Slovenia are just one of the 24 teams taking part at the fantastic Euros 2024 football tournament in Germany. Here’s everything you need to know about the team, who share a group with England, Serbia and Denmark!

1. They’ve been a team since 1991

Following their independence from Yugoslavia, the Slovenia team was founded in 1991. The team’s current first kit is white, and their second kit is blue and black.

2. The badge and flag feature Mount Triglav

The team’s current badge was designed in 2006 and like the flag, features an icon in the shape of Mount Triglav. It’s the highest mountain in Slovenia and has an elevation of 2864 metres. NZS stands for Nogometna zveza Slovenije, meaning Football Association of Slovenia.

3. The team play their home games in Ljubljana

The national side play the majority of their home fixtures at the Stožice Stadium in Ljubljana. The ground, which was officially opened in 2011, has a capacity of 16,038.

4. Their captain is Jan Oblak

Oblak was born in the town of Škofja Loka in 1993. The goalkeeper leads the team and has played club football for Atlético Madrid since 2014. He’s one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

5. Boštjan Cesar is their most-capped player

Ljubljana-born centre-back Boštjan Cesar played for the likes of Dinamo Zagreb, Marseille and even had a loan spell at West Bromwich Albion. He made 101 appearances for Slovenia. If you want another Boštjan Cesar fact, he’s the same height as 191 Beanos stacked on top of each other.

6. Zlatko Zahovič is the team’s highest scorer

Attacking midfielder Zlatko Zahovič represented his country 80 times between 1992 and 2004. He scored 35 goals for his country!

7. Their nickname is The Little Dragons (sort of)

For a short while in 2010, the Slovenian team were known as Zmajčeki, which means ‘the dragons’ in Slovene. Imagine if they had dragons on the team. We’d never stop watching them play. But they don’t really have an official nickname.

8. They once scored 7 goals in one game

In February 8 1999, Slovenia played Oman in the Oman International Tournament before a crowd of 1500 and won the game 7-0. Scorers included Milan Osterc (4 goals), Saša Gajser, Zlatko Zahovič and Sašo Udovič.

9. Their worst defeat happened in Paris

On October 12, 1998, Slovenia faced France in a Euro qualifying game at the Stade de France in Paris. It wasn’t a fun game for goalkeeper Marko Simeunovič, who picked the ball out of his net 5 times that match.

10. They’re ranked at 57 in the FIFA World Rankings

In June 2024, Slovenia were ranked the 57th best men’s team in the world, according to FIFA. The world’s number 1 is Argentina, thanks to their 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 

11. Their head coach is Matjaž Kek

Matjaž Kek earned 1 cap when he represented Slovenia in a friendly game against Cyprus in 1992. Over the course of his managerial career, he’s led Maribor, Al-Ittihad, Rijeka and the Slovenian U15 and U16 sides. He was appointed the Slovenian manager in 2018 and has steered them to the 2010 World Cup and the Euros in 2024.

12. Croatia are their rivals

When Slovenia play Croatia, it’s known as the Sosedski Derbi, which means neighborhood derby. They’ve officially played each other 11 times and the journey home for the visiting side is quite short due to sharing a border.

13. They’re yet to win a major trophy

Over the course of their history, Slovenia have achieved qualification for a major tournament 4 times. They’ve played in the World Cup and the Euros twice, but have never managed to go past the group stage.

14. Sašo Udovič holds the record for scoring 5 goals in 1 game

Forward Sašo Udovič holds the Slovenian record for hitting the net the most times in a single match. In 1996, he put five past Iceland goalie Birkir Kristinsson in a game that ended in a 7-1 win.

15. Benjamin Šeško is a legend in the making

The young RB Leipzig forward is one of the current side’s best players. He made the history books when he made his national debut against Malta and scored, making him the youngest Slovenia player to score for his national team. He was 18 years, 4 months and 8 days old!