Five smallest nations to have qualified for the FIFA World Cup

3. Slovenia

With a population of little under 2 million, at the time of their qualification, Slovenia made history when they qualified for FIFA World Cup in 2002, barely a decade after becoming an independent nation. They did so again eight years later, when they qualified for the 2010 World Cup, defeating favorites Romania and Russia in the play-offs. In their very first campaign, they lost all three group games against Spain, Paraguay and South Africa.

Their second campaign was a little better as it brought them their first ever World Cup victory when they beat Algeria 1-0. After going 2-0 up against USA, they ended up drawing the game 2-2 and missed a golden opportunity to reach the last 16. In their final game against England, although they lost 1-0, they harbored hopes of qualifying for the next round, but USA win over Algeria meant that, they were denied a momentous march into the second round.