Slovakia has participated in international football as an independent nation ever since 1993 when Czechoslovakia was divided into two new states. Slovakia qualified to the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2010, where the side upset perennial power Italy and lost in the Round of 16. Since independence, they qualified for the UEFA European Championship for their first time in 2016. Football is the most popular sport in the Slovak Republic. Approximately half of the Slovak people are interested in football.
Football Association
The Slovak Football Association was a member of FIFA from April 1939 to 1945 and resumed in 1994.
League football
The Slovak club's football tournament is held every season in the Slovak First Football League. The first Slovak football league was formed in its current form in 1993, when the Czechoslovak league was discontinued after the end of the federation with the Czech Republic. In 2007-08 there was an average of approximately 3000 spectators per game. The clubs sell their players to financially stronger clubs from western Europe. Examples of players that have succeeded in notable leagues are Marek Hamšík, former captain of Italian club SSC Napoli, Peter Pekarík who captains Bundesliga side Hertha BSC and Martin Škrtel, a well-known former Liverpool centre-back. Moreover, over the last few years more and more youngsters have been given the chance to perform regularly in the league before being transferred abroad. For example Leon Bailey, Milan Škriniar, Stanislav Lobotka and Samuel Kalu all played in the Slovak league.
The record champion is ŠK Slovan Bratislava with 13 titles, followed by MŠK Žilina with 7 titles.
The second-tier football league in Slovakia is called 2. Liga and 16 teams compete in it. The third tier league (known as 3. Liga) consists of four divisions of which three (division East, division Middle & division Bratislava) are of 16 teams and the other one (division West) consists of 18 teams.
In 2010, MŠK Žilina became the third Slovak club to participate in the Champions League, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
System As of (the start of) the 2026–27 season: LevelClubsLeague(s) / Division(s)112I. Liga12 clubs216II. Liga16 clubs344III. LigaWest16 clubsIII. LigaCenter14 clubsIII. LigaEast14 clubs460IV. LigaBratislava (BFZ)16 clubsIV. LigaWest (ZsFZ)16 clubsIV. LigaCenter (SsFZ)14 clubsIV. LigaEast (VsFZ)14 clubs5104V. Liga (BFZ)16 clubsV. Liga (ZsFZ)North-West - 16 clubsSouth-East - 16 clubsV. Liga (SsFZ)North - 14 clubsSouth - 14 clubsV. Liga (VsFZ)North - 14 clubsSouth - 14 clubs6223VI. Liga (BFZ)Bratislava-city - 14 clubsBratislava-country - 14 clubsVI. Liga (ZsFZ)North - 14 clubsWest - 15 clubsSouth - 10 clubsEast - 16 clubs Centre - 14 clubsVI. Liga (SsFZ)Group A - 14 clubsGroup B - 14 clubsGroup C - 14 clubsGroup D - 14 clubsVI. Liga (VsFZ)Podtatranská - 14 clubsŠarišská - 14 clubsZemplínska - 14 clubsKošicko-Gemerská - 14 clubsVihorlatsko-Dukelská - 14 clubs7 8 9VII. Liga (BFZ)Bratislava-city - 10 clubsBratislava-country - 9 clubsSub-regional football unions Dunajská StredaVII. LigaVIII. Liga GalantaVII. Liga KomárnoVII. Liga LeviceVII. LigaVIII. Liga NitraVII. LigaVIII. Liga AVIII. Liga B Nové ZámkyVII. LigaVIII. Liga Považská BystricaVII. LigaVIII. Liga PrievidzaVII. LigaVIII. Liga AVIII. Liga BIX. Liga SenicaVII. LigaVIII. LigaIX. Liga TopoľčanyVII. LigaVIII. Liga TrenčínVII. LigaVIII. Liga NorthVIII. Liga SouthIX. Liga TrnavaVII. LigaVIII. Liga AVIII. Liga BIX. LigaSub-regional football unions Banská BystricaVII. LigaVIII. Liga KysuceVII. Liga Dolný KubínVII. LigaVIII. Liga LiptovVII. LigaVIII. LigaIX. Liga LučenecVII. Liga Martin (Turiec)I. triedaII. trieda Rimavská SobotaVII. Liga Veľký KrtíšVII. Liga ZvolenI. triedaII. trieda Žiar nad HronomVII. LigaVIII. Liga ŽilinaI. triedaII. triedaIII. triedaSub-regional football unions BardejovVII. LigaVIII. Liga HumennéVII. LigaVIII. Liga Košice-countryVII. LigaVIII. Liga MichalovceVII. LigaVIII. Liga Podtatranský FZVII. LigaVIII. Liga PrešovVII. LigaVIII. LigaIX. Liga RožňavaVII. Liga Spišský OFZVII. Liga Stará ĽubovňaVII. Liga Svidník (Ondava)VII. Liga TrebišovVII. Liga Vranov nad TopľouVII. Liga
Slovak cup
The Slovak Cup is the football cup competition for Slovak club teams. It is organized annually by the Slovak Football Association (Slovenský futbalový zväz, SFZ). The cup has been held since the 1969/70 season, the first winner was Slovan Bratislava, who is also the record holder, with 17 titles.
National team
The men's national team qualified as group winners for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. At the final tournament, the Slovak team surprisingly won against the world champions Italy 3–2, the Slovaks also qualified for the knockout stages, where they were eliminated after a 2–1 defeat against the eventual finalists Netherlands.
The Slovak national team also qualified for UEFA Euro 2016, reaching the round of 16, and UEFA Euro 2020, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
Attendances
The average attendance per top-flight football league season and the club with the highest average attendance:
Season League average Best club Best club average 2024-25 2,512 Slovan 7,359 2023-24 2,611 Slovan 5,783 2022-23 2,333 DAC 6,017 2021-22 — — — 2020-21 — — — 2019-20 2,504 DAC 7,996 2018-19 2,400 DAC 8,445 2017-18 2,324 DAC 6,918 2016-17 1,973 DAC 4,112 2015-16 2,413 Trnava 6,934 2014-15 1,977 DAC 3,315 2013-14 2,194 DAC 3,012 2012-13 2,116 Trnava 4,142 2011-12 2,183 Trnava 5,051 2010-11 2,251 Trnava 4,123 2009-10 2,417 Trnava 4,403 2008-09 3,009 Slovan 5,547 2007-08 3,102 Trnava 7,218 2006-07 2,889 Zilina 5,231 2005-06 2,944 Trnava 9,219 2004-05 2,261 Petržalka 3,979 2003-04 3,167 Banská Bystrica 5,433 2002–03 3,358 Trnava 5,012 2001-02 3,456 Zilina 5,714 2000-01 3,588 Ružomberok 6,474 1999-2000 2,969 Ružomberok 4,892 1998-99 3,680 Trnava 8,649 1997-98 4,072 Trnava 11,557 1996-97 4,052 Trnava 14,670 1995-96 3,911 Trnava 12,304 1994-95 3,479 Trnava 6,795 1993–94 3,464 Slovan 7,543
Source:
See also Sport in Slovakia List of football stadiums in Slovakia
References
External links slovakia leagues summary(flashscore)