Slovakia's appearance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was their first as an independent nation, and so far their only one. Players from this region had previously represented Czechoslovakia, which reached two World Cup finals, in 1934 and 1962. The former country of Czechoslovakia broke up on 1 January 1993, forming Czechia and Slovakia.

South Africa 2010

Slovakia qualified for 2010 by winning a group that contained Poland, the Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Slovenia and San Marino, and were drawn in Group F with the holders Italy, Paraguay and New Zealand.

It began badly. Vladimír Weiss's team led New Zealand through Róbert Vittek early in the second half but conceded in the third minute of stoppage time, then lost 2–0 to Paraguay. Going into the last round of matches they needed to beat Italy to go through.

Group F P W D L GF GA Pts
Paraguay 3 1 2 0 3 1 5
Slovakia 3 1 1 1 4 5 4
New Zealand 3 0 3 0 2 2 3
Italy 3 0 2 1 4 5 2

Beating the Holders

At Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 24 June 2010, Slovakia beat Italy 3–2 and knocked the defending champions out of the tournament. Vittek scored on 25 minutes and again on 73, and when Antonio Di Natale pulled one back on 81 the substitute Kamil Kopúnek restored the two-goal lead a minute from time. Fabio Quagliarella scored for Italy deep in stoppage time, but it was too late.

Italy finished bottom of the group, their first group-stage exit since 1974 and only the fourth time a reigning champion had gone out at the first hurdle. France, the beaten finalists from 2006, went out in the group stage on the same day.

Slovakia's reward was a round of 16 tie with the Netherlands in Durban on 28 June. Arjen Robben scored on 18 minutes, Wesley Sneijder added a second on 84, and Vittek's stoppage-time penalty, his fourth goal of the tournament, was only a consolation. The Dutch went on to reach the final.

Since 2010

Slovakia have not been back. They missed out on 2014, 2018 and 2022, and their 2026 campaign ended one match short.

Drawn in European Group A with Germany, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg, Slovakia opened by beating Germany 2–0 in Bratislava in September 2025, one of the biggest results in their history. They were still top of the group going into the final round, but lost the return in Leipzig 6–0 and finished second.

2026 Qualifying, Group A P W D L GF GA Pts
Germany 6 5 0 1 16 3 15
Slovakia 6 4 0 2 6 8 12
Northern Ireland 6 3 0 3 7 6 9
Luxembourg 6 0 0 6 1 13 0

Second place sent them into the March 2026 play-offs, where they were seeded at home in Path C. They lost the semi-final 4–3 to Kosovo in Bratislava on 26 March, and Türkiye, who beat Kosovo in the final, took the place at the finals.

Trivia

  • Róbert Vittek scored four of Slovakia's five goals at the 2010 World Cup, one in each of their four matches. Kamil Kopúnek scored the other, and no other Slovak has scored at a World Cup.
  • Slovakia have played four World Cup matches and won one, but that one win eliminated the reigning world champions.
  • Kamil Kopúnek came off the bench in the 87th minute against Italy and scored with his first touch, two minutes later.
  • Slovakia's 2–0 win over Germany in Bratislava in September 2025, through goals from Dávid Hancko and David Strelec, was the first time Germany had ever lost an away World Cup qualifier.
  • Slovakia have had more success at the European Championship than at the World Cup, reaching the round of 16 at both Euro 2016 and Euro 2024.