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 men's football team that played for Czechoslovakia from 1919 to 1993. It was managed by the Czechoslovak Football Association. The team was very successful, reaching the World Cup finals twice and winning the European Championship once.

When Czechoslovakia split into two countries at the end of 1992, the team was still playing in the qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. They finished their games under a new name: Representation of Czechs and Slovaks (RCS). After that, the team was officially ended. Today, both the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic national teams are seen as the teams that continue the legacy of Czechoslovakia's football history.

History of Czechoslovak Football

Early Days: Bohemia's Team

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 until 1908.

In 1911, Bohemia won a special European football tournament. They beat the England team 2–1 in the final.

Between the World Wars

After World War I, Czechoslovakia became an independent country. Their new national team played its first games in 1919 at the Inter-Allied Games in Paris. These games celebrated the Allied victory in 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 had big wins against Yugoslavia, Norway, and France. However, in the final against Belgium, the team walked off the field in protest. They were then removed from the tournament.

Czechoslovakia entered the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 1934. They made it all the way to the final in Italy. They lost a close game 2–1 to the host country after extra time. Oldřich Nejedlý was a star player, scoring five goals and winning the Golden Shoe award.

The team also played in the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France. They reached the quarter-finals but lost to Brazil in a tough match known as the "Battle of Bordeaux."

After World War II

Czechoslovakia did not play in the 1950 World Cup. But they qualified for the 1954 tournament in Switzerland. 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 big 6–1 win against Argentina. However, they lost a play-off game to Northern Ireland and did not advance.

Modern Era Success

On April 5, 1959, Czechoslovakia played in the first-ever qualifying match for the UEFA European Championship. They reached the four-team finals in France. They finished in third place after beating the hosts, France, 2–0.

Czechoslovakia qualified for the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile. They had a strong start, beating Spain and drawing with Brazil. They reached their second World Cup final. In the final, Josef Masopust scored an early goal, but Brazil came back to win 3–1. Masopust was later awarded the Ballon d'Or for his amazing performance.

Josef Masopust won the Ballon d'Or for his performance in the Czechoslovakia side which reached the 1962 FIFA World Cup Final

The team missed out on the 1966 World Cup and the European Championships in 1964 and 1968. They did qualify for the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. However, they lost all three of their group matches.

A big moment came in the 1976 European Championship in Yugoslavia. Czechoslovakia won their group and then beat the Soviet Union. In the final, they played against West Germany. The game was tied 2–2, so it went to a penalty shootout. Antonin Panenka scored the winning penalty with a famous chip shot. This type of penalty kick is now known as a "Panenka." Many of the players in this winning squad were Slovak.

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

Czechoslovakia did not qualify for the 1978 World Cup. But they did play in Euro 1980. They finished third after winning a penalty shootout against Italy. 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 had a great start, winning 5–1 against the United States. They reached the quarter-finals, where they lost 1–0 to West Germany. The manager, Jozef Vengloš, later became the first foreign manager in English football.

The team, playing as RCS, played its very last match on November 17, 1993, against Belgium. The game ended in a 0–0 draw, meaning RCS did not qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

Kit History

1934–1976

1950–1967 (away)

1980–1989

1990 Home

1990 Away

1991-93 Home

1992–93 Away

Results and Fixtures

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup

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

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

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

Zdeněk Nehoda

Antonín Puč

Honours and Achievements

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

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  Czechoslovakia v Santos FC friendly match 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