PRAGUE (AP) — Veteran coach Miroslav Kubek will take charge of the Czech national team in the final stages of World Cup qualifying, the Czech Football Association said Friday.
Kubek, 74, replaces Ivan Hašek, who was sacked following a humiliating 2-1 defeat to the Faroe Islands in October’s World Cup qualifiers.
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Hasek’s assistant Jaroslav Koster served as interim coach, helping the team beat San Marino 1-0 in a friendly and a 6-0 victory over Gibraltar in the final World Cup qualifying game.
Czech Football Federation president David Trenda said Kubek was offered a two-and-a-half-year contract.
His most difficult task at the moment is the European qualifiers in March.
The Czech team finished second in the group behind Croatia in the qualifying round and qualified for the play-offs.
On March 26, they played their first single-elimination match against the Irish team at home. The Irish team defeated the Hungarian team at the last minute and won the play-off spot. The winner will face either Denmark or North Macedonia for a spot in the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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The teams that advance will be placed in Group A along with Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.
Kubek is a former goalkeeper who has coached Czech clubs for much of his career. From 2016-18, he served as assistant to national team coach Karel Jarolim.
In his previous job, he took charge of Vitoria Plzen from 2023 until his dismissal in September this year and reached the quarter-finals of the divisional league and the last 16 of the Europa League.
The Czech team last qualified for the World Cup in 2006.
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