Czechs outlast Danes in shootout to secure World Cup berth

The Czech Republic's national team erupted in joy after securing a World Cup spot by defeating Denmark in a penalty shootout on March 31, 2026, in Prague, following a 2-2 draw after extra time, with Michal Sadilek's decisive penalty proving to be the difference-maker.

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The Czechs, who will be competing in their first World Cup since 2006, can now look forward to facing Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea in Group A of the tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico in June and July.

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In the shootout, Tomas Chory and Tomas Soucek successfully converted their penalties for the Czechs, while Ladislav Krejci was denied by Danish goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, and for Denmark, Christian Eriksen scored his penalty, but Rasmus Hojlund hit the crossbar, Anders Dreyer was stopped by Matej Kovar, and Mathias Jensen fired over.

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The match began with a bang as Pavel Sulc scored a stunning volley into the top corner just three minutes in, after the Danish defense had cleared a corner in his direction on a chilly night in Prague.

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Demark eventually leveled the score in the 72nd minute, courtesy of Joachim Andersen's glancing header from Mikkel Damsgaard's free kick, which found him ready and waiting in the box.

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The Czechs regained the lead in the 100th minute when skipper Krejci scored, with his shot being deflected into the net by Danish defender Alexander Bah, after Vladimir Coufal's cross had caused a goalmouth scramble.

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However, Denmark equalized once more in the 111th minute, as substitute Kasper Hogh headed home Eriksen's corner just six minutes after entering the game.

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In the buildup to this match, the Czechs had defeated Ireland on penalties in the play-off semi-finals, while Denmark had breezed past North Macedonia 4-0, but on this occasion, they found the Czech defense to be a tough nut to crack.

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After the Czechs' quick opening goal, they adopted a defensive approach, often parking the bus with ten men, and Rasmus Hojlund's low shot was cleared by Matej Kovar, who also forced Gustav Isaksen's curling free kick over the crossbar.

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Lukas Provod had a chance to extend the Czechs' lead but tipped the ball past Hermansen and his right post, and the remainder of the match followed a similar pattern, with Denmark pushing but missing or finding Kovar's arms, while the hosts often resorted to blindly clearing the ball.