World Cup 2026

Czech Republic or Czechia? The name used at the 2026 World Cup explained

The country appears under a different name in FIFA and UEFA competitions, which often causes confusion for fans.

Caean Couto

Digital sports journalist

Scottish sports journalist and content creator. After running his own soccer-related projects, in 2022 he joined Diario AS, where he mainly reports on the biggest news from around Europe’s leading soccer clubs, Liga MX and MLS, and covers live games in a not-too-serious tone. Likes to mix things up by dipping into the world of American sports.

Update: Jun 11th, 2026 04:34 EDT

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Two countries that no longer exist have appeared in World Cup finals. The first is West Germany, which won the tournament three times between 1954 and 1990. The other is Czechoslovakia, runners-up in 1934 and 1962 before the nation dissolved in 1992.

At the end of that year, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two sovereign states: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Euro finalists and World Cup struggles

In soccer, one of the two “new” countries wasted little time making an impression. The Czech Republic reached the final of its first European Championship, in England in 1996, stunning a star-studded Italy team in the group stage and beating France in a semifinal penalty shootout before losing to the now-unified Germany in extra time in the final.

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Since then, the Czech national team has been ever-present at the European Championship, reaching the semifinals in 2004. However, it has been unable to replicate that relative success on the global stage, qualifying for only one World Cup, in Germany in 2006, before the current edition.

When the Czech Republic became Czechia

It might therefore have escaped the attention of fans around the world that the Czech Republic no longer wants to be called that, at least when it comes to sport and informal branding generally.

The Czech Republic remains the country’s official name and is used in formal contexts, including government documents, legal correspondence, and embassy business.

the World Cup game schedule just taught me that we now have to call it Czechia
— Sana Saeed (@SanaSaeed) June 11, 2026

Why the team is called Czechia

Since 2016, however, the nation has officially used Czechia in less formal situations, including sport, after legislation was passed and the name was registered with the United Nations.

Has the shorter, catchier name caught on? Both FIFA and UEFA officially refer to the team as Czechia, which is the name you’ll see on broadcast graphics whenever it plays. But don’t be surprised to hear commentators and analysts refer to the Czech Republic simply out of habit.

Czechia’s 2026 World Cup schedule

Czechia, which qualified via the UEFA playoffs, faces South Korea (June 11), South Africa (June 18), and co-hosts Mexico (June 24) in Group A at the 2026 World Cup, where it will attempt to reach the knockout rounds for the first time since its formation.