Premier League star facing axe from national team for crucial World Cup play-off clash

Tomas Soucek boasts plenty of international experience for the Czech Republic, but could miss their massive fixture this week.

The West Ham star has been included in his country’s squad for the World Cup play-off semi-final against Ireland on Thursday night.

Czechia finished second in their qualifying group, and now have one last chance to reach the World Cup proper this summer.

With 87 international caps, Soucek has made the most appearances out of any active player for his country.

However, as reported by The Sun, the 31-year-old is set to be dropped for the upcoming clash against Ireland.

Soucek has held the Czech captaincy since Euro 2020 and played in all of their qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup.

Their final fixture was a 6-0 thrashing of Gibraltar in November, but he and some of his teammates were punished by the Czech FA after.

As per ESPN, players missed out on financial bonuses after ignoring their fans at the end of the victory.

This is said to have been a response to criticism of their campaign.

Soucek was given the most notable sanction though as he lost the captain’s armband.