Czech Republic national football team

• 1. Introduction

  ›

  On the 23rd of February 1994, the Czech Republic national football team played its first international match, a friendly away to Turkey. Just over two years later, that same team stood in the UEFA Euro 1996 Final at Wembley Stadium, facing Germany. They lost 2-1. What shaped a country that emerged from a peaceful political split, then reached a continental final before it had ever competed in a World Cup? In the decades after 1996, Czech Republic appeared at every European Championship. They qualified for the World Cup only twice in thirty years. The story moves between golden generations of talent, crushing defeats by single goals, and a stubborn habit of returning from the edge of elimination.

• 2. A Nation Built Overnight

  ›

  When Czechoslovakia divided into two countries at the start of 1993, a new national team had to be built on the Czech side. Football administrators drew on players who had represented Czechoslovakia. Czech Republic's home debut took place in Ostrava, a win against Lithuania.

  Czech Republic's first competitive match also came in Ostrava, a 6-1 win over Malta in the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying campaign. The team recorded six wins and three draws in qualifying, with their only loss coming against Luxembourg. Czech Republic finished top of Group 5, ahead of the Netherlands, who had been considered the group favourites.

  At the finals in England, Czech Republic absorbed a 2-0 opening defeat to Germany but advanced through the group stage.

  Four years later, Czech Republic qualified for Euro 2000 by winning all of their qualifying group games while conceding just five goals. At the finals in Belgium and the Netherlands, the team was placed in Group D alongside France, the Netherlands, and Denmark. A last-minute penalty from the Netherlands ended their first game. France defeated them in the second, ending any chance of reaching the knockout stage. Czech Republic finished the group with a 2-0 win over Denmark, both goals scored by Vladimír Šmicer.

  The 1998 and 2002 World Cup qualifying campaigns each ended without a place in the tournament. In 1998, Czech Republic finished third in their group, behind Spain and Yugoslavia. In 2002, they came second behind Denmark and then lost both play-off legs 1-0 to Belgium. That double defeat to Belgium came just before the same squad would score 53 goals without a single loss.

• 3. The Golden Generation

  ›

  Czech Republic went unbeaten in 19 consecutive matches across 2002 and 2003. The squad centred on Pavel Nedvěd, Jan Koller, Tomáš Rosický, Milan Baroš, Marek Jankulovski, and Tomáš Galásek. Petr Čech had also emerged as the first-choice goalkeeper.

  That unbeaten run finally ended on the 31st of March 2004, in a friendly in Dublin against the Republic of Ireland. Czech Republic entered Euro 2004 in Group D alongside the Netherlands, Germany, and Latvia. Trailing 2-0 to the Netherlands, Czech Republic came back to win 3-2. A victory over Germany in the final group match confirmed their place in the knockout stage.

  After the tournament, Nedvěd announced his retirement from international football. He would not remain in retirement for long.

• 4. The Road to Germany

  ›

  In a World Cup qualifier in Liberec, Czech Republic defeated Andorra 8-1, setting their record winning margin. During that match, Jan Koller scored his 35th international goal to become Czech Republic's all-time leading scorer. The team finished second in Group 1 of the qualifying campaign, then defeated Norway in a play-off to secure their place.

  Before the play-offs, Nedvěd reversed his retirement decision and rejoined the national squad. The team that went to Germany included 18 players from the Euro 2004 campaign, and Czech Republic arrived ranked second in the world.

  Their opening match was a 3-0 win over the United States. During the game, Jan Koller suffered a hamstring injury and played no further part in the tournament. With Milan Baroš still recovering from an injury of his own, Czech Republic lost their second match 2-0 to Ghana. Baroš returned for the third game, a must-win against Italy. Jan Polák was dismissed before half-time after receiving two yellow cards. Italy won 2-0, ending Czech Republic's time in the tournament.

  Pavel Nedvěd, Karel Poborský, and Vratislav Lokvenc all retired from the national team after the tournament. In the qualifying campaign that followed, Czech Republic finished above Germany on head-to-head record to top their group for Euro 2008.

• 5. Extremes and Upheaval

  ›

  Czech Republic opened Euro 2008 with a 1-0 win over co-hosts Switzerland. A 3-1 defeat to Portugal then left them level on points with Turkey heading into their final group game. Czech Republic led 2-0 past the hour mark. Turkey scored three times in the final 15 minutes to win 3-2, ending the Czech campaign in the group stage.

  A 2-1 home defeat to Slovakia during 2010 World Cup qualifying left Czech Republic in a precarious position, and manager Petr Rada was dismissed. Six players were suspended at the same time. Ivan Hašek took temporary charge, drawing away to group leaders Slovakia and thrashing San Marino 7-0 in Uherské Hradiště. Czech Republic still finished third in the group and did not qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Hašek announced his immediate resignation.

  Under Michal Bílek, Czech Republic qualified for Euro 2012 through a 3-0 aggregate win over Montenegro in the play-offs. At the tournament, Czech Republic lost their opening match 4-1 to Russia. Against Greece in the second game, Petr Jiráček and Václav Pilař scored within the first six minutes to give Czech Republic a 2-0 lead. A second-half mistake by goalkeeper Petr Čech let Greece back in, but Czech Republic won 2-1. Jiráček then scored the only goal against Poland in the final group game. Czech Republic finished top of Group A, becoming the first team in European Championship history to win a group with a negative goal difference.

  On the 1st of June 2018, Czech Republic lost 0-4 to Australia in Sankt Pölten, Austria, their heaviest defeat at the time. That record was eclipsed in their first Euro 2020 qualifier, a 0-5 loss to England at Wembley. Czech Republic still qualified for Euro 2020, finishing second in their qualifying group. Their results included a 2-1 home win over England. On the 18th of November 2020, a 2-0 home win over Slovakia secured Czech Republic promotion to League A of the UEFA Nations League.

• 6. Schick and the Return

  ›

  Patrik Schick scored twice as Czech Republic beat Scotland 2-0 in their opening game at the Euro 2020 tournament, played in the summer of 2021. His second goal was struck from long range. Czech Republic drew 1-1 against Croatia, then lost 1-0 to England at Wembley in the final group game. They still finished among the four best third-place teams and advanced to the knockout rounds.

  In the round of 16, Czech Republic defeated the Netherlands 2-0 through goals from Tomáš Holeš and Schick. The Dutch finished the match with ten men. Against Denmark in the quarter-finals, Czech Republic conceded within five minutes following a refereeing decision based on a corner that had not been awarded. Denmark won 2-1.

  Czech Republic failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, finishing third in their group behind Belgium and Wales. A play-off route through the Nations League ended in a 1-0 extra-time defeat to Sweden.

  Schick missed the entire Euro 2024 qualifying campaign through injury. Czech Republic still secured second place in their group with a 3-0 home win over Moldova on the final day. Coach Jaroslav Šilhavý resigned afterward, amid criticism from fans and controversy surrounding some of the squad's players. Ivan Hašek returned as head coach on the 4th of January 2024.

  At Euro 2024, Czech Republic lost 2-1 to Portugal in their opening game, then drew 1-1 with Georgia. In the final group match against Turkey, Antonín Barák was dismissed early after a second yellow card. Czech Republic lost 2-1, finishing fourth in Group F. It was the third time they had lost a decisive match against Turkey at a major tournament, after Euro 2008 and Euro 2016.

  On the 23rd of March 2026, Ladislav Krejčí was confirmed as Czech Republic's new captain, following Tomáš Souček's earlier dismissal. Czech Republic then won both second-round qualifying ties for the 2026 World Cup on penalty shootouts, eliminating the Republic of Ireland and Denmark. Patrik Schick, with 25 goals from 52 caps, heads into that tournament as Czech Republic's leading active scorer. Jan Koller's all-time record of 55 international goals stands ahead of him.