2023–24 Czech First League
Football league season
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The 2023–24 Czech First League, known as the Fortuna liga for sponsorship reasons, was the 31st season of the Czech Republic's top-tier football for professional clubs since its establishment in 1993. Sparta Prague were the reigning champions. The season started in July 2023. The first half of the season had 19 rounds, finishing in December, and the other half commenced in February 2024. The season ended on 31 May 2024, with two extra play-out fixtures on 29 May and 2 June 2024.[1]
| Season | 2023–24 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 22 July 2023 – 31 May 2024 |
| Champions | Sparta |
| Relegated | Zlín |
| Champions League | Sparta, Slavia |
| Europa League | Plzeň |
| Conference League | Ostrava, Mladá Boleslav |
| Matches | 277 |
| Goals | 804 (2.9 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Václav Jurečka (19 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Ostrava 6–0 Slovácko 26 May 2024 |
| Biggest away win | Zlín 1–7 Plzeň 17 September 2023 |
| Highest scoring | Zlín 5–9 Mladá Boleslav 21 October 2023 |
| Longest winning run | Sparta (9 matches) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Slavia (13 matches) |
| Longest winless run | Zlín & České Budějovice (8 matches) |
| Longest losing run | České Budějovice (7 matches) |
| Highest attendance | 19,370 Slavia 1–1 Sparta 24 September 2023 |
| Lowest attendance | 783 Č. Budějovice 0–2 Hr. Králové 13 December 2023 |
| Total attendance | 1,782,387 |
| Average attendance | 6,435 |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → | |
In the 12th round, the highest number of goals in one game in the history of the Czech First League was seen in the match Zlín against Mladá Boleslav, which ended 5–9.[2]
Format
The season format remained unchanged from last season, 16 clubs played each other home and away, until the league was split up in championship, Conference League and relegation groups. The lowest-ranked team was relegated directly to the second league, and the two teams positioned 14th and 15th played a play-off with two teams from the second league positioned 2nd and 3rd in a home and away format. This was the sixth season to use VAR, featuring it in all matches played. The only change in the rules was the limited number of players that could be sent on loan.[1]
Teams
Promotion and relegation (pre-season)
A total of sixteen teams contested the league, including fifteen sides from the 2022–23 season and the winner of last season's second league.
- Team promoted to Czech First League
After being relegated in the 2021–22 season, MFK Karviná returned to Czech First League as the champion of the 2022–23 Czech National Football League.[3]
- Teams relegated from Czech First League
The lowest positioned team from the last season, Zbrojovka Brno, was relegated to the Czech National Football League.
Locations and stadiums
Managerial changes
Ahead of the season:
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Contract valid until |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hradec Králové |  Miroslav Koubek[20] | End of contract | 30 June 2023 | Jozef Weber[21] | 10 May 2023 | Undisclosed |
| Viktoria Plzeň | Michal Bílek[22] | Miroslav Koubek[23] | 5 June 2023 | June 2024 | ||
| Jablonec | David Horejš[24] | Sacked | 29 May 2023 | Radoslav Látal[25] | 30 June 2023 | Undisclosed |
| Mladá Boleslav | Pavel Hoftych[26] | Mutual consent | 26 May 2023 | Marek Kulič[26] | 26 May 2023 | |
During the season:
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Match-week | Position in table | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Contract valid until |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hradec Králové | Jozef Weber[27] | Sacked | 18 September 2023 | 8 | 11th | Václav Kotal[27] | 18 September 2023 | Undisclosed |
| Karviná | Tomáš Hejdušek[28] | 8 | 15th |  Juraj Jarábek[29] | 27 September 2023 | |||
| Zlín | Pavel Vrba[30] | 23 October 2023 | 12 | 16th | Bronislav Červenka[30] | 25 October 2023 | ||
| České Budějovice | Marek Nikl[31] | 15 | None | None | None | |||
| Tomáš Zápotočný[32] | Mutual consent | 13 December 2023 | 18 | Jiří Lerch[33] | 13 December 2023 | Undisclosed | ||
| Mladá Boleslav | Marek Kulič[34] | Sacked | 30 December 2023 | 19 | 7th | David Holoubek[35] | 2 January 2024 | June 2028 |
| Sigma Olomouc | Václav Jílek[36] | 26 February 2024 | 22 | 8th | Jiří Saňák[36] | 26 February 2024 | Undisclosed | |
| Hradec Králové | Václav Kotal[37] | Mutual consent | 28 February 2024 | 12th | David Horejš[37] | 28 February 2024 | ||
| Karviná | Juraj Jarábek[38] | Sacked | 12 March 2024 | 25 | 16th | Marek Bielan[39] | 12 March 2024 | June 2024 |
Regular season
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sparta Prague | 30 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 70 | 26 | +44 | 76 | Qualification for the Championship group |
| 2 | Slavia Prague | 30 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 62 | 23 | +39 | 72 | |
| 3 | Viktoria Plzeň | 30 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 67 | 33 | +34 | 62 | |
| 4 | Baník Ostrava | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 48 | 39 | +9 | 45 | |
| 5 | Mladá Boleslav | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 50 | 46 | +4 | 44 | |
| 6 | Slovácko | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 39 | 40 | −1 | 41 | |
| 7 | Slovan Liberec | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 40 | Qualification for the Play-off |
| 8 | Sigma Olomouc | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 40 | 45 | −5 | 37 | |
| 9 | Hradec Králové | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 37 | |
| 10 | Teplice | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 31 | 40 | −9 | 36 | |
| 11 | Bohemians 1905 | 30 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 29 | 40 | −11 | 35 | Qualification for the Relegation group |
| 12 | Jablonec | 30 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 35 | 45 | −10 | 30 | |
| 13 | Pardubice | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 29 | 42 | −13 | 28 | |
| 14 | Karviná | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 30 | 52 | −22 | 25 | |
| 15 | Zlín | 30 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 36 | 61 | −25 | 25 | |
| 16 | České Budějovice | 30 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 34 | 62 | −28 | 24 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Fair-play ranking; 8) Draw.[40]
Results
Championship group
Points and goals were carried over in full from the regular season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | SPA | SLA | PLZ | OST | MLA | SLO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sparta Prague (C) | 35 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 82 | 30 | +52 | 87 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round | — | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | — | — | |
| 2 | Slavia Prague | 35 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 76 | 24 | +52 | 85 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round[a] | — | — | 3–0 | 5–0 | 4–0 | — | |
| 3 | Viktoria Plzeň | 35 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 76 | 40 | +36 | 70 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round | — | — | — | 1–1 | 3–0 | 4–2 | |
| 4 | Baník Ostrava | 35 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 56 | 48 | +8 | 49 | Qualification for the Conference League second qualifying round | — | — | — | — | 0–1 | 6–0 | |
| 5 | Mladá Boleslav (O) | 35 | 13 | 8 | 14 | 51 | 59 | −8 | 47 | Qualification for the Conference League play-off final | 0–5 | — | — | — | — | 0–1 | |
| 6 | Slovácko | 35 | 12 | 8 | 15 | 45 | 56 | −11 | 44 | 2–4 | 1–2 | — | — | — | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Rules for classification: 1) Total points; 2) Points earned in regular season; 3) Head-to-head points (regular season); 4) Head-to-head goal difference (regular season); 5) Head-to-head goals scored (regular season); 5) Goal difference (all matches); 6) Goals scored (all matches); 7) Fair-play ranking; 8) Draw.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners
Notes:
Conference League play-off
Teams placed between 7th and 10th position took part in the Conference League play-off. The play-off winner faced the fifth-placed team of the championship group to determine the Conference League play-off winners. The winners qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League.
| First round | Second round | |||||||||
| Teplice | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||
| Slovan Liberec | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Teplice | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Hradec Králové | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
| Hradec Králové | 3 | 3 | 6 | |||||||
| Sigma Olomouc | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
Final
| Mladá Boleslav | 3–1 | Hradec Králové |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Relegation group
Points and goals were carried over in full from the regular season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | JAB | PCE | BOH | KAR | CBU | ZLN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Jablonec | 35 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 45 | 50 | −5 | 41 | — | 3–0 | — | 3–2 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 12 | Pardubice | 35 | 11 | 7 | 17 | 39 | 47 | −8 | 40 | — | — | — | 4–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | ||
| 13 | Bohemians 1905 | 35 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 34 | 48 | −14 | 39 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 1–3 | — | — | ||
| 14 | Karviná (O) | 35 | 8 | 8 | 19 | 38 | 62 | −24 | 32 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs | — | — | — | — | 1–0 | 2–2 | |
| 15 | České Budějovice (O) | 35 | 7 | 8 | 20 | 41 | 70 | −29 | 29 | 2–2 | — | 2–1 | — | — | — | ||
| 16 | Zlín (R) | 35 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 40 | 69 | −29 | 27 | Relegation to FNL | — | — | 1–2 | — | 1–1 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Rules for classification: 1) Total points; 2) Points earned in regular season; 3) Head-to-head points (regular season); 4) Head-to-head goal difference (regular season); 5) Head-to-head goals scored (regular season); 5) Goal difference (all matches); 6) Goals scored (all matches); 7) Fair-play ranking; 8) Draw.
(O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Relegation play-offs
Teams placed 14th and 15th in the relegation group faced the teams placed 2nd and 3rd in the Czech National Football League for two spots in the next season.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vyškov | 0–2 | Karviná | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| České Budějovice | 3–2 | Silon Táborsko | 2–1 | 1–1 |
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Václav Jurečka |
Slavia | 19 |
| 2 | Pavel Šulc |
Plzeň | 18 |
| 3 | Jan Kuchta |
Sparta | 17 |
| 4 |  Veljko Birmančević |
16 | |
| Mojmír Chytil |
Slavia | ||
| 6 |  Ewerton |
Ostrava | 14 |
| 7 | Lukáš Haraslín |
Sparta | 12 |
| Marek Havlík |
Slovácko | ||
| Lukáš Juliš |
Olomouc | ||
| Tomáš Chorý |
Plzeň |
Hat-tricks
| Matchweek | Date | Player | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 13 August 2023 | Pavel Šulc | Plzeň | České Budějovice | 5–2 (A)[42] |
| 18 | 9 December 2023 | Marek Havlík4 | Slovácko | Bohemians 1905 | 5–2 (H)[43] |
| 22 | 25 February 2024 | Mojmír Chytil | Slavia | Pardubice | 3–0 (H)[44] |
| 32 | 11 May 2024 | Pavel Šulc | Plzeň | Slovácko | 4–2 (H)[42] |
| 34 | 18 May 2024 | Jan Kuchta4 | Sparta | Mladá Boleslav | 5–0 (A)[45] |
| 34 | 19 May 2024 | Ladislav Krobot | Pardubice | Karviná | 4–0 (H)[46] |
- Notes
4 Player scored 4 goals
(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Jedlička |
Bohemians 1905 / Plzeň | 13 |
| 2 |  Peter Vindahl |
Sparta | 12 |
| 3 | Jiří Letáček |
Ostrava | 9 |
| 4 | Milan Heča |
Slovácko | 8 |
| Jindřich Staněk |
Plzeň / Slavia | ||
| Aleš Mandous |
Slavia | ||
| Adam Zadražil |
Hradec Králové | ||
| 8 | Jan Hanuš |
Jablonec | 7 |
| 9 | Tomáš Grigar |
Teplice | 6 |
| 10 | Pavol Bajza |
Hradec Králové | 5 |
| Hugo Jan Bačkovský |
Liberec | ||
| Dominik Holec |
Karviná | ||
| Antonín Kinský |
Pardubice |
Attendances
| Rank | Club | Average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slavia Praha | 17,688 |
| 2 | Sparta Praha | 17,084 |
| 3 | Baník Ostrava | 9,366 |
| 4 | Viktoria Plzeň | 8,778 |
| 5 | Hradec Králové | 7,303 |
| 6 | Teplice | 5,641 |
| 7 | Slovácko | 5,299 |
| 8 | Bohemians | 4,998 |
| 9 | Sigma Olomouc | 4,540 |
| 10 | Zlín | 3,740 |
| 11 | Pardubice | 3,346 |
| 12 | České Budějovice | 3,335 |
| 13 | Slovan Liberec | 3,092 |
| 14 | Mladá Boleslav | 2,837 |
| 15 | Karviná | 2,686 |
| 16 | Jablonec | 2,342 |
Source:[48]