Following the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Axis powers in 1939, Slovakia became an autonomous state. The Slovak Football Association was formed in 1938, becoming a member of Fifa in 1939 with the country playing 16 matches before being subsumed into the Czechoslovakian Football Association at the end of World War Two.
Following the break up of Czechoslovakia in 1991, the newly independent nations of the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic competed as the RCS, the Representation of Czechs and Slovaks, in the World Cup qualifying campaign for USA 1994.
Slovakia joined UEFA and FIFA in 1993 playing their first match as an independent nation against the United Arab Emirates in 1994.
Gareth Bale scored his first international goal against Slovakia in the first ever meeting between both countries in the Millennium Stadium in 2006.