Schick to spearhead Czech Republic's World Cup campaign

By Maxwell Kumoye
 
 

Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick will lead the Czech Republic's attack at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after being named in coach Miroslav Koubek's 26-man squad announced in Prague on Sunday.

The Czechs return to the global showpiece for only the second time since gaining independence following the 1993 split from Slovakia. They have been drawn in a challenging Group A alongside Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.

Their only previous World Cup appearance as an independent nation came in 2006, when a star-studded squad featuring Petr Čech, Pavel Nedvěd, Tomáš Rosický and Milan Baroš exited at the group stage.

Koubek has acknowledged the difficulty of the task ahead, describing Group A as "extremely tough" and expressing concerns about the climatic conditions, particularly in Mexico where the Czech Republic will play two of their group matches.

"Our goal is to reach the knockout stage. That would be a success," said the 74-year-old coach.

Much of the team's hopes will rest on Schick, who scored 16 goals in 28 Bundesliga appearances for Bayer Leverkusen last season. Despite battling injuries throughout his career, the 30-year-old remains the country's leading attacking threat, having netted 25 goals in 52 international appearances. He also shared the Golden Boot at UEFA Euro 2020 with Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring five goals.

Koubek's squad includes Ladislav Krejčí of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tomáš Souček of West Ham United, both of whose clubs suffered Premier League relegation last season. However, Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Antonín Kinský was left out despite helping Spurs avoid the drop.

Creative responsibilities are expected to fall largely on Lyon midfielder Pavel Šulc, who enjoyed an impressive campaign with 11 Ligue 1 goals. Meanwhile, Hoffenheim winger Adam Hložek heads to the tournament hoping to regain full fitness after an injury-hit season, although he marked his return by scoring the winner in Sunday's 2-1 friendly victory over Kosovo.

The squad also features exciting young talent, including 17-year-old Sparta Prague midfielder Hugo Sochurek, as the Czech Republic look to make a significant impact on their long-awaited return to the World Cup stage.

SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS:
★ Lukas Hornicek - Braga/POR
★ Matej Kovar - PSV Eindhoven/NED
★ Jindrich Stanek - Slavia Prague

DEFENDERS:
★ Stepan Chaloupek - Slavia Prague
★ Vladimir Coufal - Hoffenheim/GER
★ David Doudera - Slavia Prague
★ Tomas Holes - Slavia Prague
★ Robin Hranac - Hoffenheim/GER
★ David Jurasek - Slavia Prague
★ Ladislav Krejci - Wolves/ENG
★ Jaroslav Zeleny - Sparta Prague
★ David Zima - Slavia Prague

MIDFIELDERS:
★ Lukas Cerv - Viktoria Plzen
★ Vladimir Darida - Hradec Kralove
★ Lukas Provod - Slavia Prague
★ Michal Sadilek - Slavia Prague
★ Hugo Sochurek - Sparta Prague
★ Alexandr Sojka - Viktoria Plzen
★ Tomas Soucek - West Ham/ENG
★ Pavel Sulc - Lyon/FRA
★ Denis Visinsky - Viktoria Plzen

FORWARDS:
★ Tomas Chory - Slavia Prague
★ Mojmir Chytil - Slavia Prague
★ Adam Hlozek - Hoffenheim/GER
★ Jan Kuchta - Sparta Prague
★ Patrik Schick - Bayer Leverkusen/GER

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