Czech Republic national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Czech Republic

Nickname	Repre (The Representatives)
Association	Football Association of the Czech Republic (FAČR)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Vacant
Captain	Ladislav Krejčí
Most caps	Petr Čech (124)
Top scorer	Jan Koller (55)
Home stadium	Various
FIFA code	CZE
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	44 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest	2 (September 1999; January – May 2000; April – May 2005; January – May 2006)
Lowest	67 (March 1994)
First international
Hungary 2–1 Bohemia  (Budapest, Hungary; 5 April 1903) as Czech Republic  Turkey 1–4 Czech Republic  (Istanbul, Turkey; 23 February 1994)
Biggest win
Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS  (Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920) as Czech Republic  Czech Republic 8–1 Andorra  (Liberec, Czech Republic; 4 June 2005)  Czech Republic 7–0 San Marino  (Liberec, Czech Republic; 7 October 2006)  Czech Republic 7–0 San Marino  (Uherské Hradiště, Czech Republic; 9 September 2009)  Czech Republic 7–0 Kuwait  (Olomouc, Czech Republic; 11 November 2021)
Biggest defeat
Hungary 8–3 Czechoslovakia  (Budapest, Hungary; 19 September 1937) as Czech Republic  England 5–0 Czech Republic  (London, England; 22 March 2019)
World Cup
Appearances	10 (first in 1934 as Czechoslovakia 2006 as Czech Republic)
Best result	As Czechoslovakia: Runners-up (1934, 1962) As Czech Republic: Group stage (2006, 2026)
European Championship
Appearances	11 (first in 1960 as Czechoslovakia 1996 as Czech Republic)
Best result	As Czechoslovakia: Champions (1976) As Czech Republic: Runners-up (1996)
Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 1997)
Best result	Third place (1997)
Medal record FIFA World Cup Silver 1934 Italy Team Silver 1962 Chile Team UEFA European Championship Gold 1976 Yugoslavia Team Silver 1996 England Team Bronze 1960 France Team Bronze 1980 Italy Team Olympic Games Gold 1980 Moscow Team Silver 1964 Tokyo Team FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze 1997 Saudi Arabia Team

The Czech Republic national football team (called Česká fotbalová reprezentace in Czech) plays for the Czech Republic in international football matches. FIFA also knows them as Czechia. The team is managed by the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FAČR). Before the Czech Republic became a separate country, its players competed as Bohemia and Czechoslovakia.

After Czechoslovakia split up, the Czech Republic team played its first big tournament at UEFA Euro 1996. They did very well, finishing as runners-up. Since then, they have played in every European Championship. They also played in the FIFA World Cup in 2006 and again in 2026.

History of Czech Football

The Early Years: 1990s Football

When Czechoslovakia divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, a new Czech Republic team was formed. Their first friendly match was against Turkey on 23 February 1994. They won their first home game in Ostrava against Lithuania.

Their first official competition was for UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying. They beat Malta 6–1. The team won their qualifying group, even beating strong teams like the Netherlands. In the main tournament in England, they reached the UEFA Euro 1996 Final. They lost 2–1 to Germany at Wembley Stadium.

The Czechs did not qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. They finished third in their qualifying group.

Football in the 2000s: Big Tournaments

The Czech Republic qualified for UEFA Euro 2000 by winning all their group games. In the finals, they were in a tough group with France, the Netherlands, and Denmark. They lost to the Netherlands and France, which meant they could not move past the group stage. They won their last game 2–0 against Denmark.

They also missed the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They lost to Belgium in the play-offs.

A strong team with players like Pavel Nedvěd, Jan Koller, Tomáš Rosický, Milan Baroš, and goalkeeper Petr Čech played very well in 2002 and 2003. They were unbeaten for 20 games and qualified for UEFA Euro 2004. In the Euro finals, they were in Group D with the Netherlands, Germany, and Latvia. They came back from 2–0 down to beat the Netherlands 3–2. They also beat Germany. They then beat Denmark in the quarter-finals. In the semi-final against Greece, they lost after a "silver goal" in extra time.

Czech Republic (red) playing against Ghana (white) at the 2006 World Cup.

The Czech Republic had a huge 8–1 win against Andorra during 2006 World Cup qualifying. Jan Koller became the team's top scorer in that match. They qualified for their first FIFA World Cup by beating Norway in a play-off. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, they started with a 3–0 win over the United States. However, Jan Koller got injured. They then lost 2–0 to Ghana and 2–0 to Italy, which meant they did not move past the group stage. After the tournament, players like Pavel Nedvěd and Karel Poborský retired from the national team.

For UEFA Euro 2008, they finished first in their qualifying group, ahead of Germany. In the finals, they beat Switzerland 1–0 but lost to Portugal 3–1. In their final group game, they were leading Turkey 2–0 but lost 3–2 after Turkey scored three late goals. This meant they were out of the tournament.

The Czechs did not qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They finished third in their group. After some tough losses, coach Petr Rada was replaced. Ivan Hašek took over temporarily.

A New Decade: 2010s Challenges and Successes

Under coach Michal Bílek, the team started their Euro 2012 qualifiers with a loss to Lithuania. But they improved, beating Scotland and Liechtenstein. They secured a play-off spot and then beat Montenegro to qualify for Euro 2012.

At UEFA Euro 2012, they lost their first game 4–1 to Russia. They then beat Greece 2–1 and Poland 1–0. This helped them finish first in their group. In the quarter-finals, they lost 1–0 to Portugal.

The Czechs did not qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Coach Bílek resigned and Josef Pešice took over temporarily.

Pavel Vrba became the new coach in 2014 for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying. The team started strong, beating the Netherlands, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Iceland. They qualified for their sixth European Championship. In the tournament, they only got one point from a draw with Croatia, losing to Spain and Turkey.

They qualified directly for UEFA Euro 2020. They finished second in their qualifying group. They even beat England at home (2–1).

Recent Football Journeys: The 2020s

In November 2020, the Czech Republic earned promotion to League A in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League. They beat Slovakia 2–0.

The year 2021 was good for the Czech Republic. They drew 1–1 with Belgium in the World Cup qualifiers. At UEFA Euro 2020 (played in 2021 due to COVID-19), they advanced from their group. They won their first game against Scotland 2–0, with two goals from Patrik Schick. They drew 1–1 with Croatia and lost 1–0 to England. They made it to the knockout stage as one of the best third-place teams. In the Round of 16, they surprised the Netherlands with a 2–0 win. They reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012 but lost 2–1 to Denmark.

The Czech Republic did not qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. They finished third in their qualifying group. They then lost to Sweden in the play-offs. They were also relegated to League B in the 2022–2023 Nations League.

The team qualified for UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany. They finished second in their qualifying group after a 3–0 home win over Moldova. After qualifying, coach Jaroslav Šilhavý resigned.

On 4 January 2024, Ivan Hašek became the head coach again. He led the team to wins against Norway and Armenia. At UEFA Euro 2024, the Czech Republic did not reach the Round of 16. They lost 2–1 to Portugal, drew 1–1 with Georgia, and lost 2–1 to Turkey. They finished fourth in their group.

On 23 March 2026, Ladislav Krejčí became the new captain. Later that month, the Czech Republic won play-off matches against the Republic of Ireland and Denmark. They won both on penalty shootouts. This meant they qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, their first appearance since 2006. At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, they were in Group A. They lost 2–1 to South Korea, drew 1–1 with South Africa, and lost 3–0 to Mexico. They finished fourth in their group and did not advance.

Team Uniforms and Sponsors

Since 1994, the Czech Republic's home kit has mostly been red shirts with blue or red shorts. Their away kit has been white shirts with white shorts. For a short time in 2010-2011, they wore blue shorts. In 2020, they introduced yellow as a new alternate color for their away kit.

In June 2026, before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Football Association of the Czech Republic announced a new kit supplier. Adidas will make their kits starting in 2027, ending a 30-year partnership with Puma.

Year	Kit supplier
1994−1996	Adidas
1996−2026	Puma
2027−	Adidas

Home Stadiums for Matches

Many cities have hosted Czech Republic football matches since 1994. The most used stadium was Stadion Letná in Prague, home to Sparta Prague. Another popular stadium was Na Stínadlech in Teplice.

Since 2018, bigger matches are often played at the newer Stadion Eden in Prague. This stadium is home to Slavia Prague. Other stadiums like Doosan Arena in Plzeň, Andrův stadion in Olomouc, and Městský stadion in Ostrava also host games.

Recent Match Results

The following is a list of match results from the last year.

      Win       Draw       Loss

2025 Matches

Montenegro  v  Czech Republic

5 September 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Montenegro	0–2	Czech Republic	Podgorica, Montenegro
20:45 UTC+2			Červ  3' Černý  90+6'	Stadium: Podgorica City Stadium Attendance: 6,315 Referee: Marco Guida (Italy)

Czech Republic  v  Saudi Arabia

8 September 2025 Friendly	Czech Republic	1–1	Saudi Arabia	Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
19:15 UTC+2	Chorý  21' (pen.)		Al-Hamdan  90+1'	Stadium: Malšovická aréna Attendance: 8,300 Referee: Martin Dohál (Slovakia)

Czech Republic  v  Croatia

9 October 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Czech Republic	0–0	Croatia	Prague, Czech Republic
20:45 UTC+2				Stadium: Fortuna Arena Attendance: 18,870 Referee: François Letexier (France)

Faroe Islands  v  Czech Republic

12 October 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Faroe Islands	2–1	Czech Republic	Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
17:00 UTC+1	Sørensen  67' Agnarsson  81'		Karabec  78'	Stadium: Tórsvøllur Attendance: 2,980 Referee: Andrea Colombo (Italy)

Czech Republic  v  San Marino

13 November 2025 Friendly	Czech Republic	1–0	San Marino	Karviná, Czech Republic
18:00 UTC+1	Souček  40'			Stadium: Městský stadion Attendance: 3,721 Referee: Paweł Raczkowski (Poland)

Czech Republic  v  Gibraltar

17 November 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Czech Republic	6–0	Gibraltar	Olomouc, Czech Republic
20:45 UTC+1	Douděra  5' Chorý  18' Coufal  32' Karabec  39' Souček  44' Hranáč  51'			Stadium: Andrův stadion Attendance: 6,587 Referee: Sascha Stegemann (Germany)

2026 Matches

Czech Republic  v  Republic of Ireland

26 March 2026 2026 World Cup qualification play-offs	Czech Republic	2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p)	Republic of Ireland	Prague, Czech Republic
20:45 UTC+1	Schick  27' (pen.) Krejčí  86'		Parrott  19' (pen.) Kovář  23' (o.g.)	Stadium: Fortuna Arena Attendance: 19,137 Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
	Penalties
	Krejčí Souček Chytil Schick Kliment		Parrott Idah Brady Azaz Browne

Czech Republic  v  Denmark

31 March 2026 2026 World Cup qualification play-offs	Czech Republic	2–2 (a.e.t.) (3–1 p)	Denmark	Prague, Czech Republic
20:45 UTC+2	Šulc  3' Krejčí  100'		Andersen  72' Høgh  111'	Stadium: Stadion Letná Attendance: 18,215 Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
	Penalties
	Chorý Souček Krejčí Sadílek		Højlund Eriksen Dreyer Jensen

Czech Republic  v  Kosovo

31 May 2026 Friendly	Czech Republic	2–1	Kosovo	Prague, Czech Republic
16:00 UTC+2	Ladra  12' Hložek  32'		Emërllahu  81'	Stadium: Stadion Letná Attendance: 11,102 Referee: Michal Očenáš (Slovakia)

Czech Republic  v  Guatemala

4 June 2026 Friendly	Czech Republic	3–1	Guatemala	Harrison, United States
20:00 UTC−4	Schick  11' Chorý  72' Višinský  79'		Fajardo  40'	Stadium: Sports Illustrated Stadium Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauzière (Canada)

South Korea  v  Czech Republic

11 June 2026 2026 FIFA World Cup GS	South Korea	2–1	Czech Republic	Zapopan, Mexico
20:00 UTC−6	Hwang In-beom  67' Oh Hyeon-gyu  80'		Krejčí  59'	Stadium: Estadio Akron Attendance: 44,985 Referee: Amin Mohamed Omar (Egypt)

Czech Republic  v  South Africa

18 June 2026 2026 FIFA World Cup GS	Czech Republic	1–1	South Africa	Atlanta, United States
12:00 UTC−4	Sadílek  6'		Mokoena  83' (pen.)	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Attendance: 67,442 Referee: Tori Penso (United States)

Czech Republic  v  Mexico

24 June 2026 2026 FIFA World Cup GS	Czech Republic	0–3	Mexico	Mexico City, Mexico
19:00 UTC−6			Chávez  55' Quiñones  61' Fidalgo  90+4'	Stadium: Estadio Azteca Attendance: 80,824 Referee: Yael Falcón (Argentina)

Coaching Staff and History

Position	Name
Head coach	Vacant
Assistant coach	Jan Suchopárek Jaroslav Plašil Jan Rezek
Goalkeeping coach	Radek Černý Matúš Kozáčik

Coaching History Overview

Current Players

Meet the Current Squad

The following players were part of the team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Caps and goals updated as of 24 June 2026 after the match against Mexico.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Matěj Kovář	(2000-05-17) 17 May 2000 (age 26)	23	0	PSV Eindhoven
16	1GK	Jindřich Staněk	(1996-04-27) 27 April 1996 (age 30)	14	0	Slavia Prague
23	1GK	Lukáš Horníček	(2002-07-13) 13 July 2002 (age 24)	1	0	Braga
2	2DF	David Zima	(2000-11-08) 8 November 2000 (age 25)	26	1	Slavia Prague
3	2DF	Tomáš Holeš	(1993-03-31) 31 March 1993 (age 33)	43	2	Slavia Prague
4	2DF	Robin Hranáč	(2000-01-29) 29 January 2000 (age 26)	17	1	TSG Hoffenheim
5	2DF	Vladimír Coufal	(1992-08-22) 22 August 1992 (age 33)	65	2	TSG Hoffenheim
6	2DF	Štěpán Chaloupek	(2003-03-08) 8 March 2003 (age 23)	6	0	Slavia Prague
7	2DF	Ladislav Krejčí (captain)	(1999-04-20) 20 April 1999 (age 27)	30	6	Wolverhampton Wanderers
14	2DF	David Jurásek	(2000-08-07) 7 August 2000 (age 25)	18	1	Slavia Prague
20	2DF	Jaroslav Zelený	(1992-08-20) 20 August 1992 (age 33)	25	0	Sparta Prague
21	2DF	David Douděra	(1998-05-31) 31 May 1998 (age 28)	18	2	Slavia Prague
8	3MF	Vladimír Darida	(1990-08-08) 8 August 1990 (age 35)	80	8	Hradec Králové
12	3MF	Lukáš Červ	(2001-04-10) 10 April 2001 (age 25)	19	2	Viktoria Plzeň
15	3MF	Pavel Šulc	(2000-12-29) 29 December 2000 (age 25)	24	5	Lyon
17	3MF	Lukáš Provod	(1996-10-23) 23 October 1996 (age 29)	41	3	Slavia Prague
18	3MF	Michal Sadílek	(1999-05-31) 31 May 1999 (age 27)	38	2	Slavia Prague
22	3MF	Tomáš Souček	(1995-02-27) 27 February 1995 (age 31)	93	17	West Ham United
24	3MF	Alexandr Sojka	(2003-04-02) 2 April 2003 (age 23)	5	0	Viktoria Plzeň
25	3MF	Hugo Sochůrek	(2008-06-07) 7 June 2008 (age 18)	1	0	Sparta Prague
26	3MF	Denis Višinský	(2003-03-21) 21 March 2003 (age 23)	3	1	Viktoria Plzeň
9	4FW	Adam Hložek	(2002-07-25) 25 July 2002 (age 23)	46	5	TSG Hoffenheim
10	4FW	Patrik Schick	(1996-01-24) 24 January 1996 (age 30)	56	26	Bayer Leverkusen
11	4FW	Jan Kuchta	(1997-01-08) 8 January 1997 (age 29)	31	3	Sparta Prague
13	4FW	Mojmír Chytil	(1999-04-29) 29 April 1999 (age 27)	23	6	Slavia Prague
19	4FW	Tomáš Chorý	(1995-01-26) 26 January 1995 (age 31)	24	7	Slavia Prague

Player Statistics and Records

Players in bold are still active with the Czech Republic.

This list does not include players that won caps for Czechoslovakia.

Most Appearances for the Team

Petr Čech, who played the most games for the Czech Republic with 124 matches.

Top Goalscorers for the Team

Jan Koller, the player with the most goals for the Czech Republic, scoring 55 times.

Team Achievements and Honours

Global Competitions

• FIFA World Cup
  • Runners-up (2): 1934, 1962 (as Czechoslovakia)
• FIFA Confederations Cup
  • Third place (1): 1997
• Olympic Games
  • Gold medal (1): 1980 (as Czechoslovakia)
  • Silver medal (1): 1964 (as Czechoslovakia)

Continental Competitions

• UEFA European Championship
  • Champions (1): 1976 (as Czechoslovakia)
  • Runners-up (1): 1996
  • Third place (2): 1960, 1980 (as Czechoslovakia), 2004

Regional Competitions

• Central European International Cup
  • Champions (1): 1955–60
  • Runners-up (2): 1927–30, 1948–53

Friendly Tournaments

• Inter-Allied Games
  • Gold medal (1): 1919

Summary of Medals

Competition				Total
FIFA World Cup	0	2	0	2
FIFA Confederations Cup	0	0	1	1
Olympic Games	1	1	0	2
UEFA European Championship	1	1	3	5
Total	2	4	4	10

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de la República Checa para niños

• Football in the Czech Republic
• Czech Republic national football team results (1994–2019)
• Czech Republic national under-21 football team
• Czech Republic national under-19 football team
• Czech Republic national under-18 football team
• Czech Republic national under-17 football team