Czechoslovakia national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Czechoslovakia

to 1919–1993
Association	Czechoslovak Football Association
Most caps	Zdeněk Nehoda (91)
Top scorer	Antonín Puč (34)
Home stadium	Stadion Evžena Rošického (1926–1993)
FIFA code	TCH
First colours Second colours Third colours
Elo ranking
Highest	1 (24 May 1924)
Lowest	29 (August 1985)
First international
Hungary 2–1 Bohemia  (Budapest, Hungary; 5 April 1903) Post-independence  Czechoslovakia 4–1 Belgium  (Paris, France; 24 June 1919)
Biggest win
Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS  (Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920)  Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS  (Prague, Czechoslovakia; 28 October 1925)
Biggest defeat
Hungary 8–3 Czechoslovakia  (Budapest, Hungary; 19 September 1937)  Scotland 5–0 Czechoslovakia  (Glasgow, Scotland; 8 December 1937)  Hungary 5–0 Czechoslovakia  (Hungary; 30 April 1950)  Hungary 5–0 Czechoslovakia  (Hungary; 19 October 1952)  Austria 5–0 Czechoslovakia  (Zürich, Switzerland; 19 June 1954)
World Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 1934)
Best result	Runners-up (1934, 1962)
European Championship
Appearances	3 (first in 1960)
Best result	Champions (1976)
Medal record FIFA World Cup Silver 1934 Italy Team Silver 1962 Chile Team UEFA European Championship Gold 1976 Yugoslavia Team Bronze 1960 France Team Bronze 1980 Italy Team Olympic Games Gold 1980 Moscow Team Silver 1964 Tokyo Team

The Czechoslovakia national football team was a famous football team that played for Czechoslovakia from 1919 to 1993. This team was managed by the Czechoslovak Football Association. They were very successful, playing in eight World Cups and three European Championships. They even reached the World Cup final twice, in 1934 and 1962. Their biggest win was becoming champions of the European Championship in 1976.

When Czechoslovakia split up at the end of 1992, the team was still playing in the qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. They finished their last games under a new name: Representation of Czechs and Slovaks (RCS). After this, the team was officially disbanded. Today, the Czech Republic and Slovakia national teams are seen as the teams that carry on the legacy of the Czechoslovak team.

History of Czechoslovak Football

Early Days: Bohemia (Before 1919)

Before Czechoslovakia became an independent country, the region of Bohemia had its own football team. They played their first international match on April 5, 1903, losing 2–1 to Hungary. Bohemia played a few more games, including their only win against Hungary in 1907. Their last match was in 1908, a 4–0 loss to England.

Between the World Wars (1919–1939)

After World War I, Czechoslovakia became an independent country. Their first big football event was the Inter-Allied Games in Paris in 1919. This was a sports competition to celebrate the end of the war. Czechoslovakia won their group and then beat France 3–2 in the final.

In 1920, Czechoslovakia played in the Olympic Games in Antwerp. They started strong, winning their first three matches. However, in the final against Belgium, they left the field before the game ended to protest the referee's decisions. Because of this, they were removed from the tournament. They returned for the 1924 Olympics but were knocked out in the second round.

Czechoslovakia first joined the FIFA World Cup in 1934. They qualified by beating Poland. In the finals held in Italy, they played very well. They beat Romania, Switzerland, and Germany to reach the final. In a tough final match, they lost 2–1 to the host country, Italy, after extra time. Their player, Oldřich Nejedlý, was the top scorer of the tournament with five goals.

The team also played in the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France. They made it to the quarter-finals. There, they played against Brazil in a very rough game known as the Battle of Bordeaux. Czechoslovakia lost the replay match 2–1.

After World War II (1945–1958)

After World War II, Czechoslovakia qualified for the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland. They had a strong qualifying round, winning three games and drawing one. But in the main tournament, they were in a tough group and were eliminated after losing to Uruguay and Austria.

They also qualified for the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. They had a mixed performance in the group stage. They lost to Northern Ireland, drew with West Germany, and had a big 6–1 win over Argentina. They then lost a play-off game to Northern Ireland and did not move on to the next stage.

Modern Era of Success (1959–1993)

On April 5, 1959, Czechoslovakia played in the first-ever qualifying match for the UEFA European Championship. They lost their first game but still managed to qualify for the finals in France. They lost in the semi-final to the Soviet Union but won the third-place match against the hosts, France.

Josef Masopust won the Ballon d'Or award for his amazing play in the 1962 World Cup.

Czechoslovakia qualified for the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile. They had a great run in the tournament. They beat Spain and drew with the defending champions, Brazil. Even though they lost to Mexico, they still advanced from their group.

In the quarter-finals, they beat Hungary. Then, they won against Yugoslavia to reach their second World Cup final. In the final match against Brazil, Josef Masopust scored the first goal for Czechoslovakia. However, Brazil came back and won 3–1. Josef Masopust was recognized for his excellent performance and won the Ballon d'Or award that year.

Czechoslovakia did not qualify for the 1966 World Cup or the European Championships in 1964 and 1968. They did make it to the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. However, they lost all three of their group matches in a very tough group that included England and Brazil.

After missing out on a few tournaments, Czechoslovakia reached the 1976 European Championship in Yugoslavia. They won their group and then beat the Soviet Union to get to the semi-finals. They won against the Netherlands in extra time. In the final against West Germany, the score was 2–2, so the game went to a penalty shootout. Antonin Panenka scored the winning penalty with a clever chip shot. This type of penalty kick is now famous and called a "Panenka" after him.

Czechoslovakia playing C.A. Belgrano during their tour in Argentina in 1979.

Czechoslovakia did not qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. They did qualify for Euro 1980 and finished third after beating Italy in a penalty shootout. At the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, they were eliminated in the group stage.

The country's last major tournament was the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. They started well with a 5–1 win over the United States. They then beat Austria to advance from their group. In the Round of 16, Tomáš Skuhravý scored three goals in a 4–1 win over Costa Rica. Czechoslovakia was knocked out in the quarter-finals, losing 1–0 to West Germany.

The Czechoslovakia team, playing as the Representation of Czechs and Slovaks (RCS), played their very last match on November 17, 1993, against Belgium. The game ended in a 0–0 draw, which meant they did not qualify for the 1994 World Cup. Peter Dubovský was the top scorer for RCS in their final qualifying campaign.

Kit History

1934–1976

1950–1967 (away)

1980–1989

1990 Home

1990 Away

1992–93 Away

Competitive Records

The Czechoslovakia national football team participated in many major tournaments. Here's how they performed:

FIFA World Cup Appearances

The team played in the FIFA World Cup eight times. They were runners-up twice, showing their strength on the world stage.

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	—
1930	Did not enter										Declined invitation
1934	Runners-up	2nd	4	3	0	1	9	6	Squad		1	1	0	0	2	1	1934
1938	Quarter-finals	5th	3	1	1	1	5	3	Squad		2	1	1	0	7	1	1938
1950	Did not enter										Did not enter
1954	Group stage	14th	2	0	0	2	0	7	Squad		4	3	1	0	5	1	1954
1958	Group stage	9th	4	1	1	2	9	6	Squad		4	3	0	1	9	3	1958
1962	Runners-up	2nd	6	3	1	2	7	7	Squad		5	4	0	1	20	7	1962
1966	Did not qualify										6	3	1	2	12	4	1966
1970	Group stage	15th	3	0	0	3	2	7	Squad		7	5	1	1	16	7	1970
1974	Did not qualify										4	2	1	1	9	3	1974
1978											4	2	0	2	4	6	1978
1982	Group stage	19th	3	0	2	1	2	4	Squad		8	4	2	2	15	6	1982
1986	Did not qualify										8	3	2	3	11	12	1986
1990	Quarter-finals	6th	5	3	0	2	10	5	Squad		8	5	2	1	13	3	1990
1994	Did not qualify										10	4	5	1	21	9	1994
Total	Runners-up	8/15	30	11	5	14	44	45	—		71	40	16	15	144	63	—

UEFA European Championship Success

Czechoslovakia won the UEFA European Championship once and finished third twice.

UEFA European Championship record											Qualifying record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	—
1960	Third place	3rd	2	1	0	1	2	3	Squad		6	4	1	1	16	5	1960
1964	Did not qualify										2	0	1	1	2	3	1964
1968											6	3	1	2	8	4	1968
1972											6	4	1	1	11	4	1972
1976	Champions	1st	2	1	1	0	5	3	Squad		8	5	2	1	19	7	1976
1980	Third place	3rd	4	1	2	1	5	4	Squad		6	5	0	1	17	4	1980
1984	Did not qualify										8	3	4	1	15	7	1984
1988											6	2	3	1	7	5	1988
1992											8	5	0	3	12	9	1992
Total	1 Title	3/9	8	3	3	2	12	10	—		56	31	13	12	107	48	—

Olympic Games Medals

The team also won medals at the Olympic Games.

Olympic Games record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1908	Withdrew
1912	Did not enter
1920	Disqualified		4	3	0	1	15	3	Squad
1924	Second round	9th	3	1	1	1	6	4	Squad
1928	Did not enter
1936
1948
1952
1956
1960	Did not qualify
1964	Silver medal	2nd	6	5	0	1	19	5	Squad
1968	Group stage	9th	3	1	1	1	10	3	Squad
1972	Did not enter
1976
1980	Gold medal	1st	6	4	2	0	10	1	Squad
1984	Withdrew
1988	Did not qualify
Total	1 Gold medal	5/17	22	14	4	4	60	16	—

Player Records

These tables show the players who played the most games and scored the most goals for Czechoslovakia.

Zdeněk Nehoda played the most games for Czechoslovakia.

Most Games Played

Antonín Puč was the top goalscorer for the team.

Top Goalscorers

Honours and Trophies

The Czechoslovakia national football team won several important titles during its history.

Major Competitions

• FIFA World Cup
  • Runners-up (2): 1934, 1962
• UEFA European Championship
  • Champions (1): 1976
  • Third place (2): 1960, 1980
• Olympic Games
  • Gold medal (1): 1980
  • Silver medal (1): 1964

Regional Titles

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

Other Titles

• Interallied Games
  • Champions (1): 1919

Summary of Medals

Competition				Total
World Cup	0	2	0	2
European Championship	1	0	2	3
Olympic Games	1	1	0	2
Total	2	3	2	7

Images for kids

• 

  Czechoslovakia playing a friendly match against Santos FC in Chile, 1965.

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Checoslovaquia para niños

• Czechoslovakia national under-21 football team
• Czechoslovakia women's national football team
• Czech Republic national football team
• Slovakia national football team