Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the first international competition of the Czech Republic was the UEFA Euro 1996, where they finished runners-up, and they have taken part in every European Championship since. Following the separation, they have featured in one FIFA World Cup, the 2006 tournament.
When Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the Czech Republic team was formed. They played their first friendly match away to Turkey on 23 February 1994. The newly-formed team played their first home game in Ostrava, against Lithuania, in which they registered their first home win.
Their first competitive match was part of the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying campaign, in which they defeated Malta 6–1 in Ostrava. During the campaign, the Czech Republic registered six wins, three draws, and a defeat against Luxembourg, finishing their qualifying Group 5 in first place, ahead of group favourites the Netherlands. In the final tournament, hosted by England, the Czechs progressed from the group stage, despite a 2–0 opening game defeat to Germany. They progressed to the UEFA Euro 1996 Final, losing 2–1 to Germany at Wembley Stadium.
The Czechs finished third in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifying group, behind Spain and Yugoslavia, and subsequently missed the tournament.
2000s
The Czech Republic qualified for Euro 2000, winning all of their group games and conceding five goals.[2] In the finals the team were drawn in Group D, alongside France, the Netherlands and Denmark.[3] The team lost to the Netherlands after last-minute penalty[4] and lost the second match against France, which eliminated them from advancing to the knockout round. The Czech Republic managed a 2–0 win against Denmark in their final game courtesy of two goals from Vladimír Šmicer.[4]
Once again, the Czech Republic failed to qualify for the World Cup, this time finishing second in their 2002 qualification group, behind Denmark, and then being beaten 1–0 in both legs by Belgium in the UEFA play-offs for a place in the finals.
A team settled with Pavel Nedvěd, Jan Koller, Tomáš Rosický, Milan Baroš, Marek Jankulovski, Tomáš Galásek together with the emergence of goalkeeper Petr Čech were unbeaten in 2002 and 2003, scoring 53 goals in 19 games and qualifying for Euro 2004 in the process. The Czech Republic went on a 20-game unbeaten streak, which finally ended in Dublin on 31 March 2004 in a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland.[5] The Czechs entered the Euro finals in Group D, alongside the Netherlands, Germany and Latvia.[6] The team trailed 2–0 to the Netherlands before winning the game 3–2 and beat Germany in the final group match.[7] The Czech Republic beat Denmark in the quarter-final, went into the semi-final against Greece and Tomáš Rosický hit the bar after just two minutes, Jan Koller had shots saved by the Greek goalkeeper and Pavel Nedvěd left the pitch injured in the end of the first half. It was not to be as the 90 minutes finished goalless and Greece won the game in the last minute of the first half of extra-time with a silver goal.[8]
The Czech Republic achieved their record win during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA), thrashing Andorra 8–1 in a qualification match in Liberec. In the same match, Jan Koller became the all-time top scorer for the national team with his 35th international goal.[9] At the end of the campaign, after finishing in second place in Group 1 then defeating Norway in a playoff, the Czechs qualified for their first FIFA World Cup.[10] The team was boosted prior to the play-off matches by the return of Pavel Nedvěd,[11] who had initially retired from international football after Euro 2004. The squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany included 18 of the Euro 2004 team which reached the semi-finals. With the team ranked second in the world,[12] they started the tournament with a 3–0 win over the United States. During the game, however, Jan Koller was forced to leave with a hamstring injury,[13] putting him out of the tournament. In the next game, with Koller absent and Milan Baroš still recovering from injury, the team suffered a 2–0 loss to Ghana.[12] Baroš returned for the final game against Italy which the Czechs had to win to progress. The team were reduced to ten men as Jan Polák was dismissed before half-time for two bookable offences.[13] Italy went on to win 2–0. Pavel Nedvěd, Karel Poborský and Vratislav Lokvenc retired from the national team after this tournament.[14]
In the qualifying campaign for Euro 2008, they finished top of their group, above Germany on head-to-head records. The Czech Republic beat co-hosts Switzerland 1–0 in their opening game of the final tournament, before being beaten 3–1 by Portugal, meaning that they and Turkey carried identical records going into the final group game. Although the Czechs took a 2–0 lead just past the hour mark and looked set to qualify, Turkey scored three goals in the final 15 minutes of the game to win the game 3–2.[15]
The Czechs faced World Cup qualification, being drawn in Group 3, under the guidance of coach Petr Rada. They started with a 0–0 away draw against Northern Ireland, before losing to Poland. A late goal from Libor Sionko won the next game 1–0 against Slovenia. This was followed by a win against San Marino, and a goalless draw in Slovenia. In their following match, against neighbours Slovakia, a 2–1 defeat at home left Czech Republic in a precarious qualifying position. Manager Petr Rada was dismissed and six players were suspended.[16]Ivan Hašek took temporary charge as manager,[17] gaining four points from his first two matches, as the team drew away to group leaders Slovakia and thrashed San Marino 7–0 in Uherské Hradiště. They subsequently beat Poland in Prague but followed this result with a goalless draw against Northern Ireland, finishing third in the group and failing to qualify for the World Cup. Hašek announced his immediate resignation.[18]
2010s
A changed team under Michal Bílek entered the Euro 2012qualifiers and began with a home loss to Lithuania. But a win at home to Scotland was followed by wins against Liechtenstein. Spain defeated Czech Republic in between the Liechtenstein games, but the play-off spot was still in their hands. In the next game, a last minute penalty from Michal Kadlec away to Scotland secured a 2–2 draw.[19] Despite Scotland winning their next two games and the Czechs again being defeated by Spain, the team could finish second if they could beat Lithuania away from home in the final game, assuming Spain would beat Scotland at home. Spain won 3–1 and Czech Republic defeated Lithuania 4–1 to seal second spot and a place in the play-offs. Czech Republic were drawn to face Montenegro in the two-legged play-off. A goal from Václav Pilař and a last minute second from Tomáš Sivok helped the Czechs to a 2–0 first leg lead. In the second leg in Podgorica, a late goal from Petr Jiráček sealed a 1–0 win and the Czechs ran out 3–0 aggregate winners and qualified for Euro 2012.
At the tournament, the Czechs lost their opening game 4–1 to Russia, with their only goal coming from Václav Pilař. In their second match, against Greece, the Czech Republic went 2–0 up within the first six minutes thanks to goals from Petr Jiráček and a second from Pilař. Following the half-time substitution of captain Tomáš Rosický, Greece scored a second-half goal following a mistake from Czech goalkeeper Petr Čech, although there were no more goals and the Czech Republic recorded their first win of the tournament.[20] Going into their third and final group match, the Czech Republic needed at least a draw against co-hosts Poland to advance to the knock-out stage of the tournament. A second-half strike by Jiráček proved the difference between the teams as the Czechs ran out 1–0 winners. Due to Greece beating Russia in the other group game, the Czech Republic subsequently finished top of Group A,[21] becoming the first team to ever win a group at the European Championships with a negative goal difference.[22] The Czech team faced Portugal in the quarter-finals. Portugal eventually made the breakthrough with 11 minutes remaining through a header from Cristiano Ronaldo to win the match 1–0 and eliminate Czech Republic.
Bílek stayed on as coach, despite unrest amongst fans, and was tasked with qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.[23] The Czechs were drawn into UEFA Qualifying Group B along with Italy, Denmark, Bulgaria, Armenia and Malta. The beginning of the campaign was [23] two goalless draws with Denmark and Bulgaria, paired with a narrow win against Malta, capping off their first three games. The team then lost 0–3 to Denmark at home. The team was able to win against Armenia and draw with group leaders Italy, but lost to both Armenia and Italy in the rematches.[23] Bílek resigned[23] after the loss and was replaced with assistant coach Josef Pešice.[24] In their last two games with their new coach, the Czechs recorded wins over Malta and Bulgaria but lost to Italy, leaving them in third place and ending their qualification hopes. Pešice resigned as coach following the conclusion of qualifying.
Pavel Vrba was appointed as the team's new coach on the first day of 2014, ahead of Euro 2016 qualifying.[25] The Czech team was drawn into[26]Group A, along with Netherlands, Turkey, Iceland, Latvia and Kazakhstan. The Czech team began with a win, defeating Netherlands, and followed up with victories over Turkey, Kazakhstan and Iceland, leaving them as group leaders with maximum points after four matches. A draw at home against Latvia followed; nonetheless, Czech Republic remained group leader, and on 6 September 2015, qualified for their sixth European Championship. They only got one point from a draw with Croatia, losing to Spain and Turkey. During a friendly match against Australia on 1 June 2018, the Czechs recorded their biggest defeat losing 0–4 in Sankt Pölten, Austria.[27] It was surpassed during their first qualifier for Euro 2020, as they were beaten 0–5 at Wembley Stadium by England.[28]
Since 1994, the Czech Republic home kit has primarily been red shirts, with either blue or red shorts. While their away kit has been white shirts with white shorts. Although the team wore blue shorts for a short period between 2010 and 2011. In 2020 the team introduced a new alternate colour as the away kit for the first time.[29]
Stadiums
Ten different cities hosted national team matches of the Czech Republic between 1994 and 2011.[30] The most commonly-used stadium is Generali Arena, the home stadium of AC Sparta Prague. As of 3 June 2014, the team has played 36 of 92 home matches there. Since 2012, competitive games have also been held Doosan Arena, Plzeň.
Stadiums which have hosted Czech Republic international football matches:
On 25 May 2021, the following 25 players were called up for the UEFA Euro 2020.[33]Michal Sadílek was announced as the final player in the squad on 27 May, after the confirmation of Ondřej Kúdela's ten-match ban.[34]
Milan Baroš is a Czech footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for FK Vigantice at amateur level.
Pavel Nedvěd is a Czech retired footballer who played as a midfielder. Described as one of the best footballers of his generation, he is also regarded as one of the most successful players to emerge from the Czech Republic, winning domestic and European accolades with Italian clubs Lazio, including the last Cup Winners' Cup, and Juventus, whom he led to the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final.
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national football team of Czechoslovakia from 1920 to 1992. The team was controlled by the Czechoslovak Football Association, and the team qualified for eight World Cups and three European Championships. It had two runner-up finishes in World Cups, in 1934 and 1962, and won the European Championship in the 1976 tournament.
Petr Čech is a Czech professional footballer who currently has a combined role of a technical/performance advisor and an emergency goalkeeper for English club Chelsea. He also played semi-professional ice hockey as a goaltender for Guildford Phoenix. Described by numerous players, pundits and managers as one of the greatest goalkeepers in history, he is argued to be the greatest goalkeeper in Premier League history.
Antonín Kinský is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played club football in the Czech Republic for nine seasons, winning the national league in 2002 with FC Slovan Liberec. He subsequently moved to Russia, where he played for Saturn Ramenskoye. During his seven years in Russia, he played 200 competitive games and was recognised as the Russian Premier League's best goalkeeper in the 2007 season.
René Bolf is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He spent most of his club career at FC Baník Ostrava, also playing in his home country for Sparta Prague. During a three-year stay in France, he played for Ligue 1 side AJ Auxerre.
Pavel Mareš is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a defender at either centre-back or left-back. He played top-league football in the Czech Republic for Bohemians Prague and Sparta Prague, and played for Zenit Saint Petersburg in the Russian Football Premier League.
Roman Týce is a Czech former professional football player. He played club football in the Czech Republic and Germany, as a defender and defensive midfielder. Týce played internationally for the Czech Republic at Euro 2004.
Vratislav Lokvenc is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a striker. After playing youth football for Náchod and Hradec Králové, he began his senior club career with the latter team. After moving to Sparta Prague he won five league titles and one cup, as well as the 1999–2000 league top scorer award. He subsequently played abroad, playing club football in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for 1. FC Kaiserslautern, VfL Bochum, Red Bull Salzburg, FC Basel and FC Ingolstadt 04. He retired in 2009.
FC Fastav Zlín is a Czech professional football club from Zlín, Moravia. The club has spent a number of seasons in the top league of the country, both the Czechoslovak First League and later the Czech First League. They currently play in the Czech First League.
Stanislav Griga is a former Slovak football player and football manager. He recently managed team MFK Zemplín Michalovce. He played 34 matches for Czechoslovakia and scored eight goals.
Jan Suchopárek is a Czech football coach and former defender, who is head coach of the Czech Republic national under-19 football team.
David Limberský is a former Czech professional footballer who played for Czech club FC Viktoria Plzeň. He has previously played for Modena, Tottenham Hotspur, and AC Sparta Prague. He was a member of the Czech Republic national football team.
Pavel Hašek is a Czech football midfielder currently playing for Bohemians 1905 in the Czech Republic.
Patrik Gedeon is a Czech footballer who plays for FC Chomutov, on loan from FK Dukla Prague. He has played international football for the Czech Republic.
Pavel Kadeřábek is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Bundesliga club Hoffenheim and the Czech Republic national team. He previously represented his country at under-19 level and was in the Czech squad for the 2011 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, where he played all five of his country's matches.
Filip Novák is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a left-back in the Süper Lig for Fenerbahçe. He holds the Fortuna Liga record for most goals scored in one season by a defender with 11 goals in the 2014–15 season.
Radim Nečas is a Czech football manager and former player. He played for the Czech Republic four times between 1995 and 2000. Nečas made more than 300 top-flight appearances spanning the existence of the Czechoslovak First League and the Gambrinus liga. He also played top-flight football in Greece and Slovakia.
Tomáš Rosický is a Czech former professional footballer who was the captain of the Czech Republic national team for a ten-year period. He played club football for Sparta Prague, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal.
Alois Grussmann is a Czech football manager and former player, who played as a forward. He played in the Czechoslovak First League with Baník Ostrava and Vítkovice between 1984 and 1991, before spending a season in Spain with Real Betis. Following his return to his homeland, Grussmann played mainly for Opava, where he played five seasons in the Czech First League. Grussmann represented Czechoslovakia internationally, winning six caps and scoring one goal between 1988 and 1991.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
(27 May 2021) [1] 
Czechoslovakia 7–0 Yugoslavia 
Turkey 1–4 Czech Republic 
Hungary 8–3 Czechoslovakia 
England 5–0 Czech Republic 
