský (1992-04-22) 22 April 1992 (age 32) 56 0 Belgium Genk
3MF Matúš Bero INJ (1995-09-06) 6 September 1995 (age 29) 34 1 Germany VfL Bochum
3MF László Bénes (1997-09-09) 9 September 1997 (age 27) 28 2 Germany Union Berlin
3MF Christián Herc (1998-09-30) 30 September 1998 (age 26) 4 0 Slovakia DAC Dunajská Streda
3MF Tomáš Rigo (2002-07-03) 3 July 2002 (age 22) 3 1 Czech Republic Baník Ostrava

4FW Róbert Boženík (1999-11-18) 18 November 1999 (age 24) 47 7 Portugal Boavista
4FW Lukáš Haraslín (1996-05-26) 26 May 1996 (age 28) 44 7 Czech Republic Sparta Prague
4FW Tomáš Suslov (2002-06-07) 7 June 2002 (age 22) 36 4 Italy Hellas Verona
4FW David Strelec (2001-04-04) 4 April 2001 (age 23) 26 6 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava
4FW Dávid Ďuriš (1999-03-22) 22 March 1999 (age 25) 17 2 Slovakia Žilina
4FW Ľubomír Tupta (1998-03-27) 27 March 1998 (age 26) 10 0 Czech Republic Slovan Liberec
4FW Leo Sauer (2005-12-16) 16 December 2005 (age 18) 3 0 Netherlands NAC Breda

Recent call-ups

[edit]

The following players have also been called up to the Slovakia squad within the last twelve months:

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Martin Dúbravka INJ (1989-01-15) 15 January 1989 (age 35) 49 0 England Newcastle United v.  Azerbaijan, 8 September 2024
GK Ľubomír Belko (2002-02-04) 4 February 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Slovakia Žilina UEFA Euro 2024PRE

DF Vernon De Marco (1992-11-18) 18 November 1992 (age 31) 10 1 Cyprus Apollon Limassol UEFA Euro 2024
DF Sebastian Kóša (2003-09-13) 13 September 2003 (age 21) 1 0 Spain Real Zaragoza UEFA Euro 2024
DF Matúš Kmeť (2000-06-27) 27 June 2000 (age 24) 0 0 United States Minnesota United v.  San Marino, 9 June 2024
DF Marek Bartoš (1996-10-13) 13 October 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Poland Motor Lublin UEFA Euro 2024PRE
DF Patrik Leitner (2002-02-07) 7 February 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Slovakia Žilina UEFA Euro 2024PRE

MF Juraj Kucka INJ (1987-02-26) 26 February 1987 (age 37) 112 14 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava v.  Azerbaijan, 8 September 2024
MF Peter Pokorný (2001-08-08) 8 August 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Poland Śląsk Wrocław v.  Azerbaijan, 8 September 2024
MF Dominik Hollý (2003-11-11) 11 November 2003 (age 21) 1 0 Czech Republic Jablonec v.  San Marino, 9 June 2024
MF Jakub Kadák (2000-12-14) 14 December 2000 (age 23) 1 0 Switzerland Luzern v.  San Marino, 9 June 2024
MF Artur Gajdoš (2004-01-20) 20 January 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava UEFA Euro 2024PRE
MF Máté Szolgai (2003-07-27) 27 July 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Slovakia DAC Dunajská Streda UEFA Euro 2024PRE
MF Erik Jirka (1997-09-19) 19 September 1997 (age 27) 10 2 Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 19 November 2023

FW Ivan Schranz INJ (1993-09-13) 13 September 1993 (age 31) 26 6 Czech Republic Slavia Prague v.  Azerbaijan, 8 September 2024
FW Róbert Polievka (1996-06-09) 9 June 1996 (age 28) 10 0 Hungary MTK Budapest v.  San Marino, 9 June 2024
FW Róbert Mak (1991-03-08) 8 March 1991 (age 33) 81 16 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava v.  Norway, 26 March 2024

Notes
  • PRE Preliminary squad
  • INJ Withdrew/Unavailable due to an injury or an illness.
  • RET Retired or resigned from international football

Player records

[edit]
As of 14 October 2024[49]
Players in bold are still active with Slovakia.

Most appearances

[edit]
Marek Hamšík is Slovakia's top goalscorer and their most capped player.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Marek Hamšík 138 26 2007–2023
2 Peter Pekarík 134 2 2006–present
3 Juraj Kucka 112 14 2008–present
4 Miroslav Karhan 107 14 1995–2011
5 Martin Škrtel 104 6 2004–2019
6 Ján Ďurica 91 4 2004–2017
7 Róbert Vittek 82 23 2001–2016
8. Róbert Mak 81 16 2013–present
9. Ondrej Duda 80 15 2014–present
10. Vladimír Weiss Jr. 77 8 2009–2022

Top goalscorers

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Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1. Marek Hamšík 26 138 0.19 2007–2023
2. Róbert Vittek 23 82 0.28 2001–2016
3. Szilárd Németh 22 59 0.37 1996–2006
4. Róbert Mak 16 81 0.2 2013–present
5. Ondrej Duda 15 80 0.19 2014–present
6. Marek Mintál 14 45 0.31 2002–2009
Miroslav Karhan 14 107 0.13 1995–2011
Juraj Kucka 14 112 0.13 2008–present
9. Adam Nemec 13 43 0.3 2006–2019
Stanislav Šesták 13 66 0.2 2004–2016

Competitive record

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FIFA World Cup

[edit]
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
as  Czechoslovakia as  Czechoslovakia
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter Declined invitation
Italy 1934 Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 9 6 Squad 1 1 0 0 2 1 1934
France 1938 Quarter-finals 5th 3 1 1 1 5 3 Squad 2 1 1 0 7 1 1938
Brazil 1950 Did not enter Did not enter
Switzerland 1954 Group stage 14th 2 0 0 2 0 7 Squad 4 3 1 0 5 1 1954
Sweden 1958 Group stage 9th 4 1 1 2 9 6 Squad 4 3 0 1 9 3 1958
Chile 1962 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 1 2 7 7 Squad 5 4 0 1 20 7 1962
England 1966 Did not qualify 6 3 1 2 12 4 1966
Mexico 1970 Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 2 7 Squad 7 5 1 1 16 7 1970
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 9 3 1974
Argentina 1978 4 2 0 2 4 6 1978
Spain 1982 Group stage 19th 3 0 2 1 2 4 Squad 8 4 2 2 15 6 1982
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 8 3 2 3 11 12 1986
Italy 1990 Quarter-finals 6th 5 3 0 2 10 5 Squad 8 5 2 1 13 3 1990
United States 1994 Did not qualify 10 4 5 1 21 9 1994
as  Slovakia as  Slovakia
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 3rd 10 3 5 2 17 10
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Runner-up 9/22 34 12 6 16 49 52 145 75 35 35 271 137

UEFA European Championship

[edit]
UEFA European Championship record Qualifying record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
as  Czechoslovakia as  Czechoslovakia
France 1960 Third place 3rd 2 1 0 1 2 3 Squad 6 4 1 1 16 5 1960
Spain 1964 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 3 1964
Italy 1968 6 3 1 2 8 4 1968
Belgium 1972 6 4 1 1 11 4 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 5 3 Squad 8 5 2 1 19 7 1976
Italy 1980 Third place 3rd 4 1 2 1 5 4 Squad 6 5 0 1 17 4 1980
France 1984 Did not qualify 8 3 4 1 15 7 1984
West Germany 1988 6 2 3 1 7 5 1988
Sweden 1992 8 5 0 3 12 9 1992
as  Slovakia as  Slovakia
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 Round of 16 12th 4 1 1 2 4 5 Squad 2nd 10 7 1 2 17 8
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032
Total 1 Title 6/17 19 6 5 8 21 28 136 71 26 39 233 145

UEFA Nations League

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UEFA Nations League record
Season Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R Rank
2018–19 B 1 4 1 0 3 5 5 Steady 21st
2020–21 B 2 6 1 1 4 5 10 Decrease 30th
2022–23 C 3 6 2 1 3 5 6 Steady 43rd
2024–25 C 1 4 3 1 0 8 3 To be determined
Total 20 7 3 10 23 24 21st

Head-to-head record

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The following table shows Slovakia's all-time international record, correct as of 14 October 2024 after a match against Azerbaijan.
Records with defunct teams are marked in italics.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Opponents Pld W D L GF GA GD
 Algeria 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Andorra 2 2 0 0 2 0 +2
 Argentina 1 0 0 1 0 6 −6
 Armenia 2 0 0 2 1 7 −6
 Australia 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Austria 6 1 3 2 3 6 −3
 Azerbaijan 12 10 0 2 26 8 +18
 Bahrain 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
 Belarus 5 3 1 1 9 3 +6
 Belgium 4 1 2 1 4 4 0
 Bolivia 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 3 0 3 8 7 +1
 Brazil 1 0 0 1 0 5 −5
 Bulgaria 8 4 2 2 11 6 +5
 Cameroon 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Chile 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1
 China 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1
 Colombia 3 0 1 2 0 2 −2
 Costa Rica 3 1 1 1 5 6 −1
 Croatia 17 2 4 11 20 43 −23
 Cyprus 6 4 1 1 16 6 +10
 Czech Republic 14 3 2 9 12 29 −17
 Denmark 3 2 0 1 7 3 +4
 Egypt 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1
 England 7 0 1 6 4 13 −9
 Estonia 3 3 0 0 4 1 +3
 Faroe Islands 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4
 Finland 4 3 1 0 6 1 +5
 France 4 1 1 2 2 6 −4
 Georgia 2 1 0 1 3 3 0
 Germany 11 3 0 8 12 25 −13
 Gibraltar 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Greece 5 1 1 3 4 6 −2
 Guatemala 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
 Hungary 6 4 2 0 7 2 +5
 Iceland 7 5 1 1 16 9 +7
 Iran 2 1 0 1 6 6 0
 Republic of Ireland 6 0 5 1 5 6 −1
 Israel 6 3 2 1 10 7 +3
 Italy 2 1 0 1 3 5 −2
 Japan 3 0 1 2 2 5 −3
 Jordan 1 1 0 0 5 1 +4
 Kazakhstan 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2
 Kuwait 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2
 Latvia 6 3 3 0 12 6 +6
 Lebanon 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1
 Liechtenstein 11 9 2 0 30 1 +29
 Lithuania 6 3 3 0 11 5 +6
 Luxembourg 7 5 1 1 16 5 +11
 Malaysia 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2
 Malta 10 8 2 0 29 5 +24
 Mexico 1 0 0 1 2 5 −3
 Moldova 3 2 0 1 5 4 +1
 Montenegro 2 1 1 0 4 2 +2
 Morocco 2 0 0 2 2 4 −2
 Netherlands 3 0 1 2 2 5 −3
 New Zealand 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Northern Ireland 5 3 1 1 6 3 +3
 North Macedonia 8 6 2 0 16 3 +13
 Norway 5 1 1 3 2 6 −4
 Paraguay 2 0 1 1 1 3 −2
 Peru 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2
 Poland 9 5 1 3 14 14 0
 Portugal 6 0 1 5 3 11 −8
 Romania 12 1 6 5 13 21 −8
 Russia 11 4 3 4 10 10 0
 San Marino 5 5 0 0 26 1 +25
 Saudi Arabia 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Scotland 4 2 0 2 4 2 +2
 Serbia and Montenegro[a] 3 0 1 3 1 5 −4
 Slovenia 9 2 4 3 8 9 −1
 South Korea 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Spain 7 1 1 5 6 20 −14
 Sweden 8 0 4 4 4 14 −10
  Switzerland 3 2 0 1 4 4 0
 Thailand 2 1 1 0 4 3 +1
 Turkey 6 1 1 4 3 8 −5
 Uganda 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2
 Ukraine 9 2 3 4 11 11 0
 United Arab Emirates 3 3 0 0 5 2 +3
 United States 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
 Uzbekistan 1 1 0 0 4 1 +3
 Wales 6 2 1 3 13 10 +3
Total 365 146 85 134 512 465 +47
  1. ^ Includes matches against  FR Yugoslavia.

Honours

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Major competitions

[edit]

Friendly

[edit]

Awards

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Managed the team against Poland at 10 November 1998 on a caretaker basis
  2. ^ As assistant coach, Dragúň managed the team during the tour of Central and South America
  3. ^ Led the team during 2001 Merdeka Tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  4. ^ Managed the team against Turkey on 29 February 2012 on a caretaker basis
  5. ^ Managed the team against Sweden on 16 October 2018 on caretaker basis
  6. ^ Managed the team against Israel on 14 October 2020 on caretaker basis
  7. ^ Managed the team on caretaker basis on 10 and 13 June 2022 against Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan
  8. ^ Both the Czech Republic and Slovakia inherited Czechoslovakia's 1976 title.[50]

References

[edit]
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[edit]