The Czech Republic has established itself as a solid footballing nation in Europe and will compete in the 2026 World Cup with a squad of experienced players from European professional leagues. Manager Miroslav Koubek took charge of the team in December 2025 and guided them to the tournament during the qualifying phase. Group A, featuring hosts Mexico, is a challenge – the Czech Republic will give it their all to reach the knockout stages.

Manager Miroslav Koubek has named three goalkeepers in the Czech squad: Matěj Kovář, Jindřich Staněk and Lukáš Horníček. The Czech Republic is returning to the World Cup stage after a 20-year absence – the country last took part in 2006. In Group A, they will face South Korea, South Africa and co-hosts Mexico. The trio of goalkeepers comprises a Manchester United youth product, a Slavia veteran and a 23-year-old talent from Portugal – and exemplifies the growing international reach of Czech football.

Kovář, aged 25, is the youngest of the three goalkeepers and also Koubek’s clear first-choice. His career began with a move from the 1. FC Slovácko academy to Manchester United in 2018 – he spent five years there, mainly in the reserves, with loan spells at Swindon Town and Burton Albion. The decisive breakthrough came during a loan spell at Sparta Prague in the 2022/23 season: 28 league appearances, a league title and the Goalkeeper of the Season award. In the summer of 2023, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen for €5 million, where he saw little playing time behind Lukáš Hrádecký. In July 2025, he went on loan to PSV Eindhoven, which was converted into a permanent transfer in January 2026, running until 2030. He has made 27 appearances in the Eredivisie this season.

With 19 international caps, he is the most experienced goalkeeper in the Czech Republic squad – and at 196 cm tall, with a modern build-up game and the composure of a Champions League veteran, he is exactly the type of player Koubek’s system needs in a tournament against Mexico and South Korea.

Staněk, 29 years old and born in Strakonice, is the goalkeeper with the longest spell at a single club in the trio. He has been with SK Slavia Praha since January 2024, having previously spent two years at Viktoria Plzeň and several years in the Czech second division – he has carved out his career entirely within the domestic football system. This season, he has featured in 18 top-flight matches, keeping six clean sheets, and has guided Slavia through the Champions League group stage. His contract runs until 2029. At international level, he brings solid experience from competitive matches and is Koubek’s reliable second choice – the goalkeeper who knows the Czech Republic like no other.

Horníček is 23 years old and stands at 198 cm – and is the most unusual goalkeeper of the trio: this is his first ever call-up to the senior squad, and he has yet to make a single international appearance for the national team. The fact that he was nominated nonetheless is down to a convincing season with SC Braga in the Primeira Liga: 26 appearances, nine clean sheets, a FotMob rating of 7.26 – strong enough to see his Transfermarkt value climb to €15 million. Since his move from FK Pardubice to Portugal in 2019 – at the time the biggest sale in Pardubice’s club history – he has established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper for a European top-flight club. The World Cup is his first major tournament at any level.