When we play Czech Republic

10 September 2008 - Czech Republic (h)

14 October 2009 - Czech Republic (a)

Stadium - AXA Arena

Capacity - 20,565

The most important matches of the Czech national team are held in Prague´s AXA Arena, the home stadium of Sparta Prague. Other venues include the cities of Teplice, Olomouc and Liberec. The new leaders of the Czech Football Association have announced that they will be building a new state of the art stadium for 50,000 people.

The AXA Arena stadium opened in 1917 and holds 20,565 people. Formerly known as the Letná Stadium (Letenský stadion) and as the Toyota Arena, it is now named after its sponsor, AXA.

Before World War I, Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic), while being part of Austria-Hungary, played seven matches between 1903 and 1908, six of them against Hungary and one against England. Bohemia also played a match against Yugoslavia, Ostmark and Germany in 1939 while being the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

When the Czech Republic was part of Czechoslovakia, the national team had runner-up finishes in World Cups (1934, 1962) and a European Championship win in 1976. After Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the national team was reformed, and played its first match against Turkey in 1994.

Now, the Czech Republic is continuing its football tradition, finishing second in Euro 96 and making the semifinals of Euro 2004. They made their first World Cup as an independent country in 2006 and they are currently the sixth-ranked country in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings. They have also qualified for the European Championships in 2008

The Under-21 national team of Czech Republic won the European championship in 2002.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe and a member state of the European Union. The country has borders with Poland to the north, Germany to the northwest and west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague (Czech: Praha), a major tourist destination.

The Czech lands were under Habsburg rule from 1526, later becoming part of the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary. The independent republic of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire after World War I. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, disillusion with the Western response and occupation by the Red Army, the Communist party gained the majority in 1946 elections. Czechoslovakia was a Communist state from 1948 until the 1989 Velvet Revolution. On 1 January 1993, the country peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Flights - Easyjet, Ryanair and Aer Lingus all fly to Prague from Belfast or Dublin

Currency - Czech Koruna

Capital City- Prague

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is a tourists’ paradise offering all a tourist could hope for. From secret corners and romantic places overlooking the historically valuable city centre, which is protected by UNESCO, to opportunities of wild parties until early hours, Prague has it all. You can satisfy your curiosity in historical places, museums and galleries, every day you can choose from an array of music events, ranging from classical music to the latest pop music.

Music clubs and theatres offering a repertoire open to all people without regard to their language differences are plentiful. Or if you prefer this could be replaced by a pleasant experience from, for example, a walk in one the most interesting European Zoos in Prague Troja. Try a ride on a Prague cruiser on the Vltava river or stretching your muscles on bicycle routes leading even through the historical centre. If you like sport, there are indoor swimming pools and hundreds of sports fields for myriads of sports from golf and tennis through to a bobsleigh run, skateboarding and in-line skating. The city, contrary to many places that are available to tourists only for the summer, does not stop living during the winter months. A New Year’s Eve spent in Prague may be an unforgettable experience. Nothing remains but to check it out.

Getting There

Getting in and out of Prague is a snap, thanks to the cheap and well-run trains of Czech Railways (ČD) and the buses, which are even cheaper still, run more frequently and are quite comfortable. The budget prices and convenience of these modes of transports mean that air travellers to Prague are comparatively rare; if you do fly into the city, you'll fetch up in Ruzyně, the international airport.

Bus

Buses tend to be faster, more frequent and marginally cheaper than the train. All domestic long-distance buses and most regional services depart the Florenc station, though many regional buses depart other terminals scattered throughout the city.

Train

Trains run daily between Prague and most major European cities; Paris, Amsterdam, Munich and Vienna are some major hubs. Within the Czech Republic, Czech Railways (ČD) provides cheap, efficient service. Various passes are available.

Plane

Prague's Ruzyně airport, 17km (11mi) northwest of the city centre, is the Czech Republic's only international airport. It's served by dozens of international carriers

Czech Republic

Head coach Karel Brückner (2002-)

Captain Tomáš Rosický

Most caps Karel Poborský (118)

Top scorer Jan Koller (51)

Home stadium AXA Arena (Stadion Za Lužánkami)

FIFA code CZE

FIFA ranking 6

Highest FIFA ranking 2 (March 1994)

Lowest FIFA ranking 67 (September 1999)

Elo ranking 14

Highest Elo ranking 1 (Jun 2004, Jun 2005)

Lowest Elo ranking 22 (Jan 2002)

World Cup record

1930 to 1994 - See Czechoslovakia

1998 - Did not qualify

2002 - Did not qualify

2006 - Round 1

European Championship record

1960 to 1992 - See Czechoslovakia

1996 - Runners-up

2000 - Round 1

2004 - Semifinals

2008 - Qualified

Notable former players

This lists players who have played most or all of their international careers in the Czech Republic era. For notable players from the Czechoslovakia era, see Czechoslovakia national football team.

Pavel Nedvěd

Patrik Berger

Pavel Kuka

Tomáš Skuhravý

Pavel Srníček

Karel Poborský

Miroslav Kadlec

Fast Facts

Country Full Name

Czech Republic

Population

10,235,455

Currency

Name: Czech Koruna

Code: CZK

Symbol: Kč

Languages Spoken

Official: Czech

Time Zones

GMT/UTC +1

Country Dialing Code

+420

Weights & Measures

Metric

Usefull phrases –

Hello - Dobrý den

Good morning - Dobré ráno

Good evening - Dobrý večer

Goodnight - Dobrou noc

Goodbye - Na shledanou

Cheers! - Na zdraví

Yes - Ano

No - Ne

Please - Prosím

Thank you - Děkuji

Sorry - Promiňte

How are you? - Jak se máte?

Pleased to meet you. - Těší mě.

What's your name? - Jak se jmenujete?

How much does this cost? - Kolik to stojí?

Days of the Week

Monday - pondělí (po)

Tuesday - úterý (út)

Wednesday - středa (st)

Thursday - čtvrtek (čt)

Friday - pátek(pá)

Saturday - sobota (so)

Sunday - neděle (ne)

The bill please. - Zaplatíme prosím

May I smoke? - Můžu kouřit?

Bar & Club Chat

Do you want to dance with me? - Chcete tancovat se mnou?

Can I buy you a drink? - Mohu Vám koupit něco k pití?

May I walk you home? - Mohu Vás doprovodit domů?

Leave me (us)alone. - Nechte mě (nás) na pokoji

You’re cool. - Ty jsi fakt bezva

You look great. - Vypadáš skvěle

Where is a good club-pub-restaurant? - Kde je tu dobrej klub-hospoda-restaurace