Why FIFA now calls the Czech Republic “Czechia” before the World Cup starts
Czechia is about to play in their first World Cup in 20 years, starting with a match against South Korea in Group A. This time, they’ll be using a different name than the last time they were in the tournament.
They’ve been placed in a tough group, alongside South Korea, South Africa, and co-hosts Mexico. The opening group usually kicks off the World Cup, so Czechia’s players will get an early chance to experience what the tournament is all about.
None of the players from their 2006 team are still playing, and their oldest player now is 35-year-old midfielder Vladimir Darida, who was only 15 back then. Most of the current squad, including star striker Patrik Schick, have experience in big tournaments, since Czechia has qualified for every European Championship since 1996.
Czechia is one of the most successful teams that have never won a World Cup. When they were part of Czechoslovakia, the team finished second twice, in 1934 and 1962. FIFA sees Czechoslovakia as the predecessor of both Czechia and Slovakia.
This will be their third time playing under a new name in international football. The last time they appeared in the World Cup, they were called the Czech Republic. In April 2026, the Czech government chose to officially use “Czechia” in English, and the United Nations approved it.
According to a statement from the UK’s Permanent Committee on Geographical Names, the government felt that using “Czechia” would make things less confusing for English speakers and help promote the country’s identity and economy.
FIFA now recognizes “Czechia” as the name for both the men’s and women’s national teams, although the country’s official name remains the Czech Republic. The name Czechia is also used in books, music, and media.
After their first match against South Korea, which starts at 3 a.m. UK time on Friday in Guadalajara, Czechia will play South Africa on June 18 to begin the second round of group matches. Their final group game is against Mexico in Mexico City on June 25, early in the morning.
Their match against South Africa will be in Atlanta, Georgia, so they’ll have to travel quite a bit during the group stage. In total, they’ll cover around 3,100 miles from their training base in North Texas and back. This isn’t too different from other teams, like England, who travel a similar distance during their group games.