The Czechoslovakia faces South Korea tonight for the World Cup 2026 and the clock turns back several years…

Czechoslovakiahas been one of the most paradoxical states in European history. It was created in 1918 after the breakup of Austro-Hungary, uniting Czechs and Slovaks into one state with different economic, cultural and ethnic realities. From the very first moment its viability was questioned, as it also included millions of Germans Swedes and other minorities.

The beginning of the end came with the rise of Adolf Hitler. In 1938, with the Munich Agreement,Sudetenland was ceded to Nazi Germany without even Czechoslovakia’s participation in the negotiations. President Edvard Benes, former Slavja Praha footballer, was caught between Hitler’s pressure and abandonment by the British and French. A few months later the country was dismantled and occupied by the Nazis.

After World War II it was re-established, but quickly passed into the Soviet sphere of influence. The communist coup of 1948, the Prague Spring of 1968 and the Soviet invasion that suppressed it marked the following decades. The “Velvet Revolution” of 1989 brought the end of the regime, but not the salvation of the federation. Economic and political differences between Czechs and Slovaks eventually led to the so-called “Velvet Split”. On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia ceased to exist and the Czech Republic and Slovakia were born.

The most paradoxical chapter was written in soccer. Although the country had disbanded, FIFA allowed the joint national team to complete the 1994 World Cup qualifiers under the provisional name RCS (“Representation of Czechs and Slovaks”). The team competed for eleven months without the state it represented any longer. Despite internal tensions between Czech and Slovak players, it stayed alive in the battle for qualification until the last game. A 0-0 draw in Belgium in November of November 1993 sealed the elimination and at the same time the end of the last joint national team. Czechoslovakia had died politically in January, but football-wise they lasted almost a year longer.

🏆 That story is one of the chapters in the book “Muniversity Confidential“ that story has been documented and analysed, with many more unknown stories. It is published by Historical Quest.

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