2026 FIFA World Cup: Why Czech Republic Are Now Called Czechia

• The Czech Republic returned to the FIFA World Cup after a 20-year absence but competed under the FIFA-recognised name Czechia
• The Repre were held to a 1-1 draw in their second group-stage match after suffering a defeat to South Korea in their tournament opener
• Czechia will face co-hosts Mexico in a must-win encounter for a chance to qualify for the knockout stage

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Czechia were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa in their second Group A match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday, June 18.

The Czechs took the lead in the sixth minute when Michal Sadílek fired home after a clever pass from Alexandr Sojka, following a delivery from the right flank by Adam Hlozek.

Patrik Schick, who plays for Bayer 04 Leverkusen, had earlier squandered a glorious opportunity inside the opening minute when he headed wide from close range.

Czechia were left to rue several missed chances to put the game beyond South Africa early in the second half.

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The equaliser came after Thapelo Maseko saw his effort strike the arm of Pavel Sulc inside the penalty area. Referee Tori Penso, who was part of an all-female officiating team, pointed to the spot.

Teboho Mokoena confidently converted the penalty to score South Africa's first World Cup goal in 16 years, per FotMob.

Bafana Bafana nearly grabbed a winner five minutes later, but Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar produced an excellent save to deny Relebohile Mofokeng.

In the end, both teams settled for a point that could prove crucial heading into the final round of Group A fixtures.

Czechia now face a daunting encounter against co-hosts Mexico at Estadio Azteca, while South Africa will take on South Korea, per Al Jazeera.

Why FIFA changed Czech Republic to Czechia

The name change followed a decision by the Czech government in April 2016 to promote Czechia as the country's official short-form English name, a move that was subsequently approved by the United Nations.

According to a statement from the UK's Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (PCGN), the adoption of Czechia was intended to reduce confusion among English speakers while strengthening the country's international identity and economic branding.

As a result, FIFA now recognises Czechia as the official sporting name for the country's men's and women's national football teams.

However, the country's formal and legal state name remains the Czech Republic, which continues to be used in government, diplomatic and official documents, per BBC.

Czechia is commonly used in sporting, cultural, literary, musical and media contexts, which is why the name appears during international competitions such as the FIFA World Cup.

Williams denies viral comments

Legit.ng earlier reported that South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, during his pre-match conference ahead of their second group game against Czechia, denied these viral comments and rallied other African countries.

The Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper claimed that he had been targeted with abuse over something he never said, which affected him personally.