West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek roars in celebration while wearing a Czechia shirt on a London Stadium background
1Soucek
Daniel Davis
Wed 1 April 2026 11:10, UK
Tomas Soucek has been praised by the Czech media after the West Ham United midfielder played a crucial role in securing his country’s spot at the World Cup.
Czechia triumphed in a tense penalty shootout at the Epet Arena in Prague on Tuesday night to guarantee their place at the showpiece in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Irons talisman Soucek played the entire 120 minutes after the showdown went to extra time and delivered a calming performance at the heart of a midfield three.
The 31-year-old looks to have worked his way back into Czechia’s good books, having been stripped of the captain’s armband for the play-off victory against Republic of Ireland after not thanking supporters following November’s win over Gibraltar.
West Ham will welcome Soucek back for their Premier League relegation run-in, and the veteran will surely be on top of the world after making history on the international stage.
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How did Tomas Soucek play for Czechia?
Czechia had taken the lead just three minutes in through Pavel Sulc, but the visitors levelled the scores with less than 20 minutes remaining, taking the game to extra-time.
Both countries then exchanged goals to set up a penalty shootout, and after Rasmus Hojlund missed the Danes’ first spot-kick, Czechia took control.
Category Detail
National Team Czechia
Senior Debut 15 Nov 2016 vs Denmark
Competitive Debut 10 June 2017 vs Norway
Caps 89
Goals 17
First Goal 8 Nov 2017 vs Iceland
Captain Since 2021
Major Tournaments Euro 2020 (QF), Euro 2024
Notable Match Hat-trick vs Estonia (2021)
Youth Career Czech U21 (Euro 2017)
Tomas Soucek’s international career factfile
Soucek was one of three players to beat his West Ham team-mate Mads Hermansen from the spot, and while his performance wasn’t outstanding, it did garner praise from the press.
iSport.cz gave him a 7/10 rating, writing: “He wasn’t seen much when he returned to the starting line-up. He didn’t get into a combination. He didn’t have many touches with the ball.
“Nevertheless, he took on a key role in midfield, covering the right spaces. He played very well and finally converted a penalty.”
Tomas Soucek of West Ham United celebrates scoring the first goal during the Manchester United match.
Credit: Breaking Media
While Sport.cz did not award him a rating, they declared he was “not wrong” during the crucial penalty shootout and pointed to his steady impact during large swathes of the game.
It signalled a quick turnaround from Soucek’s previous messy Czechia situation and confirmed that their four-time Player of the Year can still dominate at the highest level.
Does Soucek have a future at West Ham?
Despite Soucek’s impressive performance for Czechia, his future at West Ham is uncertain.
His contract is set to tick down into its final year, and it is looking increasingly likely that he will leave, regardless of whether the Irons stay in the Premier League.
The club will be aware that they are running out of opportunities to cash in on him, while Nuno Espirito Santo will be reluctant to build his midfield around the veteran.
What is certain is that when he does leave, he will bow out as a club legend.