Sports play a significant part in the life of many Czechs who are generally loyal supporters of their favourite teams or individuals.
The two leading sports in the Czech Republic are football and ice hockey, both of which draw the largest attention of both the media and supporters. The many other sports with professional leagues and structures include basketball, volleyball, team handball, Czech handball, athletics, floorball and others. Sport is a source of strong waves of patriotism, usually rising several days or weeks before an event and sinking several days after.
The events considered the most important by Czech fans are: the Ice Hockey World Championship, the Olympic ice hockey tournament, the European football championship, the football World Cup and qualification matches for such events. In general, any international match involving the Czech ice hockey or football national team draws attention, especially when played against a traditional rival: Germany in football; Russia, Finland, Sweden, and Canada in ice hockey; and Slovakia in both. Summer and winter Olympic games are also both very popular.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in the Czech Republic.
The Czech men's national team
The Czech national team is one of the top teams in the world, regularly competing in the World Championship, the Winter Olympic Games and the Euro Hockey Tour. The national team captured their first Olympic gold at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano. From 1996 to 2001, the Czech Republic won six World Championship medals, including three consecutive gold from 1999 to 2001. Prominent Czech players include Jaromír Jágr, Dominik Hašek, Patrik Eliáš, Tomáš Plekanec, Aleš Hemský, Tomáš Kaberle, Milan Michálek and Robert Lang, who captained the 2006 Olympic team to a bronze medal. The team last won gold at the 2024 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.
Extraliga
The Extraliga is the highest ranking ice hockey competition in the Czech Republic. The league comprises 14 teams and usually runs from September to April.
KHL The team HC Lev Praha played two seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) league, beginning with the 2012–13 season. The team qualified for the playoffs, but was eliminated by HC CSKA Moscow. In the 2013–2014 season they reached the final, where they lost the Gagarin Cup to Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
Football
Football has been a popular sport amongst the locals. Previously the old Czechoslovakia team were a force to be reckoned with, finishing runners-up twice in the World Cup and winning UEFA Euro 1976. Czech football history includes several world-renowned footballers, such as Antonín Panenka, Josef Bican, Josef Masopust, and Ivo Viktor. The sport gained even more support when the national team qualified for their first World Cup since the break-up of Czechoslovakia. In the 2000s, players such as Petr Čech, Tomáš Rosický, Milan Baroš, and Pavel Nedvěd achieved great success at top European clubs and became national icons.
In domestic football, the Czech First League is the top-level in the Czech football league system. Domestically, AC Sparta Prague (38 titles), SK Slavia Prague (21 titles), and FK Dukla Prague (11 titles) have been the most successful. For a long time Czech teams have supplied the national team and other top-level teams globally with players, including Libor Sionko, Jaromír Blažek, Zdeněk Grygera, Tomáš Souček, and Patrik Schick.
Floorball Floorball became a very popular sport in the last two decades in the Czech Republic. Czech Floorball, which is officially the Czech floorball association and a member of IFF, was established in 1992. In 2023 it had more than 70,000 members. This places Czech Floorball in third position between Finland and Switzerland in number of members worldwide. Since 1996, when the first Men's World Floorball Championship took place, until 2023, the Czech Republic men's national floorball team have achieved two second place (2004 and 2022) and two third-place finishes. In the 2019 and 2021 Czech juniors won the gold medal in the U19 world championship in Halifax and Brno. The Superliga florbalu and Extraliga žen ve florbale are the highest Czech floorball leagues. Many Czechs also play floorball in their free time at an amateur level.
American Football
The domestic league Czech League of American Football that features four levels of play and also a woman's division. The Czech Bowl is the final of the top league. The Prague Black Panthers, founded in 1991, have won 18 Czech league championships and has competed in European Football League. There is also a National team representing the country in international competition.
Bandy The national bandy team made its Bandy World Championship debut in 2016. In Nymburk an annual international rink bandy tournament was organised. In 2017 Federation of International Bandy decided to make it an official one. As of 2019, four teams are playing in the national rink bandy league. It is already decided that more will participate in 2019. A variety of rink bandy called short bandy has been invented in Czechia.SHORT BANDY – A NEW SUCCESSFUL TYPE OF BANDY? In terms of licensed athletes, bandy is the second biggest winter sport in the world.
Baseball Baseball is growing in popularity but is still considered a minor sport. The Czech Republic hosted the 2009 Baseball World Cup. A few Czech have signed contracts and are now playing in Minor League Baseball. The Czech Republic was invited to compete in the qualifying round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
In September 2022, the Czech Republic made history by qualifying for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. At the 2023 World Baseball Classic the Czech Republic beat China in its opening game and finished 4th in its group, thus qualifying for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Later in 2023, the Czech Republic hosted the 2023 European Baseball Championship. The Czech Republic finished 5th at the 2023 European Baseball Championship after losing its quarterfinal match to Great Britain, then beating Israel and France to secure its placing.
Basketball
Basketball is a popular sport in the Czech Republic. The National Basketball League is the country's top division.
As the heir to the successful Czechoslovakia men's national basketball team, the Czech national team has at times struggled to meet expectations. Following independence in 1993, the Czech national team did not qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup until 2019.
Notable Czech players include Tomáš Satoranský, Jan Veselý, Jiří Welsch and George Zidek.
Beach volleyball The country featured national teams in beach volleyball that competed at the 2018–2020 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup in both the women's and the men's sections.
Cricket Cricket has been played in the Czech Republic since 1997, however, as a sports body, joined the ICC International Cricket Council in 2000.
The Czech Cricket Union is the official governing body of the sport of cricket in Czech Republic. Its current headquarters is in Prague. The Czech Cricket Union is the Czech Republic's representative at the International Cricket Council and is an affiliate member. It is also a member of the European Cricket Council.
Lacrosse The Czech Republic has sent national teams to the World Lacrosse Championship, the World Lacrosse Women's World Championship and the Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships.Record 23 lacrosse teams to play at Men's Under-21 World Championship Ali Iveson (Inside the Games), 30 May 2021. Accessed 9 June 2021.
Rugby union
Josef Rössler-Ořovský, who introduced a number of sports in the then Czechoslovakia, among others skiing and tennis, was originally credited with starting rugby union as well back in 1895. Rugby Club Bystrc – Historie He went to England and brought back a rugby ball with him. Efforts were made to play the game at the Czech Yacht Club, but a public struggle ensued, and rugby subsequently never really caught on.
Czechoslovakia was a founder member of FIRA in 1934, and joined the IRB in 1988.Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ) p66
Currently, Brno in Moravia, and the capital Prague are considered to be the centres for Rugby Union in the country.
Rugby league
Rugby league in the Czech Republic was started in 2006. The Czechs received government funding before a game was played there, and in their first game on August 5, 2006, in Prague, the Czechs went down 34–28 to the Netherlands.
In 2007 the Czech Republic took part in the European Shield tournament. This included two other 2nd tier nations; Germany and Serbia. Czech national team lost both their matches, v Germany 22–44 in Prague (4 August) and v Serbia 16–56 in Belgrade (18 August), and finished third.
In 2011, the Czech Rugby League Association became an affiliate member of the Rugby League European Federation after reforming its governance.
Individual sports
Liberec () hosted the FIL European Luge Championships in 1914 and 1939. The Czech Republic has twice hosted the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships: Prague hosted the 1958 Championships and Račice hosted them in 2017. In 2009, Liberec hosted the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and the Ski Jumping World Cup always comes here in January.
Athletics The Czech Athletics Federation organises the annual Czech Athletics Championships, Czech Indoor Athletics Championships and Czech Republic Marathon Championships. Regular athletics meetings are held at the Josef Odložil Memorial in Prague, as well as the Golden Spike Ostrava. Half marathons are regularly run in cities including České Budějovice, Karlovy Vary, Olomouc, Prague, and Ústí nad Labem. Annual marathons are held in places including Kladno, Ostrava, and Prague.
Figure skating Tomáš Verner is the 2008 European champion, a medalist at two other European Championships (2007 silver, 2011 bronze), and a ten-time (2002–2004, 2006–2008, 2011–2014) Czech national champion. He has won six senior Grand Prix medals, including the 2010 Cup of Russia title. He has represented the Czech Republic at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. He has qualified for the Grand Prix Final three times (2008, 2009 and 2010). His highest placement in the World Championships is fourth which he achieved twice in 2007 and 2009.
Michal Brezina has represented the Czech Republic at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. He is the 2013 European bronze medalist, 2011 Skate America champion, 2009 World Junior silver medalist, and four-time Czech national champion. He is also the winner of the 2014-15 ISU Challenger Series. He has qualified for the Grand Prix Final twice (2011 and 2018). His younger sister, Eliška Březinová, competes in ladies' single skating.
Horse racing Among the most famous horse races in the country are the Velká pardubická in Pardubice, as well as the Czech Triple Crown of flat racing, which takes place at Prague-Velká Chuchle Racecourse.
Mixed Martial Arts In 2022, Jiří Procházka became the Czech Republic's first UFC Champion after defeating Glover Teixeira for the Light Heavyweight title at UFC 275.
Other notable mixed martial artists from the Czech Republic include Karlos Vemola, Viktor Pešta, David Dvořák and Lucie Pudilová.
Motorcycle racing
Grand Prix The Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix has been held at the Brno Circuit in Brno, since 1965, with a hiatus between 1982 and 1987, as well as between 2020 and 2025.
Motocross Since 1995 the West Bohemian town of Loket has hosted a round of the Motocross World Championship in late July or early August every year.
Speedway and Longtrack Speedway has been run as a league system since 1956, with the winner crowned champion of the country when winning the Czech Republic Team Speedway Championship.