World Championship in Žilina Announces Game Schedule! How Do the Head Coaches of the Czech National Teams Feel About It?

The World Championship for U16 and U18 players is approaching. At the beginning of July, these youth teams will head to Žilina. Additionally, the Czech Republic will have two teams in the younger category. The game schedules for the group stages are already known.

World Championship Schedule is Brutal: Four Games Against Tough Opponents in the First Two Days

The U18 national team has another training camp planned for the second half of June. Currently, most players in this age category still have club commitments due to the climax of the season. "We are trying to leave nothing out in our preparation and get ready for the highlight of the year. Right now, we are monitoring players whose seasons are concluding and preparing for the camp in Pardubice, which will take place on June 22-23," reveals Vít Čapek, outlining the upcoming preparation schedule.

The U18 team faces a tough challenge at the World Championship. They will start the tournament with a match against Canada and will face the host team, Slovakia, on the same day. The next day, they will battle the United States and Switzerland. Their last group stage match will be against Great Britain. "The World Championship schedule is brutal: four games in the first two days, tough opponents. It will be very challenging, and we are looking forward to every match. We don't differentiate between opponents; we want to beat everyone," says the head coach of the U18 team, who will be defending the gold medal from last year's World Championship in Liberec.

Most Attractive Games for Players Are Against Canada and the Host Team

The Czech U16 national team will compete in the championship with two teams. At the beginning of the tournament, the Czech teams will face each other – they will be distinguished by color, Red and White. The Red team will also play against the USA on the same day, then against Slovakia, Hungary, and finally Canada. The White team will face Canada on the second day, along with a match against Hungary. They will also compete against the USA and Slovakia. "We are, of course, very excited about the World Championship, and we are satisfied with the draw. In this tournament system, no one can avoid playing two games a day, and for us, the draw is relatively favorable," says Pavel Štefka.

Czech fans will thus see at least two matches of the Czech players in this category every day. "I think the most attractive games for players are against Canada, but also the match against the host team, which will certainly have strong fan support. That will be an experience," says the head coach of the U16 players. "As coaches, we approach every game the same way, with respect and the aim to motivate the players as much as possible and help them perform well," adds the coach of the first league team Polička, who leads the U16 national team.