Slovenia's World Cup qualification dreams in serious jeopardy

Slovenia's hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup were dealt a severe blow following another goalless draw, this time on home turf against Switzerland, the leaders of their group.

Having lost 0:3 to Switzerland away and tied with Kosovo 0:0 and with Sweden 2:2, Slovenia are now third in group B with 3 points, trailing Switzerland (10pts) and Kosovo (7pts). Sweden have one point, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

In front of over 14,600 fans, Slovenia's manager Matjaž Kek significantly altered his tactical approach, opting for a formation with three central defenders.

The change yielded a resilient display, with Slovenia successfully neutralising the Swiss attack for large parts of the game by focusing on disciplined defending and counter-attacks.

However, the solid defensive effort came at the cost of offensive threat. While Slovenia looked more organised than in previous games, they failed to create clear-cut opportunities and did not register a single shot on target throughout the match.

The game's best chances came in the second half. A promising Slovenian attack in the 71st minute ended with striker Benjamin Šeško hitting the side-netting.

At the other end, Switzerland's best opportunity fell to Miro Muheim late in the game, but his effort was well saved by Slovenian captain Jan Oblak to preserve the stalemate.

Kek described the outcome as realistic in "a difficult, dynamic, and hard-fought match with quite a few mistakes on both sides". He expressed frustration with the team's offensive struggles.

"It bothers me that we haven't scored a goal in three qualifying matches. We had moments, but the final pass wasn't precise enough. The team's approach, except for the game in Basel, has been at a high level, but we are lacking a bit of decisiveness in the final 30 metres."

Slovenia's stakes for two qualifiers in November are high as they host Kosovo in a must-win clash before having to at least draw with Sweden away. For Slovenia to stand any chance of play-offs Kosovo would also need to lose their final game against Switzerland.