Slovenia v Scotland: Pocognoli era starts in Ljubljana
Sébastien Pocognoli's Scotland start a new chapter in Ljubljana.
Scotland face Slovenia at Stadion Stožice on Saturday, 26 September 2026. Kick-off is scheduled for 2pm UK time, according to the Scottish FA Scottish FA. It is the opening game of the 2026-27 Nations League, UEFA's tournament that groups national teams by rank and plays home and away.
The Scottish FA has billed the trip as the start of the Pocognoli era. The Belgian named his first Scotland squad for these fixtures earlier in September Scottish FA.
Scotland sit in League B Group B1 alongside Switzerland, Slovenia and North Macedonia. Each team plays the others home and away. It is the fifth edition of the competition, which gets under way in September 2026.
History favours the visitors. The sides last met in 2017. Slovenia have never beaten Scotland in five previous meetings, with Scotland winning two of them, while the last two games in Slovenia both ended level BBC Sport.
Slovenia are led by head coach Bostjan Cesar. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak was set to captain the side and win his 85th cap, an international appearance, in this match The Guardian.
The hosts are without their star striker. Benjamin Sesko, the Manchester United forward, withdrew with a shin injury. Andraz Sporar was tipped to lead the attack in his absence. Defenders Kenan Bajric and Marcel Ratnik were also forced out through injury.
Scotland captain Andy Robertson was set to win his 98th cap in Ljubljana. Oli McBurnie earned a recall after missing out on Scotland's World Cup squad. Goalkeeper Craig Gordon has retired and was not included.
Pocognoli also left out several familiar names. Lyndon Dykes, Ross Stewart, George Hirst, Grant Hanley, John Souttar and Anthony Ralston had no place in his first squad.
Fans at home can watch live. The match was shown on BBC One and available on BBC iPlayer Herald Scotland.
What makes this stand out is the clean slate. New manager. New group. A chance for fringe players to stake a claim. For Scotland supporters, it is a first look at how Pocognoli wants his team to play.
The schedule moves fast. Scotland host Switzerland on 29 September, while Slovenia host North Macedonia the same night. Scotland then travel to North Macedonia on 3 October as Switzerland face Slovenia.
