The first of Slovakia’s four representatives in this season’s European club competitions will play its opening match on Thursday, 9 July.
The first Slovak team to take the field will be Žilina, which begins its UEFA Europa League campaign in the first qualifying round. The Slovak Cup holders will face Croatian side Hajduk Split away from home, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 CEST. The return leg will be played at Štadión pod Dubňom in Žilina on 16 July, starting at 20:30.
Žilina begins its European campaign at the earliest possible qualifying stage. To reach the league phase of the Europa League, the club must successfully navigate four qualifying rounds. If it eliminates Hajduk, its next opponent will be Cypriot club Pafos.
In addition to Žilina, three other Slovak clubs will compete in European tournaments this season.
In the continent’s premier competition, the UEFA Champions League, Slovan Bratislava will participate for the eighth consecutive season after retaining the Slovak league title every year since 2019. This season, the club will be led by new head coach Yaya Touré, the former Ivory Coast international and ex-midfielder of Barcelona and Manchester City.
Slovan enters the Champions League qualifiers in the second of four qualifying rounds. Its opponent will be determined on 14 July and will be the winner of the tie between Estonia’s Flora and Georgia’s Iberia 1999. Slovan’s first match will take place one week later.
Two Slovak clubs will compete in the UEFA Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition. They are last season’s Slovak league runners-up Dunajská Streda and third-placed Spartak Trnava.
Both clubs will begin their campaigns in the second qualifying round, with matches scheduled for 23 and 30 July.
Spartak Trnava will face CSKA Sofia, with the first leg taking place in Slovakia.
Dunajská Streda has yet to learn its opponent, who will be the winner of the tie between Moldovan champions Milsami and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Velež Mostar. The club from southern Slovakia will play the first leg away from home.
Last season, Slovan Bratislava was the only Slovak club to reach the league phase of a European competition. The club started its campaign in the Champions League qualifiers but, after several unsuccessful rounds, eventually qualified for the Conference League. There, Slovakia’s leading club finished only 29th out of 36 teams, recording two wins and four defeats.
The other three Slovak representatives failed to progress through the Conference League qualifiers. Košice and Žilina were eliminated in the second qualifying round, while Spartak Trnava exited in the third.
Following last season, Slovakia ranks 27th in the UEFA association coefficient rankings, which determine each country’s allocation of places in European competitions. Slovakia is currently behind Ukraine, Hungary, and Romania, but ahead of Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Azerbaijan. The rankings include 55 European associations.
