Czech coach Ivan Hašek dismissed after loss to Faroe Islands

The Czech Football Association dismissed national team coach Ivan Hašek on Wednesday, days after the Czech Republic suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to the Faroe Islands in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match in Torshavn. The decision leaves the team without its longtime manager as it approaches two remaining qualifiers next month.

Czech FA president David Trunda said an interim coach will be appointed to lead the squad through the end of the qualifying campaign. "A coach would be named to lead the team until the end of the qualifying campaign," Trunda said, adding that a foreign coach is likely to be hired on a permanent basis. Former Czech midfielder Pavel Nedvěd has been tasked with compiling a list of potential candidates. Hašek's assistant Jaroslav Veselý was also dismissed, the association confirmed.

Sunday's loss to the Faroe Islands, a territory with about 55,000 residents, was widely described as an upset and marked the national team's heaviest qualifying defeat in two decades, comparable to a 1-0 loss to Luxembourg in Euro qualifying 20 years ago. The result has left Czech hopes of automatic qualification hanging by a thread.

The Czech Republic currently sit second in Group L,...