Czech team at EURO 2024
Composition of the Czech national team
Goalkeepers: Vitezslav Jaros, Matej Kovar, Indrikh Stanek;
Defenders: Vladimir Coufal, David Douděra, Robin Hranac, David Jurasek, Martin Vitik, Tomas Vlcek, David Zima;
Midfielders: Tomas Holes, Ladislav Krejci, Antonin Barak, Vaclav Cerny, Lukas Cerv, Matej Jurasek, Ondrej Lingr, Lukas Provod, Michal Sadilek, Tomas Soucek, Pavel Sulc, Mojmir Chytil;
Forwards: Adam Hlozek, Tomas Chory, Jan Kuchta, Patrik Schick.
History of the Czech football team
The Czech national football team has a rich and successful history at the European Championships, marked by notable achievements and impressive player performances. Since the founding of the independent Czech national team after the separation from Czechoslovakia, the team has caused a sensation several times at the European Championships.
The Czech Republic’s first participation in a European Championship was in England in 1996. The team, led by coach Dušan Uhrin, exceeded all expectations by reaching the final. Players like Pavel Nedvěd, Karel Poborský and Patrik Berger showed great performances and helped the Czech Republic have an impressive tournament journey. In the final they met Germany and narrowly lost to a golden goal from Oliver Bierhoff. Despite the defeat, the Czech team was hailed as one of the surprises of the tournament.
The 2004 European Championships in Portugal were another highlight for the Czech Republic. Under the leadership of Karel Brückner, the team showed a dominant performance in the group stage, defeating strong teams such as Germany and the Netherlands. Players like Milan Baroš and Tomáš Rosický were the center of attention. The team reached the semi-finals but lost to Greece, who later won the tournament.
The recent participation in the 2020 European Championship, which took place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, confirmed the strength of the Czech team. The Czech Republic reached the quarterfinals after defeating the Netherlands in the round of 16. The victory over the Netherlands was a testament to the team’s fighting spirit and tactical discipline. In the quarterfinals, the Czech Republic lost to Denmark, but the trip there showed that the team is capable of competing with the best teams in Europe.
The Czech Republic remains one of the most respected football nations in Europe and is known for its engaging style of play and talented players. With a mix of experienced professionals and emerging talent, the Czech team is a serious contender for future European titles.