Slovakia national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Slovakia

Nickname(s)	Sokoli (The Falcons) Repre (The Representatives)
Association	Slovak Football Association (SFZ)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Francesco Calzona
Captain	Milan Škriniar
Most caps	Marek Hamšík (138)
Top scorer	Marek Hamšík (26)
Home stadium	Tehelné pole Štadión Antona Malatinského Košická futbalová aréna
FIFA code	SVK
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	29 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest	14 (August 2015)
Lowest	150 (December 1993)
Elo ranking
Current	36 8 (3 March 2019)
Highest	14 (August 1939)
Lowest	67 (October 2011)
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
Appearances	9 (first in 1934 as Czechoslovakia 2010 as Slovakia)
Best result	As Czechoslovakia: Runners-up (1934, 1962) As Slovakia: Round of 16 (2010)
European Championship
Appearances	6 (first in 1960 as Czechoslovakia 2016 as Slovakia)
Best result	As Czechoslovakia: Champions (1976) As Slovakia: Round of 16 (2016, 2024)
Medal record FIFA World Cup Silver 1934 Italy Team Silver 1962 Chile Team UEFA European Championship Gold 1976 Yugoslavia Team Bronze 1960 France Team Bronze 1980 Italy Team Olympic Games Gold 1980 Moscow Team Silver 1964 Tokyo Team

The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in international men's football games. It is managed by the Slovak Football Association (SFZ). Since 2019, their main home stadium is the Tehelné pole in Bratislava.

Before 1993, when Czechoslovakia split, Slovak players were part of the Czechoslovakia team. They also played as Slovakia during Second World War.

Since becoming independent in 1993, Slovakia has played in four big international tournaments. These include the 2010 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016, UEFA Euro 2020, and UEFA Euro 2024. In the 2010 World Cup, they won their qualifying group and even beat Italy 3–2 in the group stage. They made it to the knockout stage before losing to the Netherlands. This was the first time the new Slovak team played in a major football event.

History of Slovak Football

Early Years and Czechoslovakia

The Slovakia national team in 1940

The first official match for the first Slovak Republic was on August 27, 1939. They played against Germany in Bratislava and won 2–0. During the Second World War, Slovakia played friendly matches against countries that were allied with them.

After the war, the Slovak team joined the Czechoslovakia team. For over 50 years, Slovakia did not play as an independent country. Many Slovak players were very important for the Czechoslovak team. For example, most of the players who won the UEFA Euro 1976 were Slovak.

Slovakia Since 1994

Slovakia's first official international game after becoming independent again was on February 2, 1994. They won 1–0 against the United Arab Emirates in Dubai. Their first home game was a 4–1 win against Croatia in Bratislava on April 20, 1994.

Slovakia's biggest loss since independence was 6–0 against Argentina in 1995. Their biggest wins have been 7–0 against Liechtenstein in 2004, and twice against San Marino in 2007 and 2009.

Slovakia tried to qualify for a major championship for the first time in Euro 1996. They finished third in their group. In the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, they finished fourth. They won their first four games, including one against their neighbors, the Czech Republic. This helped them reach their highest FIFA World Ranking at the time, 17th.

2010 FIFA World Cup Journey

The Slovakia national team before playing Italy at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Slovakia played in the FIFA World Cup for the first time as an independent country in 2010. They won their qualifying group, beating teams like Slovenia and the Czech Republic. They secured their spot with a 1–0 win against Poland on October 14, 2009.

At the World Cup, Slovakia finished second in their group. They famously beat the reigning champions, Italy, 3–2. This exciting game had three goals scored after the 80th minute. This win sent Slovakia to the knockout stage and eliminated Italy. In the Round of 16, Slovakia played the Netherlands. They lost 2–1, with Róbert Vittek scoring a late penalty.

UEFA Euro 2012 and 2016

For the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying, Slovakia had a tough time. They started with two wins but then struggled, finishing fourth in their group. This meant they did not qualify for the tournament.

Things changed for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying. Slovakia started strong with a 1–0 win against Ukraine. They then had a surprising 2–1 victory over Spain. They finished second in their group and qualified for the European Championship for the first time as an independent nation.

A celebration of Slovak players after the match against Russia at UEFA Euro 2016

At UEFA Euro 2016, Slovakia was in Group B with England, Russia, and Wales. They lost their first game to Wales 2–1, but Ondrej Duda scored Slovakia's first ever goal in the European Championship. They then beat Russia 2–1 and drew 0–0 with England. This allowed them to move to the Round of 16. There, they lost 3–0 to Germany.

Recent Tournaments

Slovakia did not qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. They finished second in their group but were not among the best second-placed teams to get a play-off spot.

They qualified for UEFA Euro 2020 after beating Northern Ireland. In Group E, they beat Poland 2–1. However, they then lost to Sweden 1–0 and were heavily defeated by Spain 5–0. This meant they were eliminated in the group stage.

For the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, Slovakia finished third in their group. They dropped points against weaker teams like Cyprus and Malta.

UEFA Euro 2024 Success

After some difficult results, Francesco Calzona became the new coach on August 30, 2022. Slovakia was in a tough qualifying group for UEFA Euro 2024 with Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein.

After a draw in their first match, the team won seven games and lost only two, both to Portugal. This strong performance meant Slovakia automatically qualified for UEFA Euro 2024 by finishing second in their group.

At UEFA Euro 2024, Slovakia was in Group E with Belgium, Ukraine, and Romania. In a big surprise, Slovakia beat Belgium 1–0 on June 17. They made it to the knockout stage, where they faced England in the Round of 16. They lost 2-1 in extra time. Ivan Schranz was one of the top goalscorers of the tournament.

Home Stadiums

The Slovakia national football team plays its home games at the Tehelné pole in Bratislava and the Štadión Antona Malatinského in Trnava. The Štadión pod Dubňom in Žilina was used until 2015 but now has artificial grass. Other stadiums have also hosted games in the past.

Here are some of the stadiums where Slovakia has played home matches:

Slovakia national football team home stadiums
Nr. of matches	Stadium	Capacity	Location	First match	Last match
63	Tehelné pole	22,500	Bratislava	v.  Germany (2–0) 27 August 1939	v.  Slovenia (0–0) 20 March 2025
38	Štadión Antona Malatinského	19,200	Trnava	v.  Bulgaria (0–0) 24 April 1996	v.  Estonia (1–0) 19 November 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 Identity

Nicknames for the Team

The team is often called Repre, which is short for Reprezentácia (meaning national team). In 2016, the Slovak Football Association gave the team a new nickname: Slovenskí sokoli (which means Slovak Falcons). Younger teams (U15 to U21) are called Slovenskí sokolíci (Slovak Little Falcons). Even though fans didn't use it much at first, it's now often used, especially in the media.

Team Kits

Slovakia kits from 1939 to 1945 era

Since 1993, Slovakia's home kit has mostly been blue. For a while, from 2020, it changed to white. Players usually wear all white or all blue jerseys, shorts, and socks. Sometimes, they wear a blue jersey with white shorts. Puma made the kits from 2012 to 2016. Then Nike took over, as they had before from 1995 to 2005. In 2024, the Italian brand Macron became the new kit supplier.

Recent Match Results

Here are the results of Slovakia's matches in the last year, and upcoming games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

Matches in 2024

• September 5, 2024: Estonia 0–1 Slovakia (UEFA Nations League) - Win
• September 8, 2024: Slovakia 2–0 Azerbaijan (UEFA Nations League) - Win
• October 11, 2024: Slovakia 2–2 Sweden (UEFA Nations League) - Draw
• October 14, 2024: Azerbaijan 1–3 Slovakia (UEFA Nations League) - Win
• November 16, 2024: Sweden 2–1 Slovakia (UEFA Nations League) - Loss
• November 19, 2024: Slovakia 1–0 Estonia (UEFA Nations League) - Win

Matches in 2025

• March 20, 2025: Slovakia 0–0 Slovenia (UEFA Nations League play-offs) - Draw
• March 23, 2025: Slovenia 1–0 Slovakia (UEFA Nations League play-offs) - Loss (after extra time)
• June 7, 2025: Greece 4–1 Slovakia (Friendly) - Loss
• June 10, 2025: Israel 1–0 Slovakia (Friendly) - Loss
• September 4, 2025: Slovakia vs. Germany (2026 FIFA World Cup qualification) - Upcoming
• September 7, 2025: Luxembourg vs. Slovakia (2026 FIFA World Cup qualification) - Upcoming
• October 10, 2025: Northern Ireland vs. Slovakia (2026 FIFA World Cup qualification) - Upcoming
• October 13, 2025: Slovakia vs. Luxembourg (2026 FIFA World Cup qualification) - Upcoming
• November 14, 2025: Slovakia vs. Northern Ireland (2026 FIFA World Cup qualification) - Upcoming
• November 17, 2025: Germany vs. Slovakia (2026 FIFA World Cup qualification) - Upcoming

Matches in 2026

• March 2026: Slovakia vs. Uzbekistan (Friendly) - Upcoming

Coaching Staff

The current coaching staff helps the team play its best.

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

Current Players

This is the list of players who were called up for friendly matches in June 2025.

Numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are updated as of June 10, 2025, after the match against Israel.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Martin Dúbravka	(1989-01-15) 15 January 1989 (age 36)	53	0	Newcastle United
12	1GK	Marek Rodák	(1996-12-13) 13 December 1996 (age 28)	25	0	Al-Ettifaq
21	1GK	Dominik Takáč	(1999-01-12) 12 January 1999 (age 26)	0	0	Slovan Bratislava
2	2DF	Peter Pekarík	(1986-10-30) 30 October 1986 (age 38)	135	2	Dynamo České Budějovice
3	2DF	Denis Vavro	(1996-04-10) 10 April 1996 (age 29)	30	2	VfL Wolfsburg
4	2DF	Samuel Kozlovský	(1999-11-19) 19 November 1999 (age 25)	1	0	Widzew Łódź
5	2DF	Ľubomír Šatka	(1995-12-02) 2 December 1995 (age 29)	36	1	Samsunspor
6	2DF	Norbert Gyömbér	(1992-07-03) 3 July 1992 (age 33)	49	0	Al-Kholood
14	2DF	Milan Škriniar	(1995-02-11) 11 February 1995 (age 30)	81	3	Fenerbahçe
16	2DF	Dávid Hancko	(1997-12-13) 13 December 1997 (age 27)	52	6	Feyenoord
18	2DF	Matúš Kmeť	(2000-06-27) 27 June 2000 (age 25)	1	0	Górnik Zabrze
22	2DF	David Hrnčár	(1997-12-10) 10 December 1997 (age 27)	1	0	Dender
24	2DF	Ivan Mesík	(2001-06-01) 1 June 2001 (age 24)	3	0	Heracles Almelo
8	3MF	Ondrej Duda	(1994-12-05) 5 December 1994 (age 30)	85	15	Hellas Verona
10	3MF	László Bénes	(1997-09-09) 9 September 1997 (age 27)	34	2	Union Berlin
13	3MF	Patrik Hrošovský	(1992-04-22) 22 April 1992 (age 33)	59	0	Genk
19	3MF	Tadeáš Hájovský	(2005-09-30) 30 September 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Trenčín
27	3MF	Matúš Bero	(1995-09-06) 6 September 1995 (age 29)	40	1	VfL Bochum
25	3MF	Adrian Fiala	(2005-05-02) 2 May 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Trenčín
23	3MF	Stanislav Lobotka	(1994-11-25) 25 November 1994 (age 30)	67	4	Napoli
7	4FW	Erik Prekop	(1997-10-08) 8 October 1997 (age 27)	1	0	Baník Ostrava
9	4FW	Róbert Boženík	(1999-11-18) 18 November 1999 (age 25)	51	7	Boavista
11	4FW	Ľubomír Tupta	(1998-03-27) 27 March 1998 (age 27)	14	0	AEL
15	4FW	David Strelec	(2001-04-04) 4 April 2001 (age 24)	30	7	Slovan Bratislava
17	4FW	Samuel Mráz	(1997-05-13) 13 May 1997 (age 28)	8	1	Motor Lublin
20	4FW	Dávid Ďuriš	(1999-03-22) 22 March 1999 (age 26)	21	2	Žilina
26	4FW	Ivan Schranz	(1993-09-13) 13 September 1993 (age 31)	32	6	Slavia Prague
28	4FW	Lukáš Haraslín	(1996-05-26) 26 May 1996 (age 29)	46	7	Sparta Prague

Other Players Called Up Recently

These players have also been called up to the Slovakia squad in the last year:

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Dominik Greif	(1997-04-06) 6 April 1997 (age 28)	5	0	Mallorca	v.  Slovenia, 20 March 2025
GK	Henrich Ravas	(1997-08-16) 16 August 1997 (age 27)	0	0	Cracovia	v.  Azerbaijan, 16 November 2024
DF	Adam Obert INJ	(2002-08-23) 23 August 2002 (age 22)	12	0	Cagliari	v.  Slovenia, 23 March 2025
DF	Marek Bartoš	(1996-10-13) 13 October 1996 (age 28)	0	0	Motor Lublin	v.  Slovenia, 23 March 2025
DF	Dominik Javorček	(2002-11-02) 2 November 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Holstein Kiel	v.  Slovenia, 23 March 2025
DF	Peter Kováčik	(2001-12-01) 1 December 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Železiarne Podbrezová	v.  Slovenia, 23 March 2025
DF	Michal Tomič	(1999-03-30) 30 March 1999 (age 26)	6	0	Slavia Prague	v.  Azerbaijan, 16 November 2024
DF	Timotej Hranica	(2005-05-28) 28 May 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Žilina	v.  Azerbaijan, 16 November 2024
MF	Tomáš Suslov	(2002-06-07) 7 June 2002 (age 23)	40	4	Hellas Verona	v.  Slovenia, 23 March 2025
MF	Tomáš Rigo	(2002-07-03) 3 July 2002 (age 23)	5	1	Baník Ostrava	v.  Slovenia, 23 March 2025
MF	Christián Herc	(1998-09-30) 30 September 1998 (age 26)	4	0	DAC Dunajská Streda	v.  Azerbaijan, 19 November 2024
MF	Juraj Kucka INJ / RET	(1987-02-26) 26 February 1987 (age 38)	112	14	Slovan Bratislava	v.  Azerbaijan, 8 September 2024 RET
MF	Peter Pokorný	(2001-08-08) 8 August 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Śląsk Wrocław	v.  Azerbaijan, 8 September 2024
FW	Leo Sauer	(2005-12-16) 16 December 2005 (age 19)	4	0	NAC Breda	v.  Slovenia, 23 March 2025
Notes PRE Preliminary squad INJ Withdrew/Unavailable due to an injury or an illness. RET Retired or resigned from international football

Player Records

Players in bold are still playing for Slovakia.

Most Games Played

Marek Hamšík is Slovakia's top goalscorer and has played the most games.

Top Goalscorers

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup History

Slovakia has participated in the FIFA World Cup, both as part of Czechoslovakia and as an independent nation.

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
1930	Did not enter										Declined invitation
1934	Runners-up	2nd	4	3	0	1	9	6	Squad		1	1	0	0	2	1	1934
1938	Quarter-finals	5th	3	1	1	1	5	3	Squad		2	1	1	0	7	1	1938
1950	Did not enter										Did not enter
1954	Group stage	14th	2	0	0	2	0	7	Squad		4	3	1	0	5	1	1954
1958	Group stage	9th	4	1	1	2	9	6	Squad		4	3	0	1	9	3	1958
1962	Runners-up	2nd	6	3	1	2	7	7	Squad		5	4	0	1	20	7	1962
1966	Did not qualify										6	3	1	2	12	4	1966
1970	Group stage	15th	3	0	0	3	2	7	Squad		7	5	1	1	16	7	1970
1974	Did not qualify										4	2	1	1	9	3	1974
1978											4	2	0	2	4	6	1978
1982	Group stage	19th	3	0	2	1	2	4	Squad		8	4	2	2	15	6	1982
1986	Did not qualify										8	3	2	3	11	12	1986
1990	Quarter-finals	6th	5	3	0	2	10	5	Squad		8	5	2	1	13	3	1990
1994	Did not qualify										10	4	5	1	21	9	1994
as  Slovakia											as  Slovakia
1998	Did not qualify										4th	10	5	1	4	18	14
2002											3rd	10	5	2	3	16	9
2006											2nd	14	6	6	2	26	14
2010	Round of 16	16th	4	1	1	2	5	7	Squad		1st	10	7	1	2	22	10
2014	Did not qualify										3rd	10	3	4	3	11	10
2018											2nd	10	6	0	4	17	7
2022											3rd	10	3	5	2	17	10
2026	To be determined										To be determined
2030
2034
Total	Runner-up	9/22	34	12	6	16	49	52	—		—	145	75	35	35	271	137

UEFA European Championship History

Slovakia has also competed in the UEFA European Championship.

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
1960	Third place	3rd	2	1	0	1	2	3	Squad		6	4	1	1	16	5	1960
1964	Did not qualify										2	0	1	1	2	3	1964
1968											6	3	1	2	8	4	1968
1972											6	4	1	1	11	4	1972
1976	Champions	1st	2	1	1	0	5	3	Squad		8	5	2	1	19	7	1976
1980	Third place	3rd	4	1	2	1	5	4	Squad		6	5	0	1	17	4	1980
1984	Did not qualify										8	3	4	1	15	7	1984
1988											6	2	3	1	7	5	1988
1992											8	5	0	3	12	9	1992
as  Slovakia											as  Slovakia
1996	Did not qualify										3rd	10	4	2	4	14	18
2000											3rd	10	5	2	3	12	9
2004											3rd	8	3	1	4	11	9
2008											4th	12	5	1	6	33	23
2012											4th	10	4	3	3	7	10
2016	Round of 16	14th	4	1	1	2	3	6	Squad		2nd	10	7	1	2	17	8
2020	Group stage	18th	3	1	0	2	2	7	Squad		3rd	10	5	2	3	15	12
2024	Round of 16	12th	4	1	1	2	4	5	Squad		2nd	10	7	1	2	17	8
2028	To be determined										To be determined
2032
Total	1 Title	6/17	19	6	5	8	21	28	—		—	136	71	26	39	233	145

UEFA Nations League Performance

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		21st
2020–21	B	2	6	1	1	4	5	10		30th
2022–23	C	3	6	2	1	3	5	6		43rd
2024–25	C	1	8	4	2	2	10	6		37th
Total			24	8	4	12	25	27	21st

Awards and Achievements

Major Competitions

• UEFA European Championship
  • Champions (1): 1976 (as Czechoslovakia)
  • Third place (2): 1960, 1980 (as Czechoslovakia)

Friendly Tournaments

• Kirin Cup
  • Champions (1): 2000
• King's Cup
  • Champions (2): 2004, 2018

Other Awards

• FIFA Best Mover of the Year
  • Runners-up (1): 2014
• Slovak Sportsperson of the Year – Team Award
  • Winners (5): 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2020

Images for kids

• 

  Tehelné Pole

• 

  Štadión Antona Malatinského

• 

  Pod Dubňom

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Eslovaquia para niños

• Slovakia national under-21 football team
• Slovakia national under-19 football team
• Slovakia national under-18 football team
• Slovakia national under-17 football team
• Slovakia national under-16 football team