Czech Republic national football team
| Shirt badge/Association crest | |||
| Association | Českomoravský fotbalový svaz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach |  Karel Brückner (2002-) | ||
| Captain | Tomáš Rosický | ||
| Most caps | Karel Poborský (118) | ||
| Top scorer | Jan Koller (51) | ||
| Home stadium | AXA Arena (Stadion Za Lužánkami) | ||
| FIFA code | CZE | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 6 | ||
| Highest | 2 (March 1994) | ||
| Lowest | 67 (September 1999) | ||
| First international | |||
 Hungary 1 - 1 Bohemia  (Budapest, Hungary; 1 April 1906)  Turkey 1 - 4 Czech Republic (Istanbul, Turkey; 23 February 1994) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Czech Republic 8 - 1 Andorra  (Liberec, Czech Republic; 4 June 2005) Czech Republic 7 - 0 San Marino  (Liberec, Czech Republic; 7 October 2006) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
Bohemia 0-4 England  (Prague, Bohemia; 13 June 1908)  Switzerland 3 - 0 Czech Republic (Zürich, Switzerland; 20 April 1994) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2006) | ||
| Best result | Round 1, 2006 | ||
| European Championship | |||
| Appearances | 3 (first in 1996) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up, 1996 | ||
| Confederations Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 1997) | ||
| Best result | 3rd, 1997 | ||
The Czech national football team is the national football team of the Czech Republic and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic.
History
Before World War I, Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic), while being part of Austria-Hungary, played seven matches between 1903 and 1908, six of them against Hungary and one against England. Bohemia also played a match against Yugoslavia, Ostmark and Germany in 1939 while being the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.
When the Czech Republic was part of Czechoslovakia, the national team had runner-up finishes in World Cups (1934, 1962) and a European Championship win in 1976. After Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the national team was reformed, and played its first match against Turkey in 1994.
Now, the Czech Republic is continuing its football tradition, finishing second in Euro 96 and making the semifinals of Euro 2004. They made their first World Cup as an independent country in 2006 and they are currently the sixth-ranked country in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings.
The Under-21 national team of Czech Republic won the European championship in 2002.
Stadia
The most important matches of the Czech national team are held in Prague´s AXA Arena, the home stadium of Sparta Prague. Other venues include the cities of Teplice, Olomouc and Liberec. The new leaders of the Czech Football Association have announced that they will be building a new state of the art stadium for 50,000 people.
World Cup record
European Championship record
- 1960 to 1992 - See Czechoslovakia
- 1996 - Runners-up
- 2000 - Round 1
- 2004 - Semifinals
- 2008 - Qualified
Players
Notable former players
This lists players who have played most or all of their international careers in the Czech Republic era. For notable players from the Czechoslovakia era, see Czechoslovakia national football team.
Current players
Czech Republic national team 2007
Current Squad
Squad called up for the EURO 2008 qualifiers against Slovakia and Cyprus on 17 November and 21 November 2007. Caps and goals as of 17 October 2007
Head coach: Karel Brückner
Recent call-up
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Petr Čech | 20 May 1982 | 56 | 0 | Chelsea F.C.
|
| GK | Martin Vaniak | 20 October 1970 | 7 | 0 | SK Slavia Praha
| |
| 6 | DF | Marek Jankulovski | 9 May 1977 | 62 | 10 |  A.C. Milan
|
| 13 | DF | Jan Šimůnek | 20 February 1987 | 0 | 0 |  VfL Wolfsburg
|
| 21 | DF | Tomáš Ujfaluši | 24 March 1978 | 64 | 2 | Fiorentina
|
| DF | Martin Jiránek | 25 May 1979 | 31 | 0 |  FC Spartak Moscow
| |
| 7 | MF | Tomáš Sivok | 15 September 1983 | 5 | 0 | Udinese Calcio
|
| 14 | MF | David Jarolím | 17 May 1979 | 13 | 1 | Hamburger SV
|
| FW | Karel Piták | 28 January 1980 | 3 | 0 |  Red Bull Salzburg
| |
| 11 | FW | Stanislav Vlček | 26 February 1976 | 8 | 0 |  R.S.C. Anderlecht
|
2006 World Cup Information
Czech Republic started the World Cup with an impressive victory. USA barely had a sniff of goal throughout, and the Czechs capitalized. Jan Koller opened the scoring in the 5th minute with a brilliant header after Grygera crossed in the ball. Arsenal's new signing for the summer, Tomáš Rosický hit a belter past US keeper, Kasey Keller before half time to put the Czech's 2-0 up, but it was not all good news. Jan Koller, scorer of the first goal, sustained a hamstring injury just before half time. He had to be stretchered off, and was out of the remainder of the tournament. Karel Bruckner's side emerged from the second half buoyant as before, despite losing Koller, who was replaced upfront by Lokvenc. Two thirds of the way through the second half, Rosický secured the three points with a brilliant solo effort.
Czech Republic next played Ghana on June 17th, losing 2-0 at Cologne. This match was full of excitement right from the start to the end, including a missed PK by Asamoah Gyan and a red card offense by Tomáš Ujfaluši. The game fell into Ghana's hands when Sulley Muntari scored in the 82nd minute making it 2-0.
The Czechs lost their third game as well, falling 2-0 to Italy. This loss ended their first World Cup run, with Italy and Ghana advancing to the Round of 16.
Past squads and campaigns
See also
External links
- Official web
- RSSSF archive of results 1994-
- RSSSF archive of results 1903,1906-08,1939
- Team at Euro 2008
International association football | ||
|---|---|---|
| World (FIFA) |  | |
| Asia (AFC) | ||
| Africa (CAF) | ||
| North America (CONCACAF) | ||
| South America (CONMEBOL) | ||
| Oceania (OFC) | ||
| Europe (UEFA) | ||
| Inter-Continental |
| |
| Non-FIFA | ||
2006 FIFA World Cup finalists | |
|---|---|
| Champions | |
| Runners-up | |
| Third place | |
| Fourth place | |
| Quarter-finals | |
| Round of 16 | |
| Group stage | |
