The Czech national football team played its first competitive match after parting ways with Slovakia in the 1996 European Championship qualifiers. It was an easy victory against Malta (6:1) and an announcement that everything would be easy for this team when it came to the Euro for the next almost 30 years.
Montenegro's next rival in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers has never missed the European Championship in history, and on two occasions (2011 and 2019) on the way to the Euros, it also skipped our national team, and there were memorable stories at the tournament itself.
Thus, the golden generation, led by then-young Pavel Nedved, Karel Poborski, Vladimir Šmicer, Patrik Berger, Pavel Kuk and many others, reached the final as early as 1996. There were successes in the following years - the semi-finals in 2004, the quarter-finals in 2012 and 2020 - but when something needed to be done in the World Cup qualifiers, the Czech Republic practically always "shut down".
It sounds a bit incredible that a team that has played in every possible eight European Championships since gaining independence has only appeared in the World Cup once in the same period.
It was back in 2006 in Germany, but the Czechs don't have fond memories of that World Cup, as they failed to make it past the group stage. Tomas Rosicki i Jan Kohler They "smashed" the United States of America at the start (3:0), but by the end against Ghana and Italy, this team had not scored again.
Everything else when it comes to World Cup qualifications, football players and fans in this country want to forget.
The nightmare starts from the Montenegrin
The Czech Republic's curse in the World Cup race was somehow triggered by a Montenegrin legend Predrag MijatovicIt was the qualifiers for the 1998 planetary championship - the first one this country played in.
As the European vice-champions, the Czechs expected to be at the World Cup, but their plans were ruined by Yugoslavia - Mijatović first defeated them in Belgrade (1:0), and then they Savo Milosevic and he scored for the victory in Prague (2:1).
Spain was the best in the group, Yugoslavia went to France through the play-offs, and the Czechs felt for the first time the bitter taste that would follow them for years.
Close to 2002.
Since then, the Czech Republic has participated in World Cup qualifiers six more times, and apart from the aforementioned 2006 participation, it was only close to the biggest football event in 2002.
The Czechs were second in the group behind Denmark, and a play-off awaited them, but they didn't have many chances there against Belgium, which had twice booked their ticket to Japan and South Korea with 1:0 wins.
In the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Slovakia and Slovenia were ahead, four years later Italy and Denmark (with second place bringing nothing), and in the battles for Russia 2018, this team looked at Germany's back in Northern Ireland.
When it comes to qualifying for the last World Cup in Qatar, the Czech national team was initially behind Belgium and Wales in the group, and then did not take advantage of the additional chance in the play-offs that they reached thanks to the Nations League.
Already in the semi-finals Tomas Soucek and company had to congratulate Sweden, who were later defeated by Poland in the final.
Hložek: We are going to get a visa for the World Cup
The Czech Republic is chasing a new chance to qualify for the World Cup in a group that also includes Montenegro, and our national team will be their next rival - on Friday at 20.45:XNUMX PM in Plzen.
Croatia is also in the group, while Montenegro and the Czech Republic opened the qualifiers with victories over Gibraltar and the Faroe Islands. Once again, the Czechs are facing the curse of World Cup qualifiers.
"We haven't been to the World Cup for a long time and now we're going to secure a ticket for the championship in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The Croats with excellent players are the favorites, the game against them will be difficult, but I believe we will prepare. However, before that we have Montenegro," said the striker. Adam Hlozek for the Alliance website.
The Czechs are struggling to break the dark tradition in the World Cup qualifiers, but so is Montenegro in their matches, as our national team has lost all five matches against this team so far.
Four in European Championship qualifiers (2012 and 2020) and one in a friendly match (2023).
Now, for the first time, it's time for the World Cup battles - can the "falcons" prolong the Czech Republic's nightmare?
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