
World Cup 2026
Czechia's World Cup Return: Twenty Years in the Wilderness, One Shot at Glory
FutAve take
Back on football's biggest stage for the first time since 2006, the Czech Republic arrive as hungry underdogs with genuine quality. Ranked 42nd, they face a Group A gauntlet — Korea, South Africa, Mexico — that will demand every ounce of Miroslav Koubek's tactical ingenuity to escape.
Czechia reached the 2026 World Cup the hard way — finishing runners-up in UEFA qualifying before battling through the play-offs in a nervy penalty shootout to finally punch their ticket. It was a campaign of grit and resilience rather than comfort, and that fighting spirit has become the identity this squad carries into North America.
Koubek's fluid 3-4-2-1 is a tactical puzzle worth unpicking — explosive wing-backs, a midfield engine in Souček, and Schick's Bundesliga menace up top. An underdog with legitimate threats and something to prove after two decades away? That's exactly the kind of story neutral fans live for.
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