 | ||||
| Full name | Football Club Viktoria Plzeňa.s. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 11 June 1911; 114 years ago (11 June 1911) | |||
| Ground | Doosan Arena | |||
| Capacity | 11,700 | |||
| President | Adolf Šádek[1] | |||
| Head coach | Martin Hyský | |||
| League | Czech First League | |||
| 2024–25 | 2nd of 16 | |||
| Website | fcviktoria.cz | |||
 Current season | ||||
Football Club Viktoria Plzeň (Czech pronunciation:[ˈvɪktorɪjaˈpl̩zɛɲ]) is a Czech professionalfootball club based inPlzeň. It plays in theCzech First League, the top division of football in the country.
As runner-up in the 1970–71Czechoslovak Cup, the club competed in the following season'sCup Winners' Cup – the winnerSpartak Trnava also won the championship and played in the European Cup. In 2010, Viktoria Plzeň competed in theUEFA Europa League after it won the2009–10 Czech Cup.[2]
The club won the Czech league for the first time in 2011,[3] and participated in the2011–12 UEFA Champions League group stage, won their first Champions League match,[4] and finished on five points, qualifying for the Round of 32 in the2011–12 UEFA Europa League. The club won its second Czech league title in the 2012–13 season.
In 2013–14, the team participated in theUEFA Champions League group stage and finished third. They then reached the round of 16 inUEFA Europa League before being eliminated byLyon.
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 the1934–35 Czechoslovak First League, Viktoria finished in fourth place and subsequently played in the 1935Mitropa Cup, the top European club competition at the time. Two matches againstJuventus brought Viktoria to the attention of European football at large. They drew 3–3 at home but lost 5–1 inTurin.
Viktoria played without success in the First League, being relegated for the 1938 season but returning to top competition the next year. The outbreak ofWorld 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 againstSparta Prague B.[5] They lost 7–2 on aggregate in the Czechoslovak Cup final against Slovak Cup winnersSpartak Trnava,[6] but as Trnava had won the league title that season, Viktoria was the country's entrant to the next season'sEuropean Cup Winners' Cup. The club's greatest honor is elimination in the first round byBayern 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.
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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 companyŠkoda, which had previously been the club's name sponsors.
On 18 May 2010, Viktoria won theCzech Cup final 2–1 againstJablonec,[8] and returned to European competitions via the2010–11 UEFA Europa League. Viktoria entered in the third qualifying round againstBeşiktaş 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 toSparta Prague's 68.[10] The club therefore qualified for a play-off to the2011–12 UEFA Champions League, in which they defeatedCopenhagen 5–2 on aggregate.[11] Viktoria were placed in Group H alongside reigning championsBarcelona andMilan, and reached third place in the group by recording a victory overBATE Borisov.[12] This saw the club drop into the2011–12 UEFA Europa League in the round of 32, where they lost 4–2 on aggregate toSchalke 04 after extra time.[13]
The club'sStadion města Plzně was also rebuilt in 2011. The same year on 11 June, Viktoria celebrated together with fans in the courtyard of thePilsner Urquell brewery for a centennial anniversary. In January 2012, the club held a festive gala for its centenary, and voted current midfielderPavel Horváth as its greatest player of all time.
The 2011–12 season saw Viktoria finish in third place in the league, three points behind championsSlovan Liberec, to qualify for a third consecutive Europa League campaign.[14] Starting in the second qualifying round, the club advanced pastMetalurgi Rustavi of Georgia andRuch Chorzów of Poland to set up a play-off against the Belgian clubLokeren, 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 championsAtlético Madrid. In the round of 32, Viktoria were drawn againstNapoli and won 3–0 away and 2–0 at home to advance to the last 16, where they playedFenerbahçe. 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 theCzech 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 toSK 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 theUEFA Europa Conference League.[18] Viktoria reached top of their group consisting ofDinamo Zagreb,FC Astana andFC 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 ofServette FC, before going out toFiorentina after extra time in the quarter-finals.[20]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Highlighted players are in the current squad.
Most appearances[edit]
| Most goals[edit]
|
| # | Name | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Matúš Kozáčik | 82 |
| 2 |  Aleš Hruška | 34 |
| Jindřich Staněk | ||
| 4 | Michal Čaloun | 31 |
| 5 | Michal Daněk | 29 |
|
| 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 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 32 | 37 | –5 | 40 | |||
| 1995–96 | 1. liga | 11 | 6 | 13 | 33 | 34 | –1 | 39 | Round of 32 | |||
| 1996–97 | 1. liga | 11th | 7 | 11 | 12 | 33 | 37 | –4 | 32 | Quarter-finals | ||
| 1997–98 | 1. liga | 14th | 9 | 6 | 15 | 37 | 47 | –10 | 33 | |||
| 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 | ||
| 2002–03 | 2. liga | 1st | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 47 | 27 | +20 | 58 | ||
| 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 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 35 | 29 | +6 | 46 | Quarter-finals | ||
| 2007–08 | 1. liga | 9th | 10 | 8 | 12 | 32 | 37 | –5 | 38 | Round of 16 | ||
| 2008–09 | 1. liga | 8th | 11 | 10 | 9 | 45 | 38 | +7 | 43 | Quarter-finals | ||
| 2009–10 | 1. liga | 5th | 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 | Winners | |
| 2012–13 | 1. liga | 1st | 30 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 54 | 21 | +33 | 65 | ||
| 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 | |
| 2015–16 | 1. liga | 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 | ||
| 2018–19 | 1. liga | 2nd | 35 | 24 | 6 | 5 | 57 | 32 | +25 | 78 | ||
| 2019–20 | 1. liga | 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 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 76 | 40 | +36 | 70 | Runners-up | |||
| 2024–25 | 1. liga | 2nd | 35 | 23 | 5 | 7 | 71 | 36 | +35 | 74 | Semi-finals |
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.
| Competition | S | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions League | 4 | 53 | 22 | 9 | 22 | 82 | 105 | -23 |
| Cup Winners' Cup | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | –6 |
| Europa League | 8 | 58 | 27 | 12 | 19 | 90 | 69 | +21 |
| Conference League | 2 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 12 | +12 |
| Total | 15 | 125 | 58 | 22 | 45 | 197 | 193 | +4 |
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