Czech Republic national under-21 football team
National under-21 football team of the Czech Republic
| Nickname(s) | Lvíčata (Little Lions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Fotbalová asociace České republiky (FAČR) | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Jan Suchopárek | ||
| Most caps | Jan Polák (45) | ||
| Top scorer | Tomáš Pekhart (17) | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 Czech Republic 1–0 Malta  (Opava, Czech Republic; 5 September 1994) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Czech Republic 8–0 Bulgaria  (Teplice, Czech Republic; 5 October 2001) Czech Republic 8–0 Liechtenstein  (Prague, Czech Republic; 11 September 2007) Czech Republic 8–0 San Marino  (Serravalle, San Marino; 9 June 2009) Czech Republic 8–0 Andorra  (Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic; 10 August 2011) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Denmark 5–0 Czech Republic (Vejle, Denmark; 10 September 2024) Records are for competitive matches only | |||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 9 (first in 1996) | ||
| Best result | Winners (2002) | ||
The Czech Republic national under-21 football team is the national under-21 association football team of the Czech Republic and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, held every two years.
Although the breakup of Czechoslovakia occurred officially on 1 January 1993, the under-21 team continued until the end of the 1994 championship. After that, the Czech Republic and the Slovakia under-21s became separate footballing entities.
For both nations, the first matches were played in September 1994 in qualification for the 1996 championship.
The Czech Republic under-21 team reached the quarter-finals in 1996, but failed to qualify for 1998. The team reached the final in both the 2000 and 2002 tournaments, winning the latter on penalties.
Subsequently, the team failed to qualify for the tournaments in 2004 and 2006. They qualified for the 2007 competition but finished last in the group stage. They once again failed to qualify for the 2009 competition. In the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, they placed fourth.
Competitive Record
Summer Olympics record
| Summer Olympic record | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | Squad | |
 1992 | did not qualify | |||||||||
 1996 | ||||||||||
 2000 | Group stage | 14th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | Squad | |
 2004 | did not qualify | |||||||||
 2008 | ||||||||||
 2012 | ||||||||||
 2016 | ||||||||||
 2020 | ||||||||||
 2024 | ||||||||||
| 2028 | to be determined | |||||||||
| 2032 | ||||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 14th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||
UEFA European Under-21 Championship Record
| UEFA European Under-21 Championship record | UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification record | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1996 | Quarter-finals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 9 | |
 1998 | did not qualify | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 13 | |||||||
 2000 | Runners-up | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 6 | |
 2002 | Winners | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 6 | |
 2004 | did not qualify | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 7 | |||||||
 2006 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 26 | 11 | ||||||||
 2007 | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | |
 2009 | did not qualify | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 5 | |||||||
| 2011 | Fourth place | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 4 | |
 2013 | did not qualify | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 7 | |||||||
| 2015 | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | Qualified as hosts | ||||||
 2017 | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 10 | |
  2019 | did not qualify | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 15 | |||||||
  2021 | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 2 | |
 2023 | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 6 | |
| Total | 9/15 | 31 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 36 | 44 | 126 | 82 | 19 | 25 | 289 | 100 | |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shootout.
Individual awards
In addition to team victories, Czech players have won individual awards at the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
| Year | Golden Player | Golden Boot |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Petr Čech | |
| 2015 | Jan Kliment |
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification
| Pos | Team
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  | | |  |  | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 7 | +19 | 25 | Final tournament | — | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | Czech Republic | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 6 | +17 | 22 | Play-offs | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 7–0 | |
| 3 | Slovenia | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 16 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | Kosovo | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 12 | 0–5 | 0–1 | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | ||
| 5 | Albania | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 17 | −8 | 10 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 6 | Andorra | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 28 | −27 | 0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–3 | — |
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-offs
The four play-off winners qualify for the final tournament.
All times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Croatia  | 3–3 (5–4 p) | Denmark | 2–1 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Slovakia | 3–5 |  Ukraine | 3–2 | 0–3 |
Republic of Ireland  | 1–1 (1–3 p) | Israel | 1–1 | 0–0 (a.e.t.) |
Iceland  | 1–2 | Czech Republic | 1–2 | 0–0 |
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Final tournament) group stage
| Pos | Team
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ENG | ISR | CZE | GER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | — | ||||
| 2 | Israel | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4 | — | |||||
| 3 | Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 3 | — | |||||
| 4 | Germany | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 | — |
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Results and fixtures
Win Draw Loss
2023
Czech Republic 
v 
England
v England | 22 June 2023 (2023-06-22) UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Final tournament) group stage | Czech Republic | 0–2 | England | Batumi, Georgia |
| 20:00 | Report |
| Stadium: Adjarabet Arena Attendance: 8,168 Referee: Horațiu Feşnic (Romania) |
Czech Republic v 
Germany
v Germany | 25 June 2023 (2023-06-25) UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Final tournament) group stage | Czech Republic | 2–1 | Germany | Batumi, Georgia |
| 20:00 | Report |
| Stadium: Adjarabet Arena Attendance: 5,023 Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway) |
Israel 
v Czech Republic
v Czech Republic | 28 June 2023 (2023-06-28) UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Final tournament) group stage | Israel | 1–0 | Czech Republic | Kutaisi, Georgia |
| 20:00 |
| Report | Stadium: Ramaz Shengelia Stadium Attendance: 2,175 Referee: Duje Strukan (Croatia) |
Czech Republic v 
Slovakia
v Slovakia | 7 September 2023 (2023-09-07) Friendly | Czech Republic | 2–0 | Slovakia | Uherské Hradiště, Czech Republic |
| 18:00 CEST |
| Report | Stadium: Městský fotbalový stadion Miroslava Valenty Attendance: 4,158 Referee: Tomasz Musial (Poland) |
Iceland 
v Czech Republic
v Czech Republic | 12 September 2023 (2023-09-12) 2025 UEFA U21 Euro qualifying Group I | Iceland | 2–1 | Czech Republic | Reykjavík, Iceland |
| 18:30 (16:30 UTC±0) |
| Report |
| Stadium: Víkingsvöllur Referee: Jovan Kachevski (North Macedonia) |
Czech Republic v 
Wales
v 
Wales | 13 October 2023 (2023-10-13) 2025 UEFA U21 Euro qualifying Group I | Czech Republic | 1–1 | Wales | České Budějovice, Czech Republic |
| 18:00 CEST |
| Report |
| Stadium: Stadion Střelecký ostrov Referee: Zaven Hovhannisyan (Armenia) |
Czech Republic v 
Denmark
v Denmark | 17 October 2023 (2023-10-17) 2025 UEFA U21 Euro qualifying Group I | Czech Republic | 0–0 | Denmark | České Budějovice, Czech Republic |
| 18:00 CEST | Report | Stadium: Stadion Střelecký ostrov Referee: Jasmin Sabotic (Luxembourg) |
Czech Republic v Slovakia
v Slovakia | 20 November 2023 (2023-11-20) Friendly | Czech Republic | 2–1 | Slovakia | Hradec Králové, Czech Republic |
| 18:00 CEST | Report |
| Stadium: Malšovická aréna Attendance: 4,568 Referee: Tomasz Musial (Poland) |
2024
Czech Republic v 
Northern Ireland
v 
Northern Ireland | 21 March 2024 Friendly | Czech Republic | 3–0 | Northern Ireland | Pardubice, Czech Republic |
| 17:30 CEST |
| Stadium: CFIG Arena Attendance: 2,892 Referee: Peter Kráľovič (Slovakia) |
Czech Republic v Iceland
v Iceland | 26 March 2024 2025 UEFA U21 Euro qualifying Group I | Czech Republic | 4–1 | Iceland | Hradec Králové, Czech Republic |
| 17:30 CEST | Report | Stadium: Malšovická aréna Attendance: 9,126 Referee: Radoslav Gidzhenov (Bulgaria) |
Players
Current squad
The following players were called up for 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification against Lithuania and Denmark on 6 and 10 September 2024.[1]
Caps and goals updated as of 11 September 2024 before the match against Denmark.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GK | Jiří Borek | (2002-09-23) 23 September 2002 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | Vyškov | |
| 1GK | Lukáš Horníček | (2002-07-13) 13 July 2002 (age 22) | 5 | 0 | Braga | |
| 1GK | Antonín Kinský | (2003-03-13) 13 March 2003 (age 21) | 6 | 0 | Slavia Prague | |
| 2DF | Denis Halinský | (2003-07-13) 13 July 2003 (age 21) | 4 | 1 | Slovan Liberec | |
| 2DF | Josef Koželuh | (2002-02-15) 15 February 2002 (age 22) | 6 | 0 | Slovan Liberec | |
| 2DF | Albert Labík | (2004-05-13) 13 May 2004 (age 20) | 4 | 0 | Teplice | |
| 2DF | Filip Prebsl | (2003-03-04) 4 March 2003 (age 21) | 7 | 0 | Slavia Prague | |
| 2DF | Karel Spáčil | (2003-05-18) 18 May 2003 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | Hradec Králové | |
| 2DF | Adam Ševínský | (2004-06-19) 19 June 2004 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | Slovan Liberec | |
| 2DF | Martin Suchomel | (2002-09-11) 11 September 2002 (age 22) | 8 | 0 | Sparta Prague | |
| 3MF | Kryštof Daněk | (2003-01-05) 5 January 2003 (age 21) | 17 | 2 | Sparta Prague | |
| 3MF | Marek Icha | (2002-03-14) 14 March 2002 (age 22) | 7 | 0 | Slovan Liberec | |
| 3MF | Adam Karabec | (2003-07-02) 2 July 2003 (age 21) | 23 | 4 | Hamburger SV | |
| 3MF | Ondřej Kričfaluši | (2004-03-09) 9 March 2004 (age 20) | 4 | 0 | Teplice | |
| 3MF | Daniel Langhamer | (2003-03-20) 20 March 2003 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | Mladá Boleslav | |
| 3MF | Michal Ševčík | (2002-08-13) 13 August 2002 (age 22) | 8 | 1 | Nürnberg | |
| 3MF | Tom Slončík | (2004-12-21) 21 December 2004 (age 19) | 3 | 0 | Viktoria Plzeň | |
| 3MF | Denis Višinský | (2003-03-21) 21 March 2003 (age 21) | 5 | 0 | Slovan Liberec | |
| 3MF | Patrik Vydra | (2003-06-20) 20 June 2003 (age 21) | 10 | 0 | Mladá Boleslav | |
| 4FW | Denis Alijagić | (2003-04-10) 10 April 2003 (age 21) | 5 | 2 | Žilina | |
| 4FW | Daniel Fila | (2002-08-21) 21 August 2002 (age 22) | 16 | 7 | Slavia Prague | |
| 4FW | Václav Sejk | (2002-05-18) 18 May 2002 (age 22) | 27 | 10 | Zagłębie Lubin | |
| 4FW | Filip Vecheta | (2003-02-15) 15 February 2003 (age 21) | 8 | 0 | Karviná | |
Recent call-ups
The following players have previously been called up to the under-21 squad in the last 12 months and remain eligible for selection.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Matyáš Vágner | (2003-02-05) 5 February 2003 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Hradec Králové | v. Iceland, 26 March 2024 |
| GK | Radek Vítek | (2003-10-24) 24 October 2003 (age 20) | 0 | 0 |  Blau-Weiß Linz | v. Denmark, 17 October 2023 |
| DF | Štěpán Chaloupek | (2003-03-08) 8 March 2003 (age 21) | 6 | 0 | Slavia Prague | v. Iceland, 26 March 2024 |
| DF | Martin Vitík | (2003-01-21) 21 January 2003 (age 21) | 15 | 1 | Sparta Prague | v. Iceland, 26 March 2024 |
| DF | Lukáš Endl | (2003-06-17) 17 June 2003 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | Karviná | v. Slovakia, 20 November 2023 |
| DF | Adam Kadlec | (2003-07-06) 6 July 2003 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Bohemians 1905 | v. Slovakia, 20 November 2023 |
| MF | Lukáš Vorlický | (2002-01-18) 18 January 2002 (age 22) | 0 | 0 | Slavia Prague | v.  Lithuania, 6 September 2024INJ |
| MF | Michal Černák | (2003-09-01) 1 September 2003 (age 21) | 3 | 0 | Jablonec | v. Iceland, 26 March 2024 |
| MF | Jakub Křišťan | (2002-07-05) 5 July 2002 (age 22) | 7 | 0 | Teplice | v. Iceland, 26 March 2024 |
| MF | Matěj Šín | (2004-06-02) 2 June 2004 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | Baník Ostrava | v. Iceland, 26 March 2024 |
| MF | Adam Kronus | (2002-07-29) 29 July 2002 (age 22) | 0 | 0 | Zbrojovka Brno | v. Slovakia, 20 November 2023 |
| MF | Martin Šubert | (2002-08-13) 13 August 2002 (age 22) | 0 | 0 | Vlašim | v. Slovakia, 20 November 2023 |
| MF | David Tkáč | (2002-07-06) 6 July 2002 (age 22) | 3 | 1 | Zlín | v. Slovakia, 20 November 2023 |
| MF | Matěj Jurásek | (2003-08-30) 30 August 2003 (age 21) | 8 | 1 | Slavia Prague | v. Denmark, 17 October 2023 |
| MF | Samuel Šigut | (2002-10-31) 31 October 2002 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | České Budějovice | v. Denmark, 17 October 2023 |
| FW | Christophe Kabongo | (2003-08-27) 27 August 2003 (age 21) | 6 | 4 | Viktoria Plzeň | v. Iceland, 26 March 2024 |
- INJ = Withdrew due to an injury.
Previous squads
- 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squads – Czech Republic
- 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squads – Czech Republic
- 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squads – Czech Republic
- 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squads – Czech Republic
- 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squads – Czech Republic
- 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squads – Czech Republic
- 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squads – Czech Republic
- 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squads – Czech Republic
- 1996 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squads – Czech Republic
Leading appearances
- As of 11 September 2024.[2]
| # | Player | Caps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan Polák | 45 |
| 2 | David Kobylík | 31 |
| 3 | Michal Trávník | 30 |
| 4 | Bořek Dočkal | 28 |
| Josef Kaufman | ||
| 6 | Jan Lecjaks | 27 |
| Michal Papadopulos | ||
| Václav Sejk | ||
| 9 | Lukáš Došek | 26 |
| Michal Kadlec | ||
| Ondřej Mazuch | ||
| Tomáš Pekhart | ||
| Roman Týce | ||
| Tomáš Ujfaluši |
Leading goalscorers
- As of 11 September 2024.[3]
| # | Player | Goals | Club(s)[a] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomáš Pekhart | 17 | Tottenham Hotspur, Jablonec |
| 2 | Jan Chramosta | 12 | Mladá Boleslav |
| 3 | Patrik Schick | 11 | Bohemians 1905, Sampdoria |
| 4 | Václav Sejk | 10 | Sparta Prague, Teplice, Jablonec, Roda Kerkrade, Zagłębie Lubin |
| 5 | Milan Baroš | 9 | Baník Ostrava, Liverpool |
| Tomáš Došek | Viktoria Plzeň, Slavia Prague | ||
| Václav Černý | Ajax | ||
| 8 | Bořek Dočkal | 8 | Slavia Prague, Kladno, Slovan Liberec, Konyaspor |
| Pavel Novotný | Slavia Prague | ||
| Václav Svěrkoš | Baník Ostrava, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hertha |
- ^ The club(s) during the player's time in the Under-21s.
See also
- Czech Republic national football team
- Czech Republic national under-19 football team
- Czech Republic national under-18 football team
- Czech Republic national under-17 football team
Notes
References
- ^ "Nominace reprezentace do 21 let na zápasy s Litvou a Dánskem" (in Czech). Football Association of the Czech Republic. 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Česko U21 - Historické statistiky - Nejvíce startů". Football Association of the Czech Republic.
- ^ "Česko U21 - Historické statistiky - Nejvíce branek". Football Association of the Czech Republic.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Czech Republic national under-21 association football team.
- UEFA Under-21 website Contains full results archive
- Czech Republic Under-21s at uefa.com
- Official ČMFS Czech Republic Under-21 website Contains listings and statistics of current and past Czech Republic U-21 players. (in Czech)
- The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-21 Championships.
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International |
| ||||
| League system |
| ||||
| Domestic cups | |||||
| Other articles | |||||
| Annual tournament |
| ||||
| |||||
| |
|---|---|
| |
