West Ham’s Tomas Soucek, left, and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly fight for the ball during the Premier League soccer match between West Ham and Arsenal in London, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
PRAGUE (AP) — Attacking midfielder Adam Hložek of Hoffenheim has recovered from a long-term injury to be included in the preliminary Czech Republic squad for the World Cup on Thursday.
Hložek missed most of the season due to calf and foot injuries but has been fit, said coach Miroslav Koubek , who wants to test him in warmup games.
Hložek last played for the national team last June in World Cup qualifying. The 23-year-old has played 41 international games, scoring four times.
Koubek named three newcomers in the 29-man squad, including 17-year-old Sparta Prague midfielder Huga Sochůrek, Viktoria Plzeň midfielder Alexandr Sojka and Mladá Boleslav forward Christophe Kabongo.
Koubek said they will at least get a chance in the warmup against Kosovo on May 31 in Prague. Immediately after that game, the coach will cut the squad to 26 players and the team will leave for the United States to play one more warmup against Guatemala in New Jersey on June 4.
Three other players who were part of the team during the playoffs against Ireland and Denmark have yet to play for the team, including Cincinnati midfielder Pavel Bucha.
The team mainstays included Lyon midfielder Pavel Šulc , Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick and West Ham midfield Tomáš Souček.
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