Just for the sake of confusion, there are actually two Dukla Prague’s in the history of football. The first was established in 1948 as ATK Praha, winning 11 Czechoslovak titles, 8 domestic cups and reaching their zenith throughout the 1960’s, before merging with an obscure Czech second division side called FC Portal Pribram in 1996 and disappearing from existence for several years. Until, that is, another club called Dukla Dejvice started playing at Dulka Prague’s old Juliska Stadium and adopted their colors of burgundy and gold. They then entered the Prague Championship in 2001 and in 2006 the clubs management announced that it had taken over the rights to the Dukla Prague name. This saw a return of the legendary club to the Czech top division in 2011. Of course, this article is about the original incarnation of the team.

 

Dukla Prague was named in honor of those killed at the Battle of Dukla Pass in 1944, and the 1960-61 season saw the first edition of the Czechoslovak Cup in which they participated. Dukla defeated Dynamo Zilina in the final to win the cup, and made it a double with a league title in the same season. They almost achieved back to back doubles, winning the league in 1962 but falling to Slovan Bratislava in the cup final. This was also the year of the World Cup in Chile, and Dukla contributed no less than 7 players to the excellent Czechoslovakian national team that reached the final of the tournament against Brazil. Dukla’s own Josef Masopaust scored in the match and was named 1962 Balon D’Or winner, but the Czechs were ultimately defeated by the Brazilians. 

Dukla Prague were one of the most successful participants of the International Soccer League, which was a short-lived league based in America and featuring guest teams from Europe, Asia, South America, Canada and Mexico. This was essentially an attempt to start up a Club World Cup of sorts, however the introduction of the Intercontinetal Cup which had the backing of UEFA and CONMBEBOL made the ISL irrelevant. Nethertheless, for five seasons, American audiences were exposed to some of the best clubs from around the world, including, of course, Dukla Prague. The ISL even had it’s own cup, called the American Challenge Cup, in which Dukla enjoyed the most success.

 

The first American Challenge Cup was competed between Dukla and Brazilian club America RJ. Dukla won and qualified for the next three Cups as well, winning all of them except the last one, where they lost to Polonia Bytom. Duklas wins came against Bobby Moore’s West Ham United in 1963 and Zaglebie Sosnowiec in 1964. In fact, this cup was established due to Duklas supremacy in the league, with the intent of providing them with an extra challenge. Duklas overall International Soccer League record is 11 wins, four draws and one loss with a total score of 49-19. One of the main reasons why Dukla Prague were so good, was the fact that under the communist regime of the time, they enjoyed certain priveldges like being free to pick and choose any players they wanted from other teams in the league. Back home, Dukla won another two league titles, making it four in a row.  The 1964-65 season only yielded another domestic cup, but in 1965-66 Dukla had their second league and cup double. Their final trophy arrived in the 1968-69 season which meant that in the first nine seasons of the Czech domestic cup, Dukla had reached six finals and won four of them, a major achievement. 

Ever since then, Dukla have fallen into obscurity, but they are well known to British fans due to a cult song by Half Man Half Biscuit called “All I Want for Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit”. As a result of this song, Dukla Prague away kits have been a highly sought after piece of football memorabilia for many years, with British tourists and fans of the band spending large parts of their holidays in the Czech Republic trying to track one down. 

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Achievements:
Czechoslovak First League-Champions x5
Czechoslovak Cup-Winners x4

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Star player: Josef Masopust, DoB 9 Feburary 1931, PoB Strimice, Czechoslovakia

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Masopaust is regarded as the best Czech footballer in history. Brilliant performances at the 1962 World Cup, as well as scoring in the final, helped him become the 1962 Footballer of the Year. Despite his ordinary physique, he had outstanding stamina and his playmaking abilities led to comparisons with the great Jozsef Bozsik. He was also able to control the game with accurate passes and crosses, putting the team before himself always. He joined Dukla Prague in 1952 when they were known by the less catchy name of Armadni Telovychovny Klub (Army Physical Training Club). There, Masopust won 8 league championships and 3 national cups.  He took to the field in Stanley Matthew’s farewell match, when the icon retired in 1965. He also helped Dukla to the 1966 European Cup semi-finals, losing to the eventual winners Celtic aka The Lisbon Lions. After 286 appearances in Dukla colours, he eventually went abroad to Belgium’s Crossing Molenbeek. After hanging up his boots, Masopust became a manager and took the reigns first at Dukla Prague and then at Zbrojovka Brno and Hasselt. He managed the Czechoslovakian national team from 1984 to 1987, with whom he had made 66 appearances as a player, then coached in Indonesia. He returned the the Czech Republic in 1992 and retired from football in 1996. Masopust died in 2015 after a long illness.