PRAGUE (AP) – Former captain Vladimir Dalida has agreed to come out of international retirement to help the Czech Republic qualify for the World Cup.
Dalida, 35, retired from international football in 2021 after the Czech Republic lost in the quarter-finals of the European Championship.
The playmaker was approached by coach Miroslav Koubek and Czech Football Association general manager Pavel Nedved and agreed to rejoin the team.
Dalida said on Tuesday that his decision was not due to personal ambitions, but to “work together and do our best to bring Czech football back to the World Cup.”
The Czech national team last participated in the World Cup in 2006.
Dalida made his international debut in 2012, appearing in 76 games and scoring eight goals. Having previously played for Freiburg and Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga and Aris Thessaloniki in Greece, Dalida returned last summer to captain Hradec Králove in the Czech league.
The Czech Republic finished second in their qualifying group behind Croatia and advanced to the World Cup playoffs. They will play Ireland at home on March 26 in a single-elimination game. The winner will host Denmark or North Macedonia for a spot in the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The teams participating in the tournament will be group A with Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.
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