The Czech Republic named a preliminary World Cup squad on Tuesday that leans heavily on long-time national team players led by West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek as it prepares to return to the tournament after a 20-year absence.
The wider list of 54 players also includes Slavia Prague striker Tomas Chory and midfielder David Doudera, who both received red cards in the weekend derby that was abandoned after fans stormed the pitch and were later removed from the club.
The national team, led by 74-year-old Miroslav Koubek, will face Kosovo on May 31 in Prague before leaving for a training camp in New Jersey to prepare for the tournament in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Koubek took over the national team following a shock qualification loss to the Faroe Islands and guided the Czechs through the playoffs to their first World Cup appearance since 2006.
The Czechs begin their World Cup campaign against South Korea in Group A on June 12 before facing co-hosts Mexico and South Africa.
Czechia’s (Czech Republic’s) preliminary squad for FIFA World Cup 2026
Goalkeepers: Lukas Hornicek, Martin Jedlicka, Antonin Kinsky, Jan Koutny, Matej Kovar, Jakub Markovic, Jindrich Stanek.
Defenders: Vladimir Coufal, David Douděra, Matěj Hadaš, Tomáš Holeš, Robin Hranáč, Štěpán Chaloupek, Václav Jemelka, David Jurásek, Ladislav Krejčí, Karel Spáčil, Adam Ševínský, Martin Vitík, Tomáš Vlček, Jaroslav Zelený, David Zima.
Midfielders: Lukas Ambros, Michal Beran, Pavel Bucha, Lukas Cerv, Krystof Danek, Vladimir Darida, Patrik Hellebrand, Adam Karabec, Ondrej Kricfaluši, Tomáš Ladra, David Planka, Lukas Provod, Matěj Ryneš, Lukas Sadílek, Michal Sadílek, Hugo Sochůrek, Alexandr Sojka, Tomáš Souček, Pavel Šulc, Denis Višinský.
Forwards: Adam Hložek, Tomáš Chorý, Mojmír Chytil, Christophe Kabongo, Jan Kliment, Jan Kuchta, Vasil Kušej, Ondřej Mihálik, Vojtěch Patrák, Václav Sejk, Patrik Schick, Matej Vydra.
Published on May 12, 2026