| Competition: | Czech First League |
| Season: | 2021–22 |
| Dates: | 24 July 2021 – 14 May 2022 |
| Winners: | Viktoria Plzeň |
| Relegated: | Karviná |
| Continentalcup1: | Champions League |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Viktoria Plzeň |
| Continentalcup2: | Europa League |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | Slovácko |
| Continentalcup3: | Europa Conference League |
| Continentalcup3 Qualifiers: | Slavia Prague Sparta Prague |
| League Topscorer: | Jean-David Beauguel (19 goals) |
| Biggest Home Win: | 27 November 2021 |
| Biggest Away Win: | 31 July 2021 |
| Highest Scoring: | 26 September 2021 |
| Matches: | 276 |
| Total Goals: | 763 |
| Longest Wins: | 7 matches Slavia |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 12 matches Plzeň still ongoing as at 6 March 2022 |
| Longest Losses: | 7 matches Teplice & Karviná |
| Highest Attendance: | 19,370 Slavia 2–0 Sparta 6 March 2022 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 246 Hradec Králové 1–0 Karviná 28 November 2021 |
| Attendance: | 646,213 |
| Average Attendance: | 3,366 |
| Prevseason: | 2020–21 |
| Nextseason: | 2022–23 |
| Updated: | 10 March 2021 |
The 2021–22 Czech First League, known as the FORTUNA:LIGA is the 29th season of the Czech Republic's top-tier football for professional clubs since its establishment, in 1993. SK Slavia Prague were the reigning champions. The season started on 24 July 2021. The first half of the season will had 19 rounds, finishing on 19 December 2021, and the other half commenced on 5 February 2022. The season ended on 14 May 2022 with two extra play-out fixtures on 19 and 22 May 2022.[1]
The season format was changed back to be played with 16 clubs, each team will play in the league format home and away matches. The lowest-ranked team will be relegated directly to the second league, the two teams positioned 14th and 15th will play a play-out with two teams from the second league positioned 2nd and 3rd in a home and away format. This will be the fourth season to use VAR, featuring it in all matches played. All matches will be played on weekdays, no Friday fixtures are expected.[2]
This season is the fourth season sponsored by the betting agency Fortuna, with a contract valid until 2024.[3] It is also the fourth season with TV broadcasting rights held by O2 TV, which shows all eight matches per week. This is the first season, that the national broadcaster ČT Sport possesses no right to broadcast any of the fixtures. The newspaper iSport.cz holds rights for the highlights from all matches.[4] [5] The 2021–22 season began on Saturday 24 July, just thirteen days after the final match of the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship. With most of the national team players still released for vacations, Slavia, Sparta and Plzeň started with incomplete A-team squads.
Many predicted Slavia's domination for the fourth season running, Viktoria and Sparta were considered as the candidates for a race for the title. After ten match-weeks the trio recorded one loss each, Viktoria in 6th round at Hradec Králové, Sparta in 7th round in Plzeň and Slavia in round 10 in the Prague S-derby at Letná on 3 October 2021. Sparta ended the longest non-winning streak of derby matches after five and half years at 14 matches. It was also an interruption of Slavia's record unbeaten streak of 54 matches in the first league.[6] Three weeks later Slavia defeated Plzeň and in the 15th match-week Slovácko sensationally defeated Sparta 4–0, which escalated them to 2nd place behind Slavia. Unfortunately, Slovácko did not confirm the point tally in the following matches and positioned fourth at the winter break behind the big trio.
A total of sixteen teams contest the league, including fifteen sides from the 2020–21 season and the winner of last season's second league.
Due to a reduction from 18 to 16 teams, only the winner of the FNL advanced to the first league. On 8 May 2021 Hradec Králové defeated Dukla Prague 2–1 and secured the promotion with three matches remaining.[7] Hradec Králové will participate in the top tier after four years of absence.
The three lowest positioned teams from the last season were relegated to the Fortuna National League.
On 8 May 2021, Opava became the first team to be relegated to FNL after a 1–1 draw at Zlín with three games remaining, ending their three-year stay in the top flight.[8]
On 16 May 2021, Zbrojovka became the second team to be relegated to FNL after a 1–1 draw at Slovan Liberec with two games remaining, ending their one-year stay in the top flight.[9]
On 23 May 2021, Příbram's relegation was confirmed following a 0–1 defeat at home against Pardubice with one game remaining, ending their First League tenure after three years.[10]
| Region | Number of teams | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Bohemians, Sparta, Slavia | |
| 2 | Jablonec, Liberec | |
| Ostrava, Karviná | ||
| Zlín, Slovácko | ||
| 1 | Mladá Boleslav | |
| Hradec Králové | ||
| Olomouc | ||
| Pardubice | ||
| Plzeň | ||
| České Budějovice | ||
| Teplice |
| Team | Head coach | Head coach appointed | Shirt manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians 1905 | Jaroslav Veselý[25] | Adidas | BALSHOP.cz | ||
| České Budějovice | David Horejš | Adidas | Budějovický Budvar | ||
| Hradec Králové | Miroslav Koubek[26] | Jako | Město Hradec Králové | ||
| Jablonec | Petr Rada | Capelli Sport | MOL Gitschberg Jochtal | ||
| Karviná | Bohumil Páník | 7 October 2021 | Adidas | OKD | |
| Liberec | Luboš Kozel[27] | Nike | AAA Auto | ||
| Mladá Boleslav | Pavel Hoftych[28] | Adidas | Škoda Auto | ||
| Olomouc | Václav Jílek[29] | Adidas | Tipsport Sigma | ||
| Ostrava | Ondřej Smetana | Jako | MW-Dias Město Ostrava | ||
| Plzeň | Michal Bílek | Macron | Doosan | ||
| Slavia Prague | Jindřich Trpišovský[30] | Puma | eToro | ||
| Slovácko | Martin Svědík | Puma | Z-Group | ||
| Sparta Prague | Pavel Vrba | Adidas | Tipsport (Local) T-Mobile (Europe) | ||
| Teplice | Jiří Jarošík[31] | Puma | AGC Bílinská kyselka | ||
| Zlín | Jan Jelínek | Adidas | Climax Sunscreens | ||
| Pardubice | Jaroslav Novotný Jiří Krejčí | Lotto | ČPP Servis |
Ahead of the season:
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Contract valid until |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [32] | Resigned | [33] | Undisclosed | |||
| [34] | End of contract | [35] | Summer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [36] | Mutual consent | 5 | 16 | [37] | Undisclosed | |||
| [38] | Sacked | 9 | 15 | [39] | Summer 2024 | |||
| [40] | Sacked | 10 | 16 | [41] | Undisclosed | |||
| [42] | Sacked | 22 | 6 | Undisclosed | ||||
| Luděk Klusáček[43] | Mutual consent | 26 | 13 | Jaroslav Veselý | End-of-season | |||
| [44] | Sacked | 34 | 3 | End-of-season | ||||
Points and goals were carried over in full from the regular season.
Because only four teams advance to the European Cups from the Czech First League due to a low national coefficient, the winner of the play-off will only receive a cash bonus and a better position in the 2022–23 Czech Cup.[45]
Points and goals were carried over in full from the regular season.
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.
Updated at the end of the season.[46]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean-David Beauguel | Plzeň | 19 |
| 2 | Václav Jurečka | Slovácko | 17 |
| 3 | Ladislav Almási | Ostrava | 16 |
| 4 | Ondřej Lingr | Slavia | 14 |
| 5 | Tomáš Čvančara | Jablonec / Sparta | 12 |
| 6 | Ewerton | Mladá Boleslav | 11 |
| David Puškáč | Bohemians 1905 | ||
| 8 | Ivan Schranz | Slavia | 10 |
| David Douděra | Mladá Boleslav | ||
| 10 | Jan Kuchta | Slavia | 9 |
| Fortune Bassey | České Budějovice | ||
| Jakub Rada | Hradec Králové | ||
| Adam Hložek | Sparta |
| Matchweek | Date | Player | For | Against | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3–1 (A)[47] | |||||
| 9 | 3–5 (H)[48] | |||||
| 18 | 5–1 (H)[49] | |||||
| 32 | 3–1 (H)[50] | |||||
| 35 | 4 | 4–0 (H)[51] |
Updated at the end of the season.[52]
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jindřich Staněk | Plzeň | 14 |
| 2 | Aleš Mandous | Slavia | 10 |
| 3 | Matúš Macík | Olomouc | 9 |
| 4 | Jan Šeda | Mladá Boleslav | 8 |
| Filip Nguyen | Slovácko | ||
| 6 | Jan Laštůvka | Ostrava | 7 |
| Matej Rakovan | Zlín | ||
| Jan Hanuš | Jablonec | ||
| 9 | Florin Niță | Sparta | 6 |
| Vilém Fendrich | Hradec Králové | ||
| Ondřej Kolář | Slavia | ||
| Jakub Markovič | Pardubice |
| Month | Player of the Month | Manager of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Manager | Club | |
| August | Ivan Schranz | Slavia | Pavel Vrba | Sparta |
| September | Ladislav Almási | Ostrava | Michal Bílek | Plzeň |
| October | Ewerton | Mladá Boleslav | Martin Svědík | Slovácko |
| November | Fortune Bassey | České Budějovice | Jindřich Trpišovský | Slavia |
| December | Matěj Pulkrab | Sparta | Michal Bílek | Plzeň |
| February | Jan Fortelný | Teplice | Jiří Jarošík | Teplice |
| March | Ondřej Lingr | Slavia | Miroslav Koubek | Hradec Králové |
| April | David Douděra | Mladá Boleslav | Michal Bílek | Plzeň |
| May | Jean-David Beauguel | Plzeň | Michal Bílek | Plzeň |
Source:[53]
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season | Tomáš Holeš | Slavia Prague |
| Manager of the Season | Michal Bílek | Viktoria Plzeň |
| International of the Season |  Jean-David Beauguel | Viktoria Plzeň |
| Fans' choice Player of the Season | Adam Hložek | Sparta Prague |
| Newcomer of the Season | David Jurásek | Mladá Boleslav / Slavia Prague |
| Figure of the Season | Marek Matějovský | Mladá Boleslav |
| Goalkeeper of the Season | Jindřich Staněk | Viktoria Plzeň |
| Defender of the Season | Alexander Bah | Slavia Prague |
| Midfield of the Season | Tomáš Holeš | Slavia Prague |
| Forward of the Season | Jean-David Beauguel | Viktoria Plzeň |