Slovakia – Participating Teams in the Euro Football 2024 Tournament

Slovakia will take part in this summer’s European Championships in Germany. Not much is expected of the Slovakian national team, but can Francesco Calzona’s men cause a few upsets? 

We look back at Slovakia’s qualifying campaign, analyse their expected performances in Germany, and check out the Falcons’ current squad. Can Slovakia be one of the dark horses in the 2024 European Championship finals? 

The Slovakian Football Team in the Euro Football Tournament

Having qualified for the 2024 edition, this will be Slovakia’s sixth appearance in the Euro finals. Their first appearance, as Czechoslovakia, was back in the first-ever European Championship in 1960. 

Czechoslovakia qualified for the inaugural Euro Cup as one of the quarter-final winners. However, they were beaten in the semi-finals in France, suffering a heavy 3-0 defeat to Soviet Union. Still, they took the bronze medal by beating the French in Marseille.

They were back in the Euro Cup 16 years later. After securing qualification to the final tournament, Czechoslovakia beat Netherlands in Zagreb to book their place in the 1976 European Championship final. They then beat West Germany on penalties to win the competition.  

Four years later, Czechoslovakia were back on Europe’s big stage as they looked to successfully defend their crown in Italy. However, they finished second in the group, but they did manage to beat the Italians in the third-place play-off. 

Czechoslovakia failed to qualify for the next three Euro tournaments before becoming Slovakia ahead of the 1996 tournament in England. The Slovakians then failed to reach a Euro Cup until 2016. 

Slovakia were drawn into a tough group with England, Wales, and Russia in France. The Welsh surprisingly won Group B, with the Three Lions finishing in second place. Slovakia went through as one of the best third-place teams. 

After a narrow loss to Wales in game one, the Slovakians secured a vital 2-1 victory over the Russians on matchday two. They then made sure of a qualification spot after holding England to a goalless draw. However, their journey came to an end with a 3-0 loss to Germany in the Round of 16. 

Slovakia made it to back-to-back Euro Championships when they qualified for the 2020 edition. Despite a 2-1 win against Poland in their opening game, the Falcons were eliminated in the group stage after defeats to Sweden and Spain.

This summer, Slovakia will be making their third consecutive appearance at the European Championship finals. They booked their place in Germany by finishing runners-up to Portugal in qualifying Group J. 

The draw was made in December last year, and Slovakia were seeded in Pot 3. They were drawn into Group E alongside Belgium, Romania, and the play-off B winners.  

Slovakia’s tournament gets up and running with a tough game against the Belgians in Frankfurt on June 17th. The Red Devils are one of the favourites to win the competition this summer. 

After getting their toughest test out of the way, the Falcons then make their way to the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf to play the play-off B winners. Calzona’s side will face Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Israel, or Iceland on matchday two. 

Slovakia then go head-to-head with Romania in their final Group E match. Like the Slovakians, the Romanians have aspirations of reaching the knockout phase on German soil. The fixture at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt on June 26th could be a huge one. 

With the top two automatically qualifying for the Round of 16, Slovakia will fancy their chances of progressing. Belgium are expected to win the group, but the battle for second place could go to the wire. Can the Slovakians spring a few surprises this summer? 

Slovakia’s Road to the European Championship 2024

Slovakia’s road to the 2024 European Championship finals was not an easy one. They were drawn into Group J alongside Portugal, Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Liechtenstein. The Portuguese were the favourites, but the fight for second was expected to be wide open. 

The Falcons kicked off their qualifying campaign in March with a disappointing goalless draw at home against Luxembourg. However, three days later, they beat Bosnia and Herzegovina by two goals to nil in Bratislava. 

The Slovakians returned to action three months later and picked up a crucial three points in Iceland. Tomas Suslov hit the winner in the 69th minute at Laugardalsvollur in Reykjavik. 

Slovakia then secured a narrow 1-0 away win against Liechtenstein. They were looking for a much bigger margin of victory, but Denis Vavro’s goal in first-half injury time did the business for the Falcons. 

Slovakia suffered their first defeat in September, narrowly losing at home to Portugal. The Portuguese took a star-studded squad to Tehelne pole, and Manchester United ace Bruno Fernandes hit the only goal of the game in the 43rd minute. 

Three days later, Slovakia bounced back in style. They scored three goals in the first six minutes to secure an easy 3-0 win against Liechtenstein at Tehelne pole in Bratislava. 

They suffered another close defeat to Portugal in the next game, though they pushed the 2016 European Championship winners all the way in Porto. Cristiano Ronaldo was the hero, scoring twice in a 3-2 Portuguese win. 

Slovakia got back to winning ways on October 16th. David Duris’ goal in the 77th minute was enough for a 1-0 win in Luxembourg. The three points at the Stade de Luxembourg took the Slovakians a step closer to the 2024 European Championship finals. 

They capped off a memorable qualifying campaign with two more excellent wins. In November, Slovakia beat Iceland 4-2 in Bratislava, with Sparta Prague winger Lukas Haraslin helping himself to two goals.  

On the final day of qualifying, Slovakia secured a 2-1 away win against Bosnia and Herzegovina. They fell behind early on in the second period, but goals from Robert Bozenik and L’ubomir Satka turned the game on its head to give the away side a precious three points.

Overall, it was a memorable qualifying campaign for Slovakia. Portugal were the real deal, winning ten out of ten and scoring a staggering 36 goals. However, Slovakia finished runners-up to the Portuguese, collecting 22 points. They won seven, drew one, and lost two of their ten qualifiers. 

The evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo was the group’s top scorer, with ten goals to his name. Slovakia shared the goals around, with no player netting more than three. Lukas Haraslin was the top scorer with three goals, and four Slovakian players netted two. 

Slovakia’s Star Players in the Team

Slovakia have a few familiar faces in their squad these days. Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka will be battling for the No. 1 jersey with Fulham’s Marek Rodak. Both are extremely dependable goalkeepers.  

In defence, Milan Skriniar will be a big player for the Slovakians this summer. The defender has racked up almost 70 national appearances since making his debut in 2016. Skriniar played nearly 200 league games for Inter Milan before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2023. 

In terms of experience, Skriniar is huge for Slovakia, but Stanislav Lobotka could be the Slovakians‘ main man in Germany. The midfielder has played over 50 times for the Slovakian national team, scoring a few goals along the way. 

He moved to Napoli in 2020 and played a big part in Partenopei’s title-winning season in 2022-23. Lobotka was one of the most consistent players in Serie A last term, and the 29-year-old will be vital to his nation’s Euro hopes this summer. 

Lobotka will be joined in midfield by the likes of Ondrej Duda, Laszlo Benes, and Patrik Hrosovsky. Slovakia are not short of options in the middle of the pitch, and they will no doubt cause teams problems in Germany. 

Up top, Calzona will be looking to Robert Mak, David Strelec, and Tomas Suslov for goals. Sparta Prague man Lukas Haraslin will also have a huge role to play. Haraslin, who made his international debut in 2019, was Slovakia’s top scorer in qualifying with three goals.

Slovakia’s Chances of Winning the 2024 European Championship

Slovakia will be competing in their sixth Euro Cup this summer. Having qualified in 2016 and 2020, the tournament in Germany will also be their third successive appearance at a European Championship. 

They have been drawn into a tough group with Belgium and Romania, but Calzona’s troops will fancy their chances of reaching the knockout phase. If they do make it to the last 16, the Slovakians will face stiff opposition from then on. 

The nation is not thinking about winning the Euro Cup, but reaching the Round of 16 will be a great achievement. They impressed in qualifying and have a strong squad of players. It will be fascinating to see how far they can go in 2024. 

Every match in Germany, including Slovakia’s three group games, will be available to bet on right here at Unibet. We have a comprehensive Euro betting market, with competitive odds on offer from now until the end of the tournament. We cannot wait for the action to get underway this summer.