The 2024/25 European season is quickly approaching, with 236 clubs set to compete in UEFA’s continental club competitions this season.
With the first qualifying round draws a bit more than a week away, Extratime Talk will be providing a comprehensive coefficient preview. Between now and then, each country will be previewed, and all clubs participating in Europe for the 2024/25 season are discussed.
In these articles, we will provide analyses of what to expect from each country in Europe. We will explore what is on the line from a coefficient standpoint, and the keys to succeeding, in that country’s case.
We have reached the 30th article in this series, where Slovenia will be under the microscope. Here is what to expect from the Balkan nation in the 2024/25 season.
Slovenia In Europe: Country Profile
| Previous Season Coefficient (Rank) | 3.875 (26th) |
| Previous Season’s 5-Year Coefficient (Rank) | 13.250 (30th) |
| Starting 5-Year Coefficient (Rank) | 11.250 (31st) |
Slovenia had another good year in the 2023/24 season, scoring just under 4.000 points to secure a place in the top 33. Now the aim should be for higher. They start the new campaign 1.125 points behind 30th place Moldova, and should look to pass them before season’s end. Do that, and 29th could become a reality by the end of the 2025/26 term.
The country’s top two contributors to the coefficient are back, while another had an impressive run in qualifying last summer. Finally, a debutant completes the quartet of Slovenian representatives in Europe next summer. In what has all the signs of a big season for Slovenian football, it will be up to Celje, Maribor, Olimpija Ljubljana, and Bravo to continue on from last year’s showing.
Slovenia In Europe: Club Profile
| Club | Qualified As | Round of Entry | Total European Seasons | Last Season’s Performance | 5-Year Club Coefficient (2023/24) | 5-Year Country Coefficient Contribution, 2023/24 (%) |
| Celje | Domestic Champion | UCL Q1 | 6 | UECL Playoff Round | 4.500 | 1.500 (11.32%) |
| Maribor | Domestic Runner-up | UEL Q1 | 29 | UECL Q3 | 9.500 | 3.125 (23.58%) |
| Olimpija Ljubljana | Domestic Third Place | UECL Q2, Main Path | 22 | UECL Group Stage | 10.500 | 3.750 (28.3%) |
| Bravo | Domestic Fourth Place | UECL Q1 | Debut | N/A | 2.650 | N/A |
For the second time in club history, Celje won the Slovenian title. That means a return to the Champions League five years after their last foray. In what is their sixth European campaign – second in a row – Celje will look to build off of last summer’s incredible run, where reached the playoff round of the Conference League before bowing out to Maccabi Tel Aviv. They will be unseeded in the Champions League first qualifying round, which will make their task difficult.
Cup winners Rogaška was denied both a top division and a UEFA license, meaning that league runners up Maribor will enter the Europa League first qualifying round. They have not made the main round of a European club competition since 2017/18, losing in the playoff round twice since then. Maribor was a regular in the playoff round/group stages in the 2010s, but has since dropped off. This summer presents a massive opportunity for them to make a return to the league phase.
Olimpija Ljubljana made the Conference League proper last fall, a first for them. Perhaps one can argue that the group stage appearance was deserved – after all, they knocked off group stage regulars Ludogorets in UCL qualifying. Moreover, Olimpija has won at least one European tie in each of the last six seasons. They will be seeded for at least two rounds of UECL qualifying, including their round of entry at Q2.
The other side to benefit from Rogaška’s inability to claim a license is Bravo, who finished fourth. They just managed to pip Koper on the final day, which turned out to be crucial. Their European journey will begin in UECL Q1, as an unseeded side. The last Slovenian team to make a continental debut was Celje 12 years ago. While it was a narrow lost in UEL Q1 for Celje back then, Bravo will hope to pull off a surprise in July’s Q1 action.
Slovenia’s Season Ambitions
For the 2024/25 season, Slovenia should be looking to solidify their place in the top 33, and, as mentioned earlier, make some headway on the countries above them in the ranking. That is more than possible, but will require some good results from at least three of the four clubs.
Coefficient-wise, Slovenia has gotten anywhere between 2.000 and 4.000 points in each of the last six seasons. Anywhere north of 3.000 points should be the goal for Slovenia this year, and that is a pretty attainable number. Achieve that, and a top 29 spot could become theirs in the very near future, even if it does not happen this season.
What a Successful Season Looks Like for Slovenian Football
A successful season for Slovenia would start off by having at least one team playing European football in the fall. That is more than possible, and we could easily see them have multiple teams in the league phase. If that is to happen, then this would be an amazing year for Slovenian football. Beyond that, if all four teams can progress through at least one round of qualifying, then it is definitely a win for the country.
On top of that, Slovenia should see it as a good season if they pass Moldova in the coefficient ranking. That is more than possible, given the close proximity between the two coefficient-wise. If Slovenia can also close the gap on the likes of Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Sweden and Romania, then this would also be seen as a very good year for them.
What to Expect From Slovenia in 2024/25
This has all the makings of another successful year in European football for Slovenia. Speaking with Balkan football expert Richard Wilson, he believes there is reason for Slovenia to start looking for more.
“The long term target for Slovenian football has to be getting into the top 25 in the coefficient table,” Wilson said when asked about what Slovenia’s goal should be in the next two years. “The good news on that aim is that the seasons dropping out of the coefficient calculation in 24/25 and 25/26 were both poor seasons and this season really should be far closer to the 3.875 points earned in 23/24, if not exceeding that.”
“(achieving top 25 is) a big ambition, but there are plenty of reasons for Slovenia to be optimistic going into 24/25 and beyond.” Richard wilson
Wilson even believes that Slovenia could realistically have two teams in the league phase come September. “Matching Slovakia last season with two group participants is definitely not beyond the Slovenian sides this time around,” he says. but warns that since several clubs are in the early stages of their new new projects, multiple league phase teams “may be an expectation better for 25/26 than this season.”
There are many good reasons to believe that Slovenia will have another cracking year in 2024/25. They should see at least 3.000 coefficient points come in, along with at least one side in the league phases come September/October. It is unlikely that Slovenia will be dragged into the race for 33rd, and after falling down the rankings a few years ago, should be looking to make a return to the top 30 within the next two years. A good 2024/25 campaign would go a long way to making that a reality for Slovenian football