The 2024/25 European season is quickly approaching, with 236 clubs set to compete in UEFA’s continental club competitions this season.
With the first qualifying round draws less than two weeks away, Extratime Talk will be providing a comprehensive coefficient preview. Between now and then, each country will be previewed, and all clubs participating in Europe for the 2024/25 season are discussed.
In these articles, we will provide analyses of what to expect from each country in Europe. We will explore what is on the line from a coefficient standpoint, and the keys to succeeding, in that country’s case.
Czechia is the 15th country to be discussed in this series, as we dive into what we can expect from them this time around.
Czechia In Europe: Country Profile
| Previous Season Coefficient (Rank) | 13.500 (7th) |
| Previous Season’s 5-Year Coefficient (Rank) | 36.050 (10th) |
| Starting 5-Year Coefficient (Rank) | 33.550 (10th) |
It was a record-breaking year for Czech football in 2023/24. All three of Sparta Praha, Slavia Praha, and Viktoria Plzeň all reached the knockout rounds in Europe. Plzeň even reached their maiden quarterfinal in the Conference League. That saw Czechia go from trying to simply end up in the top 15 by season end, to finishing in 10th, passing Scotland at the end.
Now Czechia starts in 10th spot, just behind Turkey for ninth place. While they only had four teams last year, the Czechs will have five teams in Europe again. The potential is there for the same trio of Sparta, Slavia, and Plzeň to go far once more. Do that, and Czechia will be set for another excellent year.
Czechia In Europe: Club Profile
| Club | Qualified As | Round of Entry | Total European Seasons | Last Season’s Performance | 5-Year Club Coefficient (2023/24) | 5-Year Country Coefficient Contribution, 2023/24 (%) |
| Sparta Praha | Domestic Champion | UCL Q2, CH Path | 32 | UEL Round of 16 | 22.500 | 15.000 (15.88%) |
| Slavia Praha | Domestic Runner-up | UCL Q3, League Path | 26 | UEL Round of 16 | 53.000 | 5.725 (41.61%) |
| Viktoria Plzeň | Domestic Third Place | UEL Q3, Main Path | 15 | UECL Quarterfinals | 28.000 | 9.600 (26.63%) |
| Banik Ostrava | Domestic Fourth Place | UECL Q2, Main Path | 5 | N/A | 7.210 | N/A |
| Mladá Boleslav | Domestic Play-off Tournament Winner | UECL Q2, Main Path | 10 | N/A | 7.210 | 0.400 (1.11%) |
Sparta Praha held off local rivals Slavia to win their 38th domestic title. That was while making the round of 16 of the Europa League. They had not gotten that far in the Europa League in a decade. Starting in the second qualifying of the Champions League’s champions path, Sparta will feel confident in making a return to the main round after nearly 20 years away.
Slavia finished second to their city enemies once again. This time, they will also have UCL football to enjoy this summer. Slavia benefited from Atalanta’s Europa League success, as they now get to enter a round later in Q3. They have not become strangers to springtime football in Europe, having gone to the knockout rounds in five of the last six seasons. Seeing that they are seeded throughout UCL qualifying in the league path, there will be belief that they can make the UCL’s new league phase.
Viktoria Plzeň was one of the revelation stories in Europe last term, going unbeaten in their first 15 continental games before finally losing to Fiorentina in the second leg of their quarterfinal. That surely showed Plzeň’s quality. They will, however, look to reach the UEL league phase for the fall, starting in Q3. They are seeded in both Q3 and the playoff round, which should work as an advantage to them.
Banik Ostrava finished fourth in the league, and will compete in a continental club competition for the first time in 14 years. UECL Q2 is the entry point for Ostrava, who has won a European tie once in their six previous attempts. That came in their last European appearance, where they knocked off Georgia Tbilisi. Ostrava will be seeded in UECL Q2, but no further than that. That makes things a lot more difficult for them past Q2.
Completing the Czech European quintet is Mladá Boleslav, who defeated Hradec Králové in a one-off game for the last spot in continental football. It has been 17 years since Mladá’s last main round appearance. Since that last group stage representation, they have been eliminated in Q3 across each of their last six attempts. They do enter UECL Q2, so that trend could continue.
Czechia’s Season Ambitions
Given their head start over Israel and others for 10th place, it is unlikely that Czechia will have to worry finishing lower than that this season. However, seeing they are right behind Turkey for ninth, that should be the ambition among the Czech sides.
Czechia only has 6.600 points to defend next season, so there should be an interest to at least double that score. That is too arduous of a task, due to the new format. Overall, Czechia should look to climb up the rankings once again, just like they did in 2023/24.
What a Successful Season Would Be for Czechia
A successful season for Czechia would be having their three top clubs in the UEL league phase at minimum. The cherry on top would be Banik Ostrava and/or Mladá Boleslav making the UECL proper. The latter is rather unlikely, so Czechia should be happy if they get two or even three teams in the knockout rounds.
If Banik Ostrava and Mladá Boleslav can contribute at least 1.000 points to the Czech coefficient, that in and of itself should be a good performance. Anything more than that has to be considered as a massive bonus.
What to Expect From Czechia in 2024/25
Speaking with Czech football expert Ondřej Kreml, there is reason for optimism that Czechia’s seasonal coefficient will be very good again. “I don’t think it is likely that Czechia will have a disastrous year,” said Kreml, who expects more good things from the Prague-based teams and Plzeň. According to him, Sparta is “pretty confident and the clubs definitely aims to qualify to CL league phase despite being unseeded in Q3.”
Putting it all together, Kreml expects Czechia to have another “solid” year. “The gap ahead of the rest of the field outside top 10 might be reduced quite a bit, but I don’t expect Czechia to fall outside top 10 this season. I don’t see much concern about this issue, though it will surely be something to watch the upcoming season.”
Kreml does have a point when talking about Czechia having another great year. The top three clubs will likely make a league phase, presenting 20-24 matches in the fall to add more points to the country coefficient. It is not out of the question that Czechia could end up with a similar season coefficient to last term, despite having a fifth European spot this time. Will they be competitive against Turkey? That looks unlikely, but at least top 10 should be secured for Czech football.