Football Club Viktoria Plzeň (pronounced [ˈvɪktorja ˈpl̩zɛɲ]) is a Czech professional football club based in Plzeň. Its team play in the Czech First League, the top division of football in the country.

Viktoria Plzeň
Full nameFootball Club Viktoria Plzeň a.s.
Founded11 June 1911; 113 years ago (11 June 1911)
GroundDoosan Arena
Capacity11,700
PresidentAdolf Šádek[1]
Head coachMiroslav Koubek
LeagueCzech First League
2023–243rd of 16
Websitewww.fcviktoria.cz
Current season

As runner-up in the 1970–71 Czechoslovak Cup, the club gained the right to compete in the following season's Cup Winners' Cup – for the winner Spartak Trnava also won the championship, and its team played in the European Cup. In 2010, Viktoria Plzeň competed in the UEFA Europa League after its team won the 2009–10 Czech Cup.[2]

The club won the Czech league for the first time in 2011,[3] and participated in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League group stage, during which they won their first Champions League match,[4] earning five points and qualifying for the Round of 32 in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League. The club won its second Czech league title in the 2012–13 season.

In 2013–14, the team participated in the UEFA Champions League group stage and finished third. They then reached the round of 16 in UEFA Europa League before being eliminated by Lyon.

History

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Early history

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In 1911, Jaroslav Ausobský, an official of the state railways, filed a request for the establishment of a new football club in Plzeň. In August 1911, the newly formed club Viktoria played their first match, losing 7–3 against Olympia Plzeň.

For the first 18 years of its existence, Viktoria Plzeň was a purely amateur club, although in 1922–23, they took their first foreign trip to Spain, where they won six out of nine matches. In June 1929, an extraordinary meeting of members agreed to go professional and enter the national professional league. Viktoria finished their first season in seventh place, but the very next season, improved and reached second place, which meant a first-ever promotion to the First League. In the 1934–35 Czechoslovak First League, Viktoria finished in fourth place and subsequently played in the 1935 Mitropa Cup, the top European club competition at the time. Two matches against Juventus brought Viktoria to the attention of European football at large. They drew 3–3 at home but lost 5–1 in Turin.

Viktoria played without success in the First League, being relegated for the 1938 season but returning to top competition the next year. The outbreak of World War II interrupted competition, notably through the absence of teams from Slovakia. In 1942, Viktoria fell again into the divisions, but again returned to the top league the next year, where they would remain until 1952. That same year, the club changed its name to Sokol Škoda Plzeň. For nine years they remained in the divisions, struggling to return to the First League, and in 1961, now under the name of Spartak Plzeň, achieved that promotion. The club was relegated and promoted frequently between the top two tiers until 1972, when as Škoda Plzeň they settled in the First League for eight years.

In 1971, Viktoria won the Czech Cup by drawing lots after the two-legged final ended 4–4 on aggregate and 5–5 in a limited penalty shootout against Sparta Prague B.[5] They lost 7–2 on aggregate in the Czechoslovak Cup final against Slovak Cup winners Spartak Trnava,[6] but as Trnava had won the league title that season, Viktoria was the country's entrant to the next season's European Cup Winners' Cup. The club's greatest honor is elimination in the first round by Bayern Munich, 7–2 on aggregate.[7] From 1980 until the division of Czechoslovakia 13 years later, Viktoria moved frequently between the top two tiers again.

Recent history

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Pavel Horváth was voted as Viktoria's best player of all time at the club's centenary gala in 2012.

In 1992, the club returned to its historical name FC Viktoria Plzeň and the very next season, advanced to the first league, where it remained until 1999.

In the first years of the new millennium, Viktoria was owned by a foreign investor – Italian Football Company Ltd EAST. This situation lasted until March 2005, when 100% of the club's shares were purchased by local interests. The summer of 2005 also brought back relations with the Czech motor company Škoda, which had previously been the club's name sponsors.

On 18 May 2010, Viktoria won the Czech Cup final 2–1 against Jablonec,[8] and returned to European competitions via the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. Viktoria entered in the third qualifying round against Beşiktaş and held them 1–1 at home before losing 3–0 away.[9]

Viktoria won its first ever league championship in 2010–11, finishing with 69 points to Sparta Prague's 68.[10] The club therefore qualified for a play-off to the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League, in which they defeated Copenhagen 5–2 on aggregate.[11] Viktoria were placed in Group H alongside reigning champions Barcelona and Milan, and reached third place in the group by recording a victory over BATE Borisov.[12] This saw the club drop into the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League in the round of 32, where they lost 4–2 on aggregate to Schalke 04 after extra time.[13]

The club's Stadion města Plzně was also rebuilt in 2011. The same year on 11 June, Viktoria celebrated together with fans in the courtyard of the Pilsner Urquell brewery for a centennial anniversary. In January 2012, the club held a festive gala for its centenary, and voted current midfielder Pavel Horváth as its greatest player of all time.

The 2011–12 season saw Viktoria finish in third place in the league, three points behind champions Slovan Liberec, to qualify for a third consecutive Europa League campaign.[14] Starting in the second qualifying round, the club advanced past Metalurgi Rustavi of Georgia and Ruch Chorzów of Poland to set up a play-off against the Belgian club Lokeren, in which Viktoria advanced on away goals after a 2–2 aggregate draw. The club finished first in Group B, ahead of the tournament's reigning champions Atlético Madrid. In the round of 32, Viktoria were drawn against Napoli and won 3–0 away and 2–0 at home to advance to the last 16, where they played Fenerbahçe. Viktoria lost the home leg 1–0, and in the away leg (which was played behind closed doors due to the Istanbul club's fans' recent conduct) drew 1–1, resulting in their elimination.[15] Viktoria won the Czech First League for a second time in the 2012–13 season.

In the 2014–15 season, Viktoria were involved in a title race between Sparta Prague and Jablonec. In the end, Viktoria emerged as league champions, finishing in front of second-placed Sparta Prague by 5 points. In the 2015–16 season, Viktoria became champions of the Czech First League for a fourth time.

In 2017, the club installed a dugout in the shape of a beer can after a deal with a local beer sponsor.[16]

After narrowly missing out on the league title to SK Slavia Prague in the 2016-17 season, Viktoria Plzeň made a remarkable comeback the following year. Demonstrating consistent form and resilience, they clinched the championship, finishing 7 points ahead of Slavia Prague, who this time ended as runners-up.[17]

Viktoria were named league champions for a sixth time in the 2021–22 season.

In the 2023–24 season, Viktoria reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League.[18] Viktoria reached top of their group consisting of Dinamo Zagreb, FC Astana and FC Ballkani, beating all of them to be the first Czech team in a UEFA competition to go 6 wins in the group stage while only conceding one goal.[19] In the round of 16, Viktoria dispatched of Servette FC, before going out to Fiorentina after extra time in the quarter-finals.[20]

Historical names

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  • 1911 – SK Viktoria Plzeň (Sportovní klub Viktoria Plzeň)
  • 1949 – Sokol Škoda Plzeň
  • 1952 – Sokol ZVIL Plzeň (Sokol Závody Vladimíra Iljiče Lenina Plzeň)
  • 1953 – DSO Spartak LZ Plzeň (Dobrovolná sportovní organizace Spartak Leninovy závody Plzeň)
  • 1962 – TJ Spartak LZ Plzeň (Tělovýchovná jednota Spartak Leninovy závody Plzeň)
  • 1965 – TJ Škoda Plzeň (Tělovýchovná jednota Škoda Plzeň)
  • 1993 – FC Viktoria Plzeň (Football Club Viktoria Plzeň, a.s.)

Players

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Current squad

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As of 9 September 2024.[21]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   AUT Florian Wiegele
2 DF   CZE Lukáš Hejda
3 DF   SRB Svetozar Marković
4 DF   SEN Cory Sene
5 DF   CZE Jan Paluska
6 MF   CZE Lukáš Červ
9 FW   BRA Ricardinho
10 MF   CZE Jan Kopic
11 FW   CZE Matěj Vydra
12 MF   CZE Alexandr Sojka
13 GK   SVK Marián Tvrdoň
15 GK   CZE Matyáš Šilhavý
16 GK   CZE Martin Jedlička
17 FW   NGA Rafiu Durosinmi
18 MF   COL Jhon Mosquera
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF   FRA Cheick Souaré
20 MF   CZE Jiří Panoš
21 DF   CZE Václav Jemelka
22 MF   BRA Cadu
23 MF   CZE Lukáš Kalvach
24 DF   CZE Milan Havel
29 MF   CZE Tom Slončík
30 GK   CZE Viktor Baier
31 MF   CZE Pavel Šulc
32 MF   CZE Matěj Valenta
33 MF   SVK Erik Jirka
37 FW   CZE Christophe Kabongo
40 DF   LBR Sampson Dweh
51 FW   CZE Daniel Vašulín
80 FW   GHA Prince Kwabena Adu

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
MF   CZE Roman Květ (at Dender)
DF   CZE Václav Míka (at České Budějovice)
FW   NGA James Bello (at Pardubice)
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW   TOG Idjessi Metsoko (at Slovan Bratislava)
MF   CZE Ondřej Deml (at Železiarne Podbrezová)

Notable former players

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Player records in the Czech First League

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As of 26 May 2024.[22]

Highlighted players are in the current squad.

Most clean sheets

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# Name Clean sheets
1   Matúš Kozáčik 82
2   Aleš Hruška 34
  Jindřich Staněk
4   Michal Čaloun 31
5   Michal Daněk 29

Managers

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History in domestic competitions

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  • Seasons spent at Level 1 of the football league system: 27
  • Seasons spent at Level 2 of the football league system: 4
  • Seasons spent at Level 3 of the football league system: 0
  • Seasons spent at Level 4 of the football league system: 0

Czech Republic

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Season League Placed Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Cup Super Cup
1993–94 1. liga 5th 30 12 11 7 35 23 +12 35 Quarter-finals
1994–95 1. liga 9th 30 12 4 14 32 37 –5 40 Quarter-finals
1995–96 1. liga 9th 30 11 6 13 33 34 –1 39 Round of 32
1996–97 1. liga 11th 30 7 11 12 33 37 –4 32 Quarter-finals
1997–98 1. liga 14th 30 9 6 15 37 47 –10 33 Quarter-finals
1998–99 1. liga 15th 30 8 8 14 26 43 –17 32 Round of 32
1999–00 2. liga 2nd 30 17 8 5 50 22 +28 59 Quarter-finals
2000–01 1. liga 16th 30 4 9 17 30 65 –35 21 Round of 32
2001–02 2. liga 4th 30 15 5 10 56 34 +22 50 Round of 32
2002–03 2. liga 1st 30 17 7 6 47 27 +20 58 Round of 32
2003–04 1. liga 16th 30 4 7 19 23 53 –30 19 Round of 16
2004–05 2. liga 3rd 30 12 10 6 32 23 +9 46 Semi-finals
2005–06 1. liga 14th 30 7 10 13 30 43 –13 31 Round of 64
2006–07 1. liga 6th 30 12 10 8 35 29 +6 46 Quarter-finals
2007–08 1. liga 9th 30 10 8 12 32 37 –5 38 Round of 16
2008–09 1. liga 8th 30 11 10 9 45 38 +7 43 Quarter-finals
2009–10 1. liga 5th 30 12 12 6 42 33 +9 48 Winners
2010–11 1. liga 1st 30 21 6 3 70 28 +42 69 Quarter-finals Runners-up
2011–12 1. liga 3rd 30 19 6 5 66 33 +33 63 Quarter-finals Winners
2012–13 1. liga 1st 30 20 5 5 54 21 +33 65 Quarter-finals
2013–14 1. liga 2nd 30 19 9 2 64 21 +43 66 Runners-up Runners-up
2014–15 1. liga 1st 30 23 3 4 70 24 +46 72 Quarter-finals Runners-up
2015–16 1. liga 1st 30 23 2 5 57 25 +32 71 Semi-finals Winners
2016–17 1. liga 2nd 30 20 7 3 47 21 +26 67 Round of 16
2017–18 1. liga 1st 30 20 6 4 55 23 +32 66 Round of 16
2018–19 1. liga 2nd 35 24 6 5 57 32 +25 78 Round of 16
2019–20 1. liga 2nd 35 23 7 5 68 24 +44 76 Semi-finals
2020–21 1. liga 5th 34 17 7 10 60 45 +15 58 Runners-up
2021–22 1. liga 1st 35 26 7 2 61 21 +40 85 Round of 16
2022–23 1. liga 3rd 35 18 7 10 60 38 +22 61 Round of 32
2023–24 1. liga 3rd 35 21 7 7 76 40 +36 70 Runners-up

History in European competitions

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The following is a list of the all-time statistics from Plzeň's games in the three UEFA tournaments it has participated in, as well as the overall total. The list contains the tournament, the number of seasons (S), games played (P), won (W), drawn (D) and lost (L). The statistics include qualification matches.

As of 2 August 2018.
Competition S P W D L GF GA GD
Champions League 5 32 15 6 11 56 54 +2
Cup Winners' Cup 1 2 0 0 2 1 7 –6
Europa League 8 49 22 12 15 79 59 +20
Total 14 83 37 18 28 136 120 +16

Honours

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National

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Club records

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Czech First League records

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References

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  1. ^ "Šádek majitelem Plzně! Paclík ze zdravotních a osobních důvodů končí". Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Plzeň prevail in Czech Cup final". UEFA. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 31 August 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  3. ^ "Viktoria Plzeň seal maiden Czech crown". UEFA. 21 May 2011. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  4. ^ "Plzen leapfrog BATE with first win". FIFA. 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  5. ^ "Czech Republic – List of Cup Finals". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  6. ^ "Czechoslovakia – List of Cup Finals". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 14 March 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  7. ^ "European Competitions 1971–72". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  8. ^ "Czech Republic 2009/10". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 15 March 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  9. ^ "UEFA Europa League 2010/11 | History". UEFA. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  10. ^ "Czech Republic 2010/11". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  11. ^ "UEFA Champions League 2011/12 | History | Playoff". UEFA. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  12. ^ "UEFA Champions League 2011/12 | History | Matches". UEFA. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  13. ^ "UEFA Europa League 2011/12 | History | Matches". UEFA. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  14. ^ "Czech Republic 2011/12". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  15. ^ "UEFA Europa League 2012/13 | History | Plzeň". UEFA. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  16. ^ "Viktoria Plzen: Czech side unveil new novelty dugouts". BBC Sport. BBC. 28 July 2017. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Champions! Viktoria beat Teplice and became the Czech champion for the 5th time!". Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Fiorentina-Viktoria Plzeň | UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24". UEFA. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Viktoria Plzeň | UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24". UEFA. Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  20. ^ "Viktoria Plzen Results". ESPN. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  21. ^ "A tým 2024/2025". FC Viktoria Plzeň.
  22. ^ "Detailed stats". Fortuna liga.
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