Slovenia have qualified for a major tournament four times, twice for the FIFA World Cup and twice for the UEFA European Championship.

[2][3] In the following decades, Slovenia played several unofficial friendly matches, including in 1956 against China, in 1968 against Austria, in 1990 against Bosnia and Herzegovina and in 1991 against Croatia.

[6] On 7 April 1993, the two teams played another friendly, and this time Slovenia achieved its first international victory by winning the match 2–0.

[7] In 1994, managed by Zdenko Verdenik, Slovenia debuted in official competitions as the team competed in the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifiers.

[9] In 1998 World Cup qualification, Slovenia was drawn with Denmark, Croatia, Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina, finishing in last place after registering just one point in eight matches.

However, Yugoslavia made a comeback as they scored three goals in just six minutes for a 3–3 draw, despite playing with only ten players after Siniša Mihajlović was sent off.

For the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Slovenia were drawn into a group with Russia, FR Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Faroe Islands and Luxembourg.

[34] Grouped with the Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Albania and Luxembourg in Euro 2008 qualifying, the team started out with defeats to Bulgaria and Belarus, thus significantly reducing their chances to qualify, and as a result, in November 2006, Oblak was dismissed by the Football Association of Slovenia.

[38] For the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Slovenia were drawn into a group with the Czech Republic, Poland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia and San Marino.

[39] In its opening match, Slovenia held Poland to a 1–1 draw in Wrocław, before winning two consecutive home games against Slovakia and Northern Ireland.

[40] Slovenia then won only one point in two games against the Czech Republic and lost away to Northern Ireland, and thus fell to fifth place in the group.

The match ended in a 2–1 win for the home side,[43] and in the second leg, held in Maribor, Slovenia defeated Russia 1–0 with a goal by Zlatko Dedić.

In the opening game against Algeria, Slovenia achieved its first ever World Cup win after Robert Koren scored the only goal in the match.

As the United States defeated Algeria with a late goal, Slovenia dropped to third place and were eliminated from the tournament.

[56] The qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup were similar, as Slovenia narrowly lost two decisive away matches against Slovakia and England.

[58] After the defeat at Wembley Stadium, where Harry Kane scored the only goal of the match in the 94th minute, Katanec announced his resignation as the manager.

In accordance with the FIFA World Rankings, the team competed in the third-tier League C along with Bulgaria, Cyprus and Norway.

[64] Slovenia failed to make a breakthrough during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers, losing both games against Austria and obtaining only one point against North Macedonia.

Under the leadership of team captain Jan Oblak, Slovenia held Greece to a 0–0 draw in both matches and also obtained all twelve available points against Moldova and Kosovo, thus securing first place in the group and promotion to League B for the 2022–23 edition.

[80][81][82] During the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Slovenian journalists and the Football Association of Slovenia tried to choose a nickname for the team, but the process failed to gain the support of fans.

[80] Because Olimpija had a long tradition in the former Yugoslav First League, football fans and the media in the countries of the former Yugoslavia still use this nickname today when referring to the Slovenian team.

The mascot, called Trigi, is based on a round shape representing the Earth or a ball, with a stylized depiction of Triglav, the highest Slovenian mountain, on its head in a green, white and blue colour combination.

[93][94] In 1993, the board of the Football Association of Slovenia decided to change the main colours to green and white, inspired by NK Olimpija from the capital city of Ljubljana.

[108][109] The final training sessions and physical preparation of the team before domestic matches are held at the National Football Centre Brdo in Predoslje.

[74][117] The attendance record was later equaled in March 2024, when Slovenia defeated Portugal in a friendly match, ending their eleven-game winning streak.

[121][122] One of the most notable matches between Slovenia and Croatia took place in 2003, where the two teams met in the qualifying playoffs for UEFA Euro 2004.

After a 1–1 draw in the first match in Zagreb, Slovenia then lost 1–0 at home and failed to qualify for its third consecutive major tournament.

[28] In March 2021, Slovenia finally managed to win a game against Croatia after failing to do so in the previous nine matches, as they won 1–0 at home during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

[136] With 101 caps, Boštjan Cesar has the most appearances for Slovenia;[137] he also had the longest career as a Slovenian international footballer with 15 years, 1 month and 15 days.

[138] Goalkeeper Jan Oblak started the most matches as the team captain (50),[139] while Zlatko Zahovič is the highest-scoring player with 35 goals.