Matej Kovar denied Finn Azaz and Alan Browne in a shootout as Czechia ended the Republic of Eire’s World Cup qualification marketing campaign and superior to a play-off last towards Denmark with victory within the semi-finals on the Fortuna Enviornment.
Miroslav Koubek will lead Czechia to the finals for the primary time since 2006 in the event that they beat Denmark at residence on Tuesday (19:45 BST), having recovered from falling 2-0 behind to Troy Parrott’s Nineteenth-minute penalty and Kovar’s personal aim after 23 minutes.
Patrik Schick replied with a penalty within the twenty seventh minute when Ryan Manning was adjudged to have fouled Ladislav Krejci and, after Jayson Molumby shot towards a publish for the guests throughout the second half, Krejci headed the equaliser 4 minutes from time.
Parrott, Krejci, Adam Idah, Tomas Soucek and Robbie Brady all transformed within the shootout earlier than Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher saved from Mojmir Chytil to place Eire in entrance, just for Kovar’s saves and profitable makes an attempt by Schick and Jan Kliment to ship Czechia by.
Czechia crew vs Eire
Czechia beginning XI: Matej Kovar, Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Holes, Robin Hranac, Ladislav Krejci, David Jurasek, Vladimir Darida, Tomas Chory, Lukas Provod, Pavel Sulc, Patrik Schick
Czechia substitutes: Lukas Hornicek, Martin Jedlicka, Stepan Chaloupek, Martin Vitik, Adam Karabec, Jan Kliment, Lukas Cerv, Mojmir Chytil, Michal Sadilek, Jaroslav Zeleny, Denis Visinsky, Tomas Soucek
Eire crew vs Czechia
Eire beginning XI: Caoimhin Kelleher, Seamus Coleman, Ryan Manning, Dara O’Shea, Jake O’Brien, Jayson Molumby, Troy Parrott, Finn Azaz, Jack Taylor, Chiedozie Ogbene, Nathan Collins
Eire substitutes: Mark Travers, Josh Keeley, John Egan, Jimmy Dunne, Robbie Brady, James Abankwah, Jason Knight, Alan Browne, Harvey Vale, Adam Idah, Johnny Kenny, Sammie Szmodics
World Cup 2026: Czechia, Denmark group, groups
The draw for the finals has already taken place. Czechia or Denmark might be in Group A in the event that they advance.
Right here’s how these teams look, together with a take a look at every crew’s FIFA rating earlier than the play-off semi-finals.
Who may Czechia or Denmark play on the World Cup? Group A
| Nation | Rank |
| Mexico | 16 |
| South Korea | 22 |
| South Africa | 60 |
FIFA World Cup: Czechia, Denmark schedule, fixtures
The victors within the last will tackle South Korea first, then South Africa and co-hosts Mexico. Fixtures with an asterisk begin the next day.
| Date | Match | BST | ET | PT | Venue |
| June 11 | South Korea | 03:00* | 22:00 | 19:00 | Estadio Guadalajara, Mexico |
| June 18 | South Africa | 17:00 | 12:00 | 09:00 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
| June 24 | Mexico | 02:00* | 21:00 | 18:00 | Estadio Azteca, Mexico Metropolis |
Ought to they win their group on the World Cup, Czechia or Denmark will face one of many eight best-performing groups to have completed third among the many 12 teams.
In the event that they end second, they are going to meet the runners-up from Group B, which is able to include Switzerland, Canada, Qatar and a European play-off winner.
In the event that they attain the knockout stage as a third-placed crew, they are going to encounter the winners of Group E or G. Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand are in these teams.
Try the total World Cup bracket.
When does the 2026 FIFA World Cup begin?
The World Cup begins with a gathering between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico Metropolis on June 11 (20:00 BST).
