Czech Republic

The 2026 spine: Souček’s midfield and a Czech specialty

West Ham’s Tomáš Souček remains the anchor at 31, flanked by Slavia Prague’s dynamic teenager Adam Hložek. But the real weapon? Goalkeeping. Jindřich Staněk’s penalty heroics in qualifying and Sevilla’s Tomáš Vaclík offer rare depth. Their 3-5-2 relies on overlapping runs from Viktoria Plzeň’s right-back Pavel Bucha—a system that shredded Norway in playoffs.

Group G ghosts from 2006

Last World Cup appearance: a 3-0 collapse to Ghana after beating the USA. This time, they’ll likely land in a group with at least one South American heavyweight—revenge against Ecuador (2006’s 2-0 loss) would be poetic. Watch for Sparta Prague’s Jan Kuchta, whose pressing forced Italy’s Bastoni into errors at Euro 2024.

Why UEFA’s third-place trap helps them

With 16 European slots, the Czechs dodged the usual playoff gauntlet. But their path still required topping a group with Norway and Slovakia. Their 2-1 win in Oslo—featuring a 35-yard Souček rocket—proved they can grind. If they replicate Euro 2024’s defensive discipline (only 4 goals conceded in 6 games), advancing from a tough 2026 group is plausible.

Group standings

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Czech Republic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	South Korea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Mexico	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Fixtures & results

Match	Date	Group	Score	Status
South Korea vs Czech RepublicEstadio Guadalajara	Fri, Jun 12, 2026 · 03:00 ET	a	–	Scheduled
Czech Republic vs South AfricaEstadio Atlanta	Thu, Jun 18, 2026 · 17:00 ET	a	–	Scheduled
Czech Republic vs MexicoEstadio Ciudad de México	Thu, Jun 25, 2026 · 02:00 ET	a	–	Scheduled