{"id":223839,"date":"2026-05-14T05:49:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T05:49:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/czech-republic-reveals-squad-for-2026-world-cup-and-announces-friendly-match-against-kosovo\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T05:49:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T05:49:33","slug":"czech-republic-reveals-squad-for-2026-world-cup-and-announces-friendly-match-against-kosovo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/czech-republic-reveals-squad-for-2026-world-cup-and-announces-friendly-match-against-kosovo\/","title":{"rendered":"Czech Republic Reveals Squad for 2026 World Cup and Announces Friendly Match Against Kosovo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div>\n<div class=\"visual__image image-initial-width\">\n<picture><source  media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 768px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 580px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 350px)\"\/><source  media=\"(min-width: 80px)\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"article-figcaption-img\">The team led by Miroslav Koubek will have 54 players with experience in the most important leagues in Europe and is preparing for a historic debut in the World Cup against South Korea. (REUTERS\/David W Cerny)<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<h2>Historic Return to the World Cup<\/h2>\n<p>The <b>Czech Republic<\/b> is on the cusp of history as it returns to the <b>World Cup<\/b> after a 20-year absence. The national team, led by coach <b>Miroslav Koubek<\/b>, has announced a preliminary squad of 54 players, showcasing a blend of seasoned professionals and emerging talents. This selection aims to prepare the team for competitive matches against <b>South Korea<\/b>, <b>South Africa<\/b>, and host nation <b>Mexico<\/b>.<\/p>\n<h2>Friendly Match Against Kosovo<\/h2>\n<p>As part of their preparation, the Czech Republic will face <b>Kosovo<\/b> in a friendly match. Scheduled for <b>May 31<\/b> at the <b>epet ARENA stadium<\/b> in Prague, this match serves as a crucial test before their World Cup journey. Kosovo, under coach Franco Foda, recently fell short in their bid to qualify for the World Cup, but their competitive spirit promises an exciting match.<\/p>\n<h2>Squad Composition<\/h2>\n<p>The selection process reflects the Czech Football Federation&#8217;s ambition, aiming for a balance of experience and youth. The final squad will be narrowed down to 26 players by <b>June 1<\/b>, adhering to FIFA regulations. Here\u2019s a glimpse of the key player positions:<\/p>\n<h3>Goalkeepers<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Lukas Hornicek (Braga SC)<\/li>\n<li>Antonin Kinsky (Tottenham Hotspur FC)<\/li>\n<li>Mat\u011bj Kov\u00e1\u0159 (PSV Eindhoven)<\/li>\n<p><!-- Add other goalkeepers here -->\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Defenders<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Vladimir Coufal (TSG Hoffenheim)<\/li>\n<li>Ladislav Krej\u010d\u00ed (Wolverhampton Wanderers)<\/li>\n<li>Martin Vit\u00edk (Bologna FC)<\/li>\n<p><!-- Add other defenders here -->\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Midfielders<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Tom\u00e1\u0161 Sou\u010dek (West Ham United)<\/li>\n<li>Adam Karabec (Olympique Lyon)<\/li>\n<li>Hugo Soch\u016frek (AC Sparta Prague)<\/li>\n<p><!-- Add other midfielders here -->\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Forwards<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen)<\/li>\n<li>Adam Hlo\u017eek (TSG Hoffenheim)<\/li>\n<li>Matej Vydra (FC Viktoria Plze\u0148)<\/li>\n<p><!-- Add other forwards here -->\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Upcoming Matches<\/h2>\n<p>Following their friendly against Kosovo, the Czech Republic will embark on a challenging World Cup schedule in Group A:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>June 12:<\/b> vs South Korea \u2013 Akron Stadium, Guadalajara.<\/li>\n<li><b>June 18:<\/b> vs South Africa \u2013 Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta.<\/li>\n<li><b>June 24:<\/b> vs Mexico \u2013 Azteca Stadium, Mexico City.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>The friendly against Kosovo will be a significant opportunity for the Czech Republic to finalize their strategy and squad before heading to World Cup 2026. With a mix of experienced players and rising stars, fans are hopeful for a memorable campaign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/category\/general\/\" rel=\"dofollow\">General News &#8211; 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The team led by Miroslav Koubek will have 54 players with experience in the most important leagues in Europe and is preparing for a historic debut in the World Cup against South Korea. (REUTERS\/David W Cerny) Historic Return to the World Cup The Czech Republic is on the cusp of history as it returns to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":223840,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2246,1470,10780,1147,797,6347,165,10781,562,9951,21,1427,110],"class_list":["post-223839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mazagine","tag-announces","tag-cup","tag-czech","tag-europe","tag-friendly","tag-kosovo","tag-match","tag-republic","tag-reveals","tag-soccer","tag-sport","tag-squad","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223839"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223839\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":223841,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223839\/revisions\/223841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}