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    Czech Republic

    Czech Republic line up before a match against Poland

    The Czech Republic have emerged as perennial dark horses since splitting with Slovakia in the early 90s, and they remain one of the most intriguing nations to watch in world football.

    The Czech national team has had some world-renowned stars playing for them in recent years, most notably former Chelsea, Arsenal and Stade Rennais goalkeeper Petr Cech.

    However, they have not quite fulfilled their promise and picked up major honours.

    In the past, they played as Czechoslovakia, but after the nation split, the Czech Republic and Slovakia formed their own autonomous soccer teams in the 1990s.

    On several occasions, the Czechs have risen as high as second place in the FIFA World Rankings. They came close to reflecting this in Euro 96 (when they were runners-up) and Euro 2004 (when they exited at the semi-final stage).

    The Czech Republic have not fared as well in FIFA World Cups as they have in the European Championships, but they made the group stage of the tournament in 2006.

    As Czechoslovakia, they had greater success, winning the 1976 European Championships and finishing in second place at both the 1934 and 1962 World Cups.

    Playing as Czechoslovakia

    The Czech national team in the current era

    Czech Republic legends

    Czech Republic rivalries

    Czech Republic fanbase

    Czech Republic News