U-17 FIFA World Cup Football – Czechia want to play football that entertains.

Czechia have qualified for the U-17 World Cup for first time since 2011. Alongwith the USA, Burkina Faso and Tajikistan they have been placed in Group I.

Coach Pavel Drsek have spoken exclusively to FIFA ahead of the tournament, wherein he has reiterated that, “For me, it’s better to play football that is driven, and can entertain the people”, he said. “It really depends on what kind of players I am coaching, and I can change the style of play depending on them, but I really do like offensive football”.

It’s an approach set to be showcased at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025™, where Drsek will lead his native Czechia. The newly-expanded 48-team tournament begins on 03rd November and, under Drsek’s leadership, the Czechs could be one of the teams to watch. Czechia are making their return to their U-17 World Cup after a 14-year absence. They booked their ticket to Qatar by progressing to the UEFA U-17 European Championship final tournament earlier this year.

The Coach Pavel Drsek has spent most of his career as a centre-back, but his coaching philosophy is centered on expressive and attacking football. As he succinctly explained to FIFA: “I’d rather win 5-3 than 1-0. The qualification phase (for the EUROs) was very challenging,” said Drsek. “Every game was tough, but the team worked like well-oiled machine. It was really a success for us, because I don’t think anyone thought we could get among best teams in Europe”.

The U-17 EURO featured only eight sides and, while Czechia exited in the group phase, Drsek is convinced competing at the event has only benefitted his team for participating in the global stage.

“We learned that the quality is huge from teams like Belgium, Italy and England. There was a difference in maturity. It was clear that some players from other nations are playing adult football, and our players haven’t done this yet. But for our team, it was a very good experience. They will never forget it. We hope that they will use that and transform it into good performances at the World Cup”.

Czechia have been drawn in fascinating group at Qatar 2025, where they will do battle with USA, Burkina Faso and Tajikistan. Speaking exclusively to FIFA, Drsek discussed the challenges ahead in the Middle East, his team’s standout qualities, and his coaching inspirations.

Resonating with the importance of leading the country at the U-17 World Cup, Dresk said, “It’s really an honour to qualify for World Cup as a coach. It’s not only credit to me, but it’s really credit to the whole team of staff, the assistant coaches, physiotherapists and so on. And the players themselves, because it was their work. They made it and I want to thank all of them. But of course, it’s really a huge responsibility for me”.

When been asked about the Group-1, where Czechia has been placed, Drsek asserted that all the matches will be difficult, because it’s the World Cup and only the quality teams will qualify. The teams are from several continents, and their style of play differs. He is interested in how his team adapts to that. According to him, USA will probably be favourites to win the group.

“The main strength is definitely that we work as a team and we can play as a team. We fight for each other; that’s really the characteristic of our team. I think we showed it through the qualifiers and in the EUROs as well”, he stated.

Dresk was found to be confident of having a successful tournament, as he narrated, “First of all, we have to define what success means for us – if it’s advancing from the group stage, or to go even further. It’s very important to have our players healthy and to be in good form, as we want to be successful in every game, but you can never be sure. I will have confidence from the moment I see my players doing very well in training, being healthy, and having a good mentality”.

The Czechian Coach have admired the fellow coaches, as he found them not been arrogant, and they behave like normal, ordinary people. Speaking on a high note about Jurgen Klopp of Germany, his style of coaching. His path encompassing the German clubs to Liverpool, was something spectacular.

Team Maverick