England vs Slovakia facts

England's bid to go one better than their last campaign continues with a return to the Arena AufSchalke to take on a Slovakia side making their second UEFA European Championship knockout appearance in the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16.

Runners-up at EURO 2020, Gareth Southgate's side qualified for this tie as Group C winners, while Slovakia progressed as one of the four best third-placed sides having finished behind Romania and Belgium in Group E.

While England, who have never lost to Slovakia, are still unbeaten at EURO 2024, following their opening 1-0 win against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen with draws against Denmark (1-1) and Slovenia (0-0), Slovakia started with an unexpected 1-0 triumph against Belgium but took a single point from their next two fixtures, against Ukraine (1-2) and Romania (1-1).

The winners of this tie will play holders Italy – who beat England on penalties in the final three years ago – or Switzerland in the quarter-final in Düsseldorf on 6 July.

Previous meetings

Matches 6
England wins 5
Slovakia wins 0
Draws 1
England goals 11
Slovakia goals 3

This is the sides' sixth meeting – all since October 2002.

Current England head coach Southgate was in the team for the first two games between the countries in EURO 2004 qualifying, England winning 2-1 in both Bratislava and Middlesbrough. Sven-Göran Eriksson's England had to come from behind on each occasion, however, falling behind to a 23rd-minute strike from Szilárd Németh – then a Middlesbrough club-mate of Southgate – in Slovakia on 12 October 2002 before second-half-goals from David Beckham (64) and Michael Owen (82).

Owen also scored twice at the Riverside Stadium on 11 June 2003, in the 61st and 72nd minutes – the first a penalty – after Vladimír Janočko (31) had given the visitors the lead.

The next meeting took place at Wembley in March 2009, when England cruised to a 4-0 friendly win. Wayne Rooney scored twice, with Emile Heskey and Frank Lampard also on target and Beckham winning his 109th cap, setting a new national record for an outfield player by overtaking Bobby Moore's mark.

The teams were paired together in the group stage at EURO 2016, sharing a 0-0 draw in Saint-Étienne on Matchday 3 as both progressed to the round of 16, England as Group B runners-up and Slovakia in third place.

Harry Kane was a late England substitute in that game, while Peter Pekarík, Juraj Kucka, Norbert Gyömbér, Ondrej Duda and substitutes Milan Škriniar and Norbert Gyömbér featured for Slovakia.

The sides' last fixtures came in qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Adam Lallana scoring a 95th-minute winner to give England a 1-0 victory in Trnava on 4 September 2016.

That proved to be Sam Allardyce's only game as England manager; he had been replaced by Southgate by the time of the return at Wembley exactly 12 months later. Stanislav Lobotka gave Ján Kozák's Slovakia a third-minute lead but goals either side of half-time from Eric Dier (37) and Marcus Rashford (59) turned the match in England's favour.

England won eight of their 13 games against Czechoslovakia, losing only two. The wins include victories at the World Cup finals in 1970 (1-0) and 1982 (2-0) although the teams each recorded a home success in their only EURO meetings, in qualifying for the 1976 tournament. England won 3-0 at Wembley before a 2-1 triumph for Czechoslovakia in Bratislava that helped them qualify at England's expense for a finals they would go on and win.

EURO facts

England

The Three Lions are making their 11th appearance at the final tournament and a ninth in the last ten editions of the competition, missing out only in 2008.

EURO 2020 proved to be England's most successful EURO campaign as they finished first in Group D ahead of Croatia, Czechia and Scotland before knockout wins against Germany (2-0), Ukraine (4-0) and Denmark (2-1 aet) took them into the final for the first time.

Luke Shaw's second-minute goal gave them the lead against Italy at Wembley, but after the Azzurri levelled Southgate's side ultimately lost 3-2 on penalties.

In charge since 2016, Southgate oversaw an unbeaten qualifying campaign for EURO 2024, his side winning six of their eight games, scoring 22 goals and conceding only four, to finish six points clear at the top of Group C. England reached a fourth successive EURO with two matches to spare thanks to a 3-1 home win against Italy on 17 October.

Southgate's side have won two of their last eight matches (D4 L2).

England have now qualified from the group stage on their last five European Championship appearances, having failed to progress to the knockout rounds in three of the previous four.

The Three Lions' round of 16 record is W1 L1. Beaten 2-1 by Iceland in 2016 – a game in which they took a fourth-minute lead – they were 2-0 winners against Germany at EURO 2020.

England are unbeaten in their last ten EURO matches, since that loss to Iceland in Nice (W6 D4).

England beat Serbia 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen on Matchday 1. Their only other game at the Arena AufSchalke ended in elimination from the 2006 World Cup, Portugal winning 3-1 on penalties after a 0-0 quarter-final draw, a match in which England's Rooney was sent off.

Slovakia

Slovakia are featuring for a third successive EURO finals having made their debut as a separate country at EURO 2016.

Beaten 3-0 by Germany in the round of 16 in France eight years ago, they failed to progress beyond the group stage at EURO 2020, defeating Poland 2-1 in their first fixture but then losing to Sweden (0-1) and Spain (0-5) to finish third in Group E on three points, behind Spain and Sweden.

Slovakia famously lifted the trophy as part of Czechoslovakia in 1976, also coming third at the tournaments of 1960 and 1980.

With coach Štefan Tarkovič, who oversaw the EURO 2020 campaign, replaced by Italian Francesco Calzona in August 2022, Slovakia reached EURO 2024 as Group J runners-up on 22 points, eight behind a Portugal side that won every game.

Held 0-0 at home by Luxembourg in their opening game, Calzona's side lost 1-0 at home and 3-2 away against the section winners but won their other seven matches, sealing a finals place with a 4-2 home win against Iceland in their penultimate fixture.

Slovakia have now reached the knockout rounds in two of their three EURO appearances as a separate nation.

Their only previous round of 16 tie was a 3-0 loss to Germany in 2016.

Slovakia have won six of their 18 matches at EURO tournaments, the Matchday 3 result against Romania their fifth draw at the finals.

The Matchday 2 defeat by Ukraine is one of only two reverses in the last ten matches for Calzona's team, a sequence that includes six wins.

Slovakia have never won more than one match at a EURO tournament; each of their previous five appearances, including those as part of Czechoslovakia, included a single victory.

This is Slovakia's first match in Gelsenkirchen.

Links and trivia

Have played in England:
Martin Dúbravka (Newcastle 2018–, Manchester United 2022/23 loan)
Marek Rodák (Fulham 2013–24, Farnborough Town 2015 loan, Welling United 2016 loan, Accrington Stanley 2017 loan, Rotherham United 2017–19 loan)
Juraj Kucka (Watford 2021/22 loan)
Ondrej Duda (Norwich 2020 loan)
Henrich Ravas (Peterborough United 2014/15, Boston United 2015/16, Derby County 2016–21, Gainsborough Trinity 2017/18 loan, Hartlepool United 2020/21 loan)

Dúbravka has been a Newcastle team-mate of Kieran Trippier since January 2022 and Anthony Gordon since January 2023.

Luke Shaw was among Dúbravka's Manchester United team-mates in 2022/23.

Harry Kane scored five goals in as many Premier League appearances against Dúbravka's Newcastle while playing for Tottenham.

Penalty shoot-outs

England's record in ten competitive penalty shoot-outs is W3 L7, the EURO 2020 final defeat by Italy making it six losses in the last eight:
3-4 v West Germany, 1990 World Cup semi-final
4-2 v Spain, EURO '96 quarter-final
5-6 v Germany, EURO '96 semi-final
3-4 v Argentina, 1998 World Cup round of 16
5-6 v Portugal, EURO 2004 quarter-final
1-3 v Portugal, 2006 World Cup quarter-final
2-4 v Italy, EURO 2012 quarter-final
4-3 v Colombia, 2018 World Cup round of 16
6-5 v Switzerland, 2019 Nations League third-place play-off
2-3 v Italy, EURO 2020 final

Slovakia have won all three of their competitive penalty shoot-outs:
5-3 v West Germany, 1976 European Championship final (as Czechoslovakia)
9-8 v Italy, 1980 European Championship third-place play-off (as Czechoslovakia)
4-2 v Republic of Ireland, EURO 2020 qualifying play-off semi-final