The Czech Republic national football team traces its independent existence to 1994, when the newly formed Czech state — created by the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 1 January 1993 — fielded its first official match on 23 February 1994 in Istanbul against Turkey, winning 4–1. Before that, Czech players had represented Czechoslovakia, one of the historically powerful nations in world football, whose roots in the region stretch back to the earliest organised matches in Bohemia in the late nineteenth century.
The Czechoslovak era produced remarkable achievements: the national team finished as runners-up at the 1934 and 1962 FIFA World Cups, and claimed the UEFA European Championship title in 1976, defeating West Germany on penalties thanks to Antonín Panenka's audacious chipped spot-kick — a technique that now bears his name worldwide.
As an independent nation, the Czech Republic's defining moment came at UEFA Euro 1996 in England. The team eliminated Portugal and France before reaching the final at Wembley Stadium, where Patrik Berger's goal gave them the lead against Germany. They ultimately lost 2–1 to an Oliver Bierhoff golden goal in extra time. A semi-final run at UEFA Euro 2004 stands as another high point of the independent era.
The team's identity is closely bound to a tradition of technically gifted, combative players emerging from the domestic league structure organised by the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FAČR). The historic rivalry with Slovakia — former partners in the Czechoslovak federation — and competitive matches against Germany carry particular cultural weight for Czech supporters.