For information on games, tickets, and times for hockey and soccer games, check the Prague Post sports section. Buy tickets at stadium box offices or over team websites. The Ticket Portal website (www.ticketportal.cz) usually has a good selection of sports tickets, including booking for the Sparta Praha ice hockey team. To see the hockey team HC Slavia play, go to the website of Sazka arena (www.sazkaticket.cz), where the team plays its home matches.
Ice Hockey -- The main Czech professional hockey league, the 02 Extraliga, is one of the best in the world, and Czech stars are regularly drafted from here to play in the North American National Hockey League. Hockey season runs from mid-September until April, and taking in a match can be a real treat, especially for kids.
Prague has two professional teams that traditionally battle it out for national hockey supremacy. HC Sparta Praha plays its home matches at Tesla Arena, Za Elektrárnou 419, Prague 7 (tel. 266-727-443; www.hcsparta.cz). Tickets are available from the stadium box office, open Monday to Friday 1-6pm, or over the Internet at www.ticketportal.cz. Tickets run from 110Kc to 240Kc. The stadium is part of the Výstaviste exhibition grounds. To find it, take metro line C to Holesovice and then tram no. 5, 14, 15, or 17 one stop to Výstaviste.
The second Prague-based team, HC Slavia, plays its home games at glamorous Sazka Arena, Ocelárská 460, Prague 9 (tel. 266-121-122; www.hc-slavia.cz), the country's biggest and most modern indoor sports facility. In addition to hosting hockey matches, Sazka is a regular venue for rock concerts, wrestling matches and rodeos as well as other cultural and sporting events. Buy tickets at the Sazka box office starting from 10am on the day of the event or in advance over the Internet at www.sazkaticket.cz. Tickets run from 150Kc to 260Kc. To find the arena, take metro line B to the stop Ceskomoravská and it's a short walk from there.
Soccer -- Soccer, or fotbal as it's called locally, is only slightly less popular than ice hockey. The Czechs traditionally rank among the world's best national teams. The main soccer league, the Gambrinus Liga, plays its games from late summer through November.
AC Sparta Praha, the top local soccer team, has a fanatical following, and games draw rowdy crowds to Generali Arena (or simply "Sparta stadium"), Milady Horákové 98, Prague 7 (tel. 296-111-400; www.sparta.cz). Tickets for big matches often sell out long before game time, but seats are usually available up to the last moment for lesser matches. Buy the tickets at the stadium box office, open Monday to Friday 9am to noon, 1 to 5pm, or on game days 3 hours before kickoff. Tickets range from 100Kc to 360Kc for a domestic league game, higher for an international match. Take metro line A to Hradcanská and then take tram no. 1, 8, 25, or 26 to the Sparta stop.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
