The 2030 FIFA World Cup in Spain, Portugal & Morocco is only about 190 Wheel of Nations spins/months away and it promises to be a real doozy. World Cup history is a tale resplendent with stories of triumph against the odds, childhood dreams coming true and unsung heroes becoming legends. As well as dumb idiot losers, wanker fuck-ups and teams that are just total bullshit.

But how shall ye learn about these legends, losers and teams that are just total bullshit? Well look no further my wayward friend as I, together with the Almighty Wheel (There is only One Wheel, The Roundest One, and FAFO is its Prophet), profile all 211 FIFA member associations eligible for World Cup qualification. Today, I take a look at Slovenia, which has qualified for the World Cup twice, in 2002 and 2010.

FAFO: World Cup 2030 – Wheel of Nations – pt. XXI | Profile | 🇸🇮 SLOVENIA: Affectionately known as [blank] & World Cup Finalists 2026

Nickname: (none)
FIFA Ranking: 52 (October 2026)
Qualified for World Cup Finals: 2 times (2002 & 2010)
Best WC result: 2010 group stage: Slovenia came within minutes of reaching the last 16 in South Africa. They beat Algeria 1–0, drew 2–2 with the United States and lost 1–0 to England, finishing third after a late American winner against Algeria knocked them out. Slovenia have reached the men’s World Cup twice, in 2002 and 2010.
FIFA World Cup 2026 result: Slovenia finished third in UEFA Group B behind Switzerland and Kosovo, with four points from six matches, no wins, four draws and two defeats. They scored only three goals. Even Sweden finished below them, but Slovenia never seriously threatened the two qualification places. (And World Cup Finalists, World Cup Final 2026)

WATCH: 🇸🇮 SLOVENIA — WHEEL OF NATIONS – FAFO: World Cup 2030 Weekly Wheel of Nations – pt. XXII – October 14, 2026:

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST:

SLOVENIA – QUIRKY FACTS:

At the 2010 World Cup–its most recent–Slovenia were the only team without a nickname or mascot, and to this day that remains the case. And although there have been publicly-run competitions and other media efforts to attempt to give them one, these have all proven to be unsuccessful. That being said, this hasn’t affected the passion Slovenians feel for their beloved Whatevers one bit, and if you walk down any street in Ljubljana, you can expect to hear the locals having a heated discussion about the team they lovingly refer to as Big And Not All That Bad Football Men Wearing Slovenia Clothes.

The team previously and currently known as [blank], have reached two World Cups, going out at the group stage on both occasions. At the 2002 World Cup, either star player Zlatko Zahovič (below) or manager Srečko Katanec were to blame, after the pair clashed during the team’s opening match (a 3-1 loss to Spain), resulting in Zahovič being sent home and the team going from bad to worse in their next two matches, losing to South Africa and Paraguay and going bye bye without a point, then reuniting with pariah/hero Zahovič back in Europe.

Eight years later, this unnamed team fared somewhat better in South Africa, but this time it was the Americans who were to blame for their demise. Twice. Slovenia won their opening match against Algeria (their first ever World Cup points and win), and then were leading Team USA 2-0 at half-time. The fun ended there though, as [blank] blew the lead and the match ended 2-2, and in the final pair of group games, [blank] lost to England, which meant a US win would send them through at [blank]’s expense. And that’s exactly what happened, with the USA scoring a winner in the last minute.

Those were the glory days for [blank], and they’ve now retaken their place well and truly in the middle of the Balkan football queue (even going undefeated at Euro 2024), and most recently, Slovenia even made the World Cup Final in 2026:

“GO [blank] GO”, or as the locals say, “DAJMO, NEDOLOČENO!” (“Let’s go, unspecified/undetermined”)

Last three World Cup Finals:

2002: Group stage: Lost all three games against Spain, South Africa and Paraguay, with the tournament overshadowed by a falling-out between star Zlatko Zahovič and manager Srečko Katanec.

2010: Group stage: Beat Algeria, drew with the United States and lost narrowly to England, missing the knockout stage by a single point.

Last three World Cup campaigns:

2026: Finished third in their four-team group, with a 0–4–2 record and just three goals scored.

2022: Finished fourth behind Croatia, Russia and Slovakia with 14 points, despite opening their campaign with a 1–0 win over Croatia.

2018: Finished fourth behind England, Slovakia and Scotland with 15 points, including a memorable goalless draw against England in Ljubljana.

One to watch: Slovenian National Football Team’s mascot, “Soccer Man Happy Guy Friend”

Just because [blank] don’t have a nickname, doesn’t mean they can’t have an official team mascot. And here it is!

The Highpoint: Their first World Cup, 2002 and their first win, 2010 World Cup

From non (independent) existence, to being named [blank], to reaching its first World Cup, to winning their first World Cup match, all in the space of less than 20 years. Who knows what’s next for [blank]. Round of 16 at some point? Who knows, after all it is [blank] we’re talking about here!

A sporting experience you’ve gotta go to that’s uniquely local and awesome (and doable): Ski flying at Planica

Go to the Ski Flying World Cup Finals at Planica.

Forget simply watching someone ski downhill. Here, athletes launch themselves off an enormous ramp and fly more than 200 metres through the air while tens of thousands of Slovenians lose their minds.

Planica isn’t just a sporting venue. It’s a national institution. The 2026 event attracted 83,380 spectators over four competition days, and the 2027 finals are scheduled for 18–21 March, with men’s and women’s competitions.

There’s music, beer, flags, traditional costumes and a crowd that treats ski jumping like a national obsession.

It’s also a genuinely accessible experience: public tickets are sold through the official organisers.

🫠FAFO Pick: The Pogi Challenge

One unique natural experience to see/visit/experience: Škocjan Caves

I’m deliberately going past Lake Bled here.

Walk through the Škocjan Caves and cross the Cerkvenik Bridge above an underground river.

The Reka River disappears into the limestone landscape and carves an extraordinary underground canyon, reaching approximately 150 metres high and 120 metres wide in places. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s most important examples of karst geology.

The visitor route takes you through huge chambers before crossing high above the roaring river. It’s part cathedral, part Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

The standard guided tour is realistically accessible and includes roughly 500–800 steps; longer routes are available seasonally.

One town/city/neighbourhood the locals love: Ptuj

Ptuj, pronounced roughly P-too-ee.

Slovenia’s oldest town sits beside the Drava River, with a castle, historic streets, wine-growing hills and a very strong local identity.

But the reason I’m picking it is Kurentovanje.

Every year, particularly around February, people dressed as Kurenti — enormous shaggy, horned or feathered figures wearing masks and heavy cowbells — parade through the streets to symbolically chase away winter and welcome spring.

The door-to-door rounds of the Kurenti are recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. The wider carnival attracts more than 100,000 visitors in a typical year.

And Ptuj isn’t merely a carnival destination. It has wine culture, markets, festivals and a proper small-town atmosphere.

For Wheel purposes, it’s much more revealing than sending everybody to Ljubljana and saying the capital is lovely.

Food you’ve gotta have:

Štruklji, particularly skutni štruklji — curd-cheese-filled rolled dumplings.

This is a Slovenian classic that can be sweet or savoury, boiled, steamed or baked, with fillings including curd cheese, walnuts, apples, tarragon and poppy seeds.

They’re eaten as a main course, side dish or dessert, and different parts of Slovenia have their own versions.

Visit Ljubljana

The best reason to choose them over a generic sausage is that they sit firmly in Slovenian home cooking. They’re the sort of dish where somebody will insist their grandmother makes the only correct version.

Strong challenger: potica, the rolled walnut cake associated with Christmas, Easter and family celebrations. But štruklji are more versatile and easier to encounter as a normal meal rather than just festive food.

A drink you’ve gotta smash: Cockta

In the early 1950s, Slovenian producers decided to create their own alternative to Coca-Cola.

They developed a soft drink flavoured with rosehip, lemon and herbs, launched it in 1953, and it became one of the iconic brands of socialist Yugoslavia.

The remarkable bit? Cockta made its public debut at Planica’s ski-jumping competition on 8 March 1953. So our sporting experience and drink are historically connected.

Cockta survived the breakup of Yugoslavia and remains a familiar drink across generations. The Slovenian Ethnographic Museum has even staged exhibitions exploring its role in Slovenian identity and advertising history.

You could choose Laško beer or cviček, the distinctive regional wine from Dolenjska. But Cockta gives us something unusually Slovenian: a soft drink that tells the story of a country, its former federation and its consumer culture.

The Wedding Banger – Slovenia’s unofficial anthem: “Čebelar” by Lojze Slak

“Čebelar” — Lojze Slak and his ensemble.

Now we’re getting properly Slovenian.

The title means The Beekeeper, and it’s a sentimental folk song about an ageing beekeeper, his bees and memories of his younger days.

Accordion, harmonies, nostalgia and a chorus people can actually sing.

Released in 1995, it became a major Slovenian favourite. Slovenia’s music rights organisation SAZAS ranked it the most-played traditional popular-music song on Radio Slovenia stations in 2017, ahead of the famous Avsenik instrumental “Na Golici.”

Slak’s ensemble built its reputation playing village festivals, community celebrations and volunteer fire-brigade parties across the country.

Lojze Slak

I can’t establish that it’s literally played at every Slovenian wedding. But it has a much stronger claim as a traditional communal singalong than picking a Slovenian pop hit merely because it charted.

🫠FAFO Pick 1: “Siva pot” (“Grey Road”) by Aleksander Mežek (1975)

🫠FAFO Pick: “Na Golici” or “Trompeten-Echo” (“Trumpet Echo”), by the Avsenik brothers

3 Legends

🫠 FAFO Favourites

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