West Ham United stalwarts Tomáš Souček and Vladimír Coufal have been included in the Czech Republic’s provisional 26-man squad for this summer’s UEFA Euro 2024 Championship.
Both players have been rewarded for strong 2023/24 campaigns at Club level, in which Souček scored ten goals in 52 games and Coufal made 47 appearances as the Hammers finished ninth in the Premier League and reached the quarter-finals of both the UEFA Europa League and EFL Cup.
Midfielder Souček is set to captain Ivan Hašek’s Czech Republic side in Germany, having taken the armband in the wake of Vladimír Darida’s international retirement after the previous instalment of the Euros, three years ago.
The 29-year-old - who currently has 68 caps to his name - made five appearances at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament across the continent, as the Czech Republic took on Scotland and England en route to the quarter-finals, where they were defeated 2-1 by Denmark.
Also a key member of that memorable run to the last eight was full-back Coufal, who will be looking to add to his 40 caps having last represented his country in a 1-1 draw against Poland in November 2023.
Souček said: “It’s the second Euros of my career, and to go as captain of my country is incredible. It’s something I dreamt about when I was a child, and to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Pavel Nedvěd and Tomáš Rosický is amazing.
“We have a new manager and some young players, and we’re hopeful we can build on our run last time and be successful for our fans and for our country.”
The Czech Republic have been drawn in Group F for the Championship, where they will first take on Portugal on Tuesday 18 June (8pm BST), before facing Georgia on Sunday 22 June (2pm BST) and Turkey on Wednesday 26 June (8pm BST).
Before making their way across the border to Germany, Hašek’s charges are scheduled to play two friendlies, against Malta in Grödig, Austria, on Friday 7 June (4.30pm BST), and North Macedonia in Hradec Králové on Monday 10 June (5pm BST).
