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Matty Cash of Poland. | Credit: Alamy
The Poland World Cup 2026 squad might not be a thing this time around – with the nation facing the prospect of missing out on World Cup 2026 after qualifying for the previous two in 2018 and 2022.
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Jan Urban’s Eagles did enough in World Cup 2026 qualifying to claim a spot in the UEFA confederation play-offs, where their first game will pit them against potential first-time qualifiers Albania.
The winners of Path B will play against Japan, Tunisia and group favourites the Netherlands in the United States and Mexico in the summer.
Poland’s qualifying campaign also placed them in direct competition with the Netherlands, who topped the group ahead of Urban’s men. They finished second comfortably, with third-placed Finland eliminated with games to spare.
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Poland have home advantage against Albania at the play-off semi-final stage but will hit the road for the final if they go through. Ukraine in Valencia or Sweden in Solna will be next on the agenda.
Urban has vast experience at his disposal. There are three centurions in his latest Poland squad among a host of other seasoned international campaigners. The top leagues in England, Spain, Italy and Germany are all represented.
They’ve been joined in camp by seven Ekstraklasa players, two of them – Kacper Tobiasz of Legia Warsaw and Gornik Zabrze’s Kryspin Szczesniak – uncapped.
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SquadPoland World Cup 2026 squad: The March selection
GK: Mateusz Kochalski (Qarabag)
GK: Kamil Grabara (Wolfsburg)
GK: Bartlomiej Dragowski (Widzew Lodz)
GK: Kascper Tobiasz (Legia Warsaw)
DF: Matty Cash (Aston Villa)
DF: Przemyslaw Wisniewski (Widzew Lodz)
DF: Tomasz Kedziora (PAOK)
DF: Jan Ziolkowski (Roma)
DF: Kryspin Szczesniak (Gornik Zabrze)
DF: Pawel Wszolek (Legia Warsaw)
DF: Bartosz Bereszynski (Palermo)
MF: Bartosz Kapustka (Legia Warsaw)
MF: Piotr Zielinski (Inter Milan)
MF: Kamil Grosicki (Pogon Szczecin)
MF: Jakub Kaminski (Koln)
MF: Bartosz Slisz (Brondby)
MF: Filip Rozga (Sturm Graz)
MF: Nicola Zalewski (Atalanta)
MF: Kacper Kozlowski (Gazientep)
FW: Karol Swiderski (Panathinaikos)
FW: Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Fixtures and resultsFixtures
March 26, 2026: Poland vs Albania, Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland
Recent results
November 17, 2025: Malta 2-3 Poland, National Stadium, Ta’ Qali, Malta
November 14: Poland 1-1 Netherlands, Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland
October 12: Lithuania 0-2 Poland, Darius and Girenas Stadium, Kaunas, Lithuania
September 7: Poland 3-1 Finland, Silesian Stadium, Chorzow, Poland
September 4: Netherlands 1-1 Poland, De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands
June 10: Finland 2-1 Poland, Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland
March 24: Poland 2-0 Malta, Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland
March 21: Poland 1-0 Lithuania, Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland
ManagerWho is Poland’s manager?
Poland manager Jan Urban | Credit: Getty Images
If the Poland squad is packed with experience, the same is true of manager Jan Urban. The 63-year-old began his managerial career at Osasuna, where he was a player, as far back as 1999. His first head coach role was at Legia Warsaw and he has managed extensively in Poland.
An Ekstraklasa winner as both a player and a manager, Urban succeeded compatriot Michal Probierz as Poland’s national team boss in the summer of 2025. With Poland now regulars at major international tournaments, his objective in these play-offs is clear.
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After Probierz’s fall-out with captain Robert Lewandowski, Poland can now play with a full deck as they seek to complete their qualification quest.
Poland’s Star PlayerWho is Poland’s star player?
Robert Lewandowski of Poland | Credit: Getty Images
Big names don’t get much bigger than Robert Lewandowski, Poland’s talismanic captain, top scorer and record appearance maker. At 37, the Barcelona striker is still a threat to any defence on the planet.
In international terms, he’s an elite player in a team with a capable supporting cast. Lewandowski has scored 88 goals in 163 appearances. Only five players have scored more international goals and only 23 have won more caps. Quite simply, he is a titan of the game.
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Poland have in their ranks a legendary frontman who is a serial title winner in multiple countries, a two-time European golden shoe winner and a player recognised more than once as the very best in the world.
Best XI