Slovenia at the FIFA World Cup

Slovenia have appeared in the finals of the FIFA World Cup on two occasions in 2002 and 2010. Prior to 1991 the country was part of Yugoslavia; see Yugoslavian national football team for records up to this point.

World Cup record

Year Round Position GP W D L GS GA
1930 to 1994Did not enter-------
France 1998Did not qualify-------
South KoreaJapan 2002Round 130300327
Germany 2006Did not qualify-------
South Africa 2010Round 118311133
Brazil 2014Did not qualify-------
Total2/206114510

Slovenia at Japan/South Korea 2002

Slovenia qualified for their first World Cup in 2002 under the management of Srecko Katenec, but suffered a 3-1 defeat to Spain in their opening game. Katenec's decision to substitute midfielder Zlatko Zahovic led to an argument which saw Zahovic sent home from the tournament at Katenec announce 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

2002-06-02
18:00
Spain  3 – 1  Slovenia
Raúl  44'
Valerón  74'
Hierro  87' (pen.) 		(Report) Cimirotič  82'
Gwangju World Cup Stadium, Gwangju
Attendance: 28,598
Referee: Mohammed Guezzaz (Morocco)

2002-06-08
21:00
South Africa  1 – 0  Slovenia
Nomvethe  4' (Report)
Daegu World Cup Stadium, Daegu
Attendance: 47,226
Referee: Ángel Sánchez (Argentina)

2002-06-12
20:30
Slovenia  1 – 3  Paraguay
Ačimovič  45+1' (Report) Cuevas  65'  84'
Campos  73'
Jeju World Cup Stadium, Seogwipo
Attendance: 30,176
Referee: Felipe Ramos Rizo (Mexico)

Slovenia at South Africa 2010

Slovenia were the smallest country to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Under the management of Matjaz Kek, the side qualified for the tournament by winning a two-legged playoff against Russia despite having lost the first leg. Slovenia beat Algeria 1-0 in their opening game, and drew 2-2 with the USA having led 2-0. This meant that the side only needed to draw their final group game against England to reach the second round of the tournament.[4] However, a 1-0 defeat to England, combined with a USA victory over Algeria, saw the side finish third in the group and fail to progress.[5]

Group C

Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 United States 3 1 2 0 4 3 +15
 England 3 1 2 0 2 1 +15
 Slovenia 3 1 1 1 3 3 04
 Algeria 3 0 1 2 0 2 −21

13 June 2010
13:30
Algeria  0 – 1  Slovenia
Report Koren  79'
Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
Attendance: 30,325
Referee: Carlos Batres (Guatemala)[6]

18 June 2010
16:00
Slovenia  2 – 2  United States
Birsa  13'
Ljubijankič  42' 		Report Donovan  48'
Bradley  82'
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
Attendance: 45,573
Referee: Koman Coulibaly (Mali)[7]

23 June 2010
16:00
Slovenia  0 – 1  England
Report Defoe  23'

References

  1. ↑ BBC Sport | World Cup | Slovenia send Zahovic home
  2. ↑ BBC Sport | World Cup | South Africa send Slovenia home
  3. ↑ BBC Sport | World Cup | Paraguay snatch vital win
  4. ↑ BBC Sport - Football - World Cup 2010: Slovenia boss respects England quality
  5. ↑ Slovenia 0-1 England | World Cup 2010 Match Report | Football | The Guardian
  6. ↑ "Algeria-Slovenia gets substitute ref". ESPNsoccernet.com. Associated Press. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  7. ↑ "Referee designations for matches 17-24" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.