Women Win Silver! Team Czech Republic Finishes Fourth, Czechia Claims Fifth with Victory over the USA

The 2026 Legends Ball Hockey World Championship in Černošice has come to an end. Team Czech Republic finished fourth after falling to Canada in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Czechia dominated the fifth-place game to close out the tournament with a victory. The Czech women's team earned silver medals.

Team Czech Republic Misses Out on a Medal after Loss to Canada

Just like in the final game of the preliminary round, Team Czech Republic faced Canada in the semifinals. The strong North American side took the lead as early as the fourth minute and built a three-goal advantage by the end of the opening period.

Canada added another goal in the second period, but the Czech players never stopped fighting. Michal Dědič pulled one back early in the final period, before David Tyburec reduced the deficit to two goals. However, the Czech side was unable to complete the comeback. Their tournament journey ended just short of the final, and despite a determined performance throughout the championship, they finished in fourth place.

POST-GAME REACTION

Libor Smetana (Team Manager):

"Unfortunately, we didn't have a good start to today's semifinal, and our opponent took an early lead before gradually extending it to four goals. I have to praise our players for battling until the very end, but Canada's outstanding goaltender Fortin only allowed us to score twice. Congratulations to our opponents on the victory."

Czechia Ends the Championship with a Victory

Czechia then faced the United States in the fifth-place game. This time, it was the Czech team that controlled the contest from the opening faceoff. Jan Příhoda opened the scoring in the seventh minute, and his team carried a three-goal lead into the first intermission.

Both teams scored once in the second period before Ondřej Beneš sealed the victory in the 36th minute by making it 5–1. Czechia finished the World Championship on a winning note and secured fifth place overall.

POST-GAME REACTION

Libor Komůrka (Team Manager):

"We entered the game with one clear objective—to secure fifth place—and I think that was evident from the very beginning. Everyone delivered a responsible performance throughout the entire game. Fifth place was probably the best we could achieve at this tournament, and we matched our best-ever finish from 2022. It's always nice to end a tournament with a victory, and this group deserved such a finish. We'd like to thank all our fans for their support."

Women Fall in the Final and Take Home Silver

The Czech women's team faced Canada in the championship game. The score remained level until the ninth minute, when Canada showed its quality and built a two-goal lead before the end of the opening period.

The Canadians came out even stronger in the second period, scoring five unanswered goals. Despite the difficult situation, the Czech players continued to battle until the final whistle but conceded two more goals in the closing stages. They nevertheless completed an outstanding tournament at home by winning the silver medals.

POST-GAME REACTION

Tomáš Pelcman (Head Coach):

"We started the final with a slightly adjusted lineup and tried to match our opponent in the opening minutes. Canada capitalized on its opportunities in the first period and took a two-goal lead. From the second period onward, our opponent took full control of both the game and the scoreboard. The final score clearly reflects that Canada was the better team in every aspect of the game. I'd like to thank our players for their performances and commitment throughout the entire tournament. We all consider the silver medals a success."