The U19 EURO is just around the corner. The home Czechs will kick it off with a clash with the defending champions

The men’s European Championship took place last year, this year the women’s EURO is on the agenda. Before that, however, fans of women’s football can enjoy a little appetizer in the form of the top tournament of the under-19 category. The annual European Championships will visit the Czech Republic this time, played at five stadiums in the Moravian-Silesian region.

UEFA first organised the competition in 1998, but at that time the age limit was set at 18. Since 2002, it has been an under-19 championship. It is also a qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The Czech Republic has never hosted or won this event. The most successful country is Germany with six triumphs, one less title for the French. They managed to dominate the last edition, which was held in 2019. In 2020 and 2021, the event did not take place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Basic groups

It is the team of France that will be one of the opponents of the home team. Two more teams from football advanced countries, namely Spain and Italy, await the charges of coach Jan Navrátil in the basic group A.

The draw in May included the remaining four teams participating in this year’s European Championship in Group B. Specifically, Sweden, Norway, England and Germany. The top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the semi-finals.

Czech national team and play-off schedule

The Czechs will open their home schedule on Monday 27 June in Vítkovice with a duel with the French women, which starts at 11 am. Three days later they will face the Spaniards in Opava at 5.30 p.m. and will finish the regular group on Sunday 3 July at the same time in Frýdek-Místek against the Italians.

Both semi-finals of the play-offs are scheduled for 6 July, with kick-offs set for 15.00 and 17.30. Fans can look forward to the final clash on Saturday 9 July, when the game starts at 3 pm.

Stadiums

Let’s take a look at where the game will be played. The biggest stadium for this year’s U19 Women’s EURO is the Municipal Stadium in Vítkovice with a capacity of over 15,000 seats. The opening match between the Czech Republic and France and the final will be played there.

In Ostrava, the women’s footballers will also compete at the Bazale, which currently serves mainly as a training centre. It can accommodate 500 spectators. The stadiums in Opava and Karviná will host three group matches and one semi-final. The former can hold seven and a half thousand spectators, the latter almost five thousand. The Stovky Stadium in Frýdek-Místek offers space for 1,784 people.

Ambassadors

The championship also has its ambassadors. One of these two personalities is Lucie Voňková, a former member of the Slavie and Sparta teams, who has also tried her hand in Germany, among others at Bayern Munich. Last year, she ended her career due to health problems, when she worked for Ajax Amsterdam. She twice dominated the domestic Footballer of the Year poll and was captain of the senior national team.

Jan Laštůvka, in his role as ambassador of the European Championship, took charge of the draw for the preliminary groups in May. The thirty-nine-year-old goalkeeper has a close relationship with the Moravian-Silesian region, as he is a Karviná native and now plays for Baník Ostrava. In the past he played for Slavia, Shakhtar Donetsk and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

Czech team nominations

Finally, you can read below the list of domestic players who made it to coach Navratil’s selection. Many of them are from Prague teams, but there are also players from other Czech clubs. In addition to the basic nomination, there are also some substitutes.

Goalkeepers:

Bára Beránková (Pardubice), Tereza Fuchsová (Slavia)

Defenders:

Dominika Huvarová (Slavia), Lucie Jelínková (Slovácko), Andrea Kochanová (Pardubice), Terezie Ohlídalová (Slcko), Nikola Pražienková (Slavia), Natálie Trčková (Slcko)

Midfielders:

Lucie Bendová (Slavia), Radka Hlouchová (Pardubice), Denisa Jonášová (Slovácko), Jaroslava Pavlíčková (Plzeň), Šárka Pouvová (Liberec), Andrea Švíbková (Sparta), Denisa Tenkrátová (Slavia), Aneta Tomanová (Sparta)

Forward::

Tereza Černá (Liberec), Kim Dinh Thanhová (Liberec), Klára Ducháčková (Sparta), Sabina Střížová (Slovácko)

Source:: fotbal.cz, UEFA