World Cup Preview: Czechia

Czechia have qualified for their first World Cup in 20 years. In 2006, a Pavel Nedved-inspired team were tipped to go far, but exited at the group stage. This group of players go into the World Cup with far lower expectations but the expanded edition gives them a chance of reaching the knockout stages for the first time since 1990.

Fixtures (UK time)

South Korea, June 12, 3am
South Africa, June 18, 5pm
Mexico, June 25, 2am

How They Qualified

Czechia needed to come through the playoffs after a disappointing group stage campaign led to manager Ivan Hasek’s sacking following a 5-1 loss to Croatia and a 2-1 defeat by the Faroe Islands. They finished six points behind the Croats in the qualifying group. They dug deep in the playoffs though, and came from two goals behind to win a shootout against the Republic of Ireland before another win on penalties against Denmark booked their place at the finals.

The Manager

Miroslav Koubek steadied the ship when he replaced Hasek in the middle of the qualifying campaign, and he’ll be looking to carry the momentum of the playoff win through to the World Cup. The former goalkeeper has spent the majority of his long managerial career managing within Czechia, and won the Czech title with Viktoria Plzen in 2015.

The Star

Tomas Soucek was stripped of the captaincy after the Czechia team failed to thank their fans after a 6-0 win over Gibraltar in qualifying, but the West Ham United midfielder remains a key part of the team. The physical midfielder has popped up with 17 international goals in 90 appearances.

The Familiar Face

The second half of a long-serving Czech duo at West Ham, Vladimir Coufal made 147 appearances for the club, winning the Conference League in 2025 before joining Bundesliga side Hoffenheim. The 33-year-old has made 62 appearances for his country and appeared in Euros 2020 and 2024.

Did you know?

Koubek will become the oldest manager in World Cup history at the age of 74. South Africa’s Hugo Broos will hold the record for just seven hours before Koubek’s Czechia play their opener against South Korea.

The Prediction

Round of 32
Czechia should be capable of finishing third above group rivals South Africa, but that would put them up against a group winner in the second round.

Cover Photo: FIFA World Cup 2014 by Mariya Butd used under license by CC BY 2.0.