Matej Kovar denied Finn Azaz and Alan Browne in a shootout as Czechia ended the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualification campaign and advanced to a play-off final against Denmark with victory in the semi-finals at the Fortuna Arena.
Miroslav Koubek will lead Czechia to the finals for the first time since 2006 if they beat Denmark at home on Tuesday (19:45 BST), having recovered from falling 2-0 behind to Troy Parrott’s 19th-minute penalty and Kovar’s own goal after 23 minutes.
Patrik Schick replied with a penalty in the 27th minute when Ryan Manning was adjudged to have fouled Ladislav Krejci and, after Jayson Molumby shot against a post for the visitors during the second half, Krejci headed the equaliser four minutes from time.
Parrott, Krejci, Adam Idah, Tomas Soucek and Robbie Brady all converted in the shootout before Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher saved from Mojmir Chytil to put Ireland in front, only for Kovar’s saves and successful attempts by Schick and Jan Kliment to send Czechia through.
Czechia team vs Ireland
Czechia starting 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
Ireland team vs Czechia
Ireland starting 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
Ireland 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, teams
The draw for the finals has already taken place. Czechia or Denmark will be in Group A if they advance.
Here’s how those groups look, including a look at each team’s FIFA ranking before the play-off semi-finals.
Who could Czechia or Denmark play at the World Cup? Group A
| Country | Rank |
| Mexico | 16 |
| South Korea | 22 |
| South Africa | 60 |
FIFA World Cup: Czechia, Denmark schedule, fixtures
The victors in the final will take on South Korea first, then South Africa and co-hosts Mexico. Fixtures with an asterisk start the following 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 City |
Should they win their group at the World Cup, Czechia or Denmark will face one of the eight best-performing teams to have finished third among the 12 groups.
If they finish second, they will meet the runners-up from Group B, which will contain Switzerland, Canada, Qatar and a European play-off winner.
If they reach the knockout stage as a third-placed team, they will encounter the winners of Group E or G. Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand are in those groups.
Check out the full World Cup bracket.
When does the 2026 FIFA World Cup start?
The World Cup starts with a meeting between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City on June 11 (20:00 BST).
