DAY 1: The Floorball Feast is Here. Czechs to Start against Germany – 01.12.2018

The two years of waiting are over and the World Floorball Championship returns to Prague. The tournament will be opened by the match between Latvia and Switzerland at the O2 Arena, whereas the Arena Sparta at Podvinný mlýn will temporarily turn into a Slovak enclave. Team Slovakia will enter the event with a battle against Canada. The afternoon schedule at the largest arena in the Czech Republic will belong to the floorball giants – Finland will face Sweden in a Scandinavian derby and the match day will be closed by the home team’s match against Germany. And we must not forget the Arena Sparta, where Australia will encounter Estonia and Poland will take on Thailand.

The fans in Prague will see a big floorball battle on the first match day already. At 15:00, the O2 Arena will host the encounter of the two world’s best teams – the Nordic derby between Finland and Sweden. The team from the land of a thousand lakes defends the world title from 2016, but it was Sweden who won the last four head-to-head games. The Finns will definitely try to revive their distant Prague memories. It was in Prague where they celebrated their first-ever world title back in 2008, after a great turn in the score topped by Tero Tiitu’s overtime winner.

For the home fans, the biggest highlight of the day will definitely be the match between the Czech Republic and Germany. It will also take place at the O2 Arena at 18:15. But the fans should definitely not miss the spectacular pre-match show starting at 17:45. The Czechs are clear favorites – in the last two head-to-head encounters with Germany they managed to score 15 goals and in front of the loud crowd they will definitely want to add to this record. The coach Petri Kettunen mixed both young and experienced players in his squad, nominating the thirty-five-year-old veteran Milan Garčar as well as the sixteen-year-old rookie Filip Langer.

The fans will be able to come to the largest Czech sports arena for the opening match between Switzerland and Latvia already. Here the favorite is clear as well. The Swiss team is among the best what floorball has to offer. But the Latvians may surprise – whether they succeed or not the fans will see from 12:00 at the O2 Arena.

We mustn’t also forget about the matches at Podvinný mlýn. At 12:30, the Arena Sparta will turn into a small Slovakia, with our eastern neighbors facing Canada. But it won’t be an easy match for the Slovaks – their last encounter with Canada at the World Championship in Sweden back in 2014 ended with their tight 5-3 win. An equally close match can be expected now as well.

The program at the Arena Sparta will continue with the match between Australia and Estonia at 15:30. The Antipodes will have a significant support in the stands – their cooperation with the floorball team Bohemians Prague is symbolized not only by their great mutual relations, but also by the kangaroos, which are both the Bohemians’ club symbol and Australia’s national animal. The match has a significant Czech trace too, with Daniel and Tomas Gartner playing for Australia and Nikola Keresztenyová being the team’s physiotherapist.

The first match day will be concluded by the match between Poland and Thailand. The Asian team was getting ready for the championship with real enthusiasm – they arrived in the Czech Republic three weeks ago already and set up their base at the nearby town of Kutná Hora.The fans will have a chance to watch how successful the Thais’ long acclimatization was at Podvinný mlýn from 18:30.

World Floorball Championships in Prague, Match day 1:

Switzerland – Latvia 12:00, O2 Arena

Canada – Slovakia 12:30, Arena Sparta

Finland – Sweden 15:00, O2 Arena

Australia – Estonia 15:30, Arena Sparta

Germany – Czech Republic 18:15, O2 Arena

Poland – Thailand 18:30, Arena Sparta