Poland national football team
Encyclopedia
The Poland national football team represents Poland
in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association
, the governing body for football in Poland
. Poland's home ground is Silesian Stadium in Chorzów
and their head coach is Franciszek Smuda.
The most well-renowned Polish team was the one of the mid-seventies that held England
to a draw at Wembley to qualify for the World Cup in 1974
. They finished third 1-0 over Brazil
in the tournament with striker Grzegorz Lato
winning the Golden Boot for his seven goals. Poland had another third place result in 1982
beating France
3–2 in the third-place play-off.
Poland also won the gold medal
in the 1972 Summer Olympics
in Munich
, and the silver medal
in 1976
in Montreal
as well in 1992 silver medal
in Barcelona
. Their Olympic success was helped by a wholly amateur squad, similar to other nations behind the Iron Curtain
.
Poland first qualified for the European Football Championships in 2008, although they will compete as joint hosts with Ukraine in 2012 European Football Championship, thus have automatically qualified.
, Poland. Poland would play their first official international match on December 18, 1921 in Budapest
where they lost to Hungary
1–0. Their first international win would come on May 28, 1922 where they took on Sweden
in Stockholm
and beat them 2–1. Poland qualified for their first ever World cup in 1937 when they beat Yugoslavia
4–0, and 1–0 in the two qualifying matches and ensured their place in the 1938 World Cup in France
.
During their debut in the World Cup Poland would face off against Brazil
which would become one of the most memorable matches in the history of the World Cup. Even though Brazil was not regarded as the world’s top team in the 1930s, it was still believed to be a very good, hard-to-beat side. Under these circumstances, Polish team, which had never before participated on such level, was supposed to lose the game against the South Americans. Thus, the defeat was not a sensation. However, all fans were surprised at the style with which the Poles played its lone game of the tournament. The white and reds got to the extra time, only then losing 5–6
. Ernest Wilimowski
, who played his club football for Ruch Chorzów
at the time, scored four of five goals for Poland, which to date is one of the most impressive individual performances in the history of the World Cup.
Poland played what would be their last international match before the outbreak of World War II
against the 1938 World Cup Runners-up Hungary. The match stands out as an achievement as Poland defeated the strong favored Hungarian side 4–2.
in Oslo
. The game ended with a defeat as Norway won by the score of 3–1. The biggest success in the early years after the war was the victory against one of Europe’s
best at the time the Czechoslovakian team
. Poland defeated their southern neighbors 3–1.
Poland would suffer the worst defeat in the team's history on April 26, 1948 with a 0–8 loss to the Danish
side. Poland would later erase that memory as they posted their second highest ever victory in Szczecin
when they took down Norway
9–0 on September 4, 1963. The game marked the debut for Włodzimierz Lubański. He scored one of the goals in the game, which would eventually be one of many. Lubański became the all-time top scorer for Poland while playing from 1963 to 1980 scoring 48 goals in 75 appearances. This victory was surpassed on April 1, 2009 in Kielce
when Poland defeated San Marino
10–0.
On December 1, 1970 Poland’s football history would change forever all due to one man. Kazimierz Górski
was elected as the head coach of the team. His success with the team was evident from the start with a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics
. Górski would later lead the team to another medal at the 1976 Olympics
were they captured silver. However, nothing matched the two bronze medals at the 1974 and 1982 World Cups.
scene before 1974 shook up the football world during the World Cup in Germany
. However, this was no huge surprise as the core of the team successfully achieved a gold medal place in the Munich Olympics in 1972. The Olympics were not considered a major tournament by most Western nations, but Eastern European countries bypassed the amateur rules by fielding their full national teams, as most players also had employment with national industries or within the army. With their lightning speed and incredible team chemistry they were almost unstoppable. In qualifying they surprised everyone by eliminating England
, quarter-finalists in 1970
and Champions in 1966
.
In their opening match of Germany 74 Poland met Argentina
, a team that was appearing in their 6th World Cup. Within eight minutes Poland were up 2–0, Grzegorz Lato
opened the scoring in the 7th minute and just a minute later Andrzej Szarmach
doubled the lead. In the 60th minute Argentina cut the lead in half when Ramon Heredia
scored. But two minutes later Lato got his second, which turned out to be the winning goal as Carlos Babington
gave Argentina their second in the 66th. The match finished 3–2 for Poland.
Poland easily beat the Caribbean nation of Haiti
7–0 in their second game. The goals included a hat-trick from Szarmach and two from Lato. In their final match of the first stage Poland met Italy
, who were 2nd at the previous World Cup in 1970. Poland were already through to the Second Round but needed at least a tie to win the group. At half-time Poland was leading 2–0 on goals from Andrzej Szarmach and Kazimierz Deyna
. It was not until the 86th minute that Italy managed a consolation goal through Fabio Capello
. This gave Poland their third consecutive win, which led them to win the group.
In the second round Poland first won 1–0 against a Swedish side, which had not let in any goals in their first three matches. Lato scored the only goal of the game. Next was Yugoslavia who had drawn with Brazil and Scotland
and won 9–0 against Zaire in the first round. Poland was awarded a penalty in the 24th minute and took the lead when Deyna converted. Stanislav Karasi
tied it up for Yugoslavia in the 43rd. Lato won it for Poland again when he scored in the 62nd making the final score 2–1 in Poland’s favor.
On July 3, 1974 came the game that could have sent Poland into the 1974 FIFA World Cup
. They played against the eventual champions West Germany
. It had rained all day long, the field was entirely flooded. Poland wanted the game postponed but the Austrian referee would not agree. The game went ahead. Poland needed a win to be in the final, a tie was enough for the Germans. But in the miserably wet conditions Poland's speed was of no use since the ball would not roll like it does on a dry field. Gerd Müller
scored the winning goal in the 76th minute for Germany. The whole country was crushed.
Poland would end the amazing run with a 1–0 victory over Brazil
in the third place game. Lato scored the winning goal his 7th of the tournament crowning him the top scorer of the World Cup.
their second World Cup appearance when in 1966
they had captured 3rd place. Poland opened the World Cup against their rivals from four years prior and the current Champions, West Germany. This time the match ended in a 0–0 draw.
Grzegorz Lato continued his scoring ways with the only goal in the 1–0 win over African side Tunisia
in the second game. In the final first round match Poland met North American nation Mexico
. Zbigniew Boniek
playing in his first World Cup opened the scoring in the 43rd minute. The Mexicans drew level through Victor Rangel
in the 52nd minute, but four minutes later Kazimierz Deyna
put Poland ahead once again. Then Boniek scored his second in the 84th to secure the 3–1 win.
In the second round Poland met three South American teams. In 1974 Poland had played and won against both Argentina and Brazil, both teams would get their revenge this time around. First Argentina beat the Poles 2–0 with two goals from tournament top scorer Mario Kempes
. Poland then defeated Peru
1–0 with a goal from Andrzej Szarmach. In what was Poland's last match of this World Cup Brazil opened the scoring in the 12th minute on a goal from Nelinho
. Even though Lato equalized one minute before half-time it was not to be for Poland. Two goals from Roberto in the 57th and 62nd minute wrapped up the 3–1 win for Brazil.
Eagles was slowly dissolving by 1982, and only Lato
, Szarmach
, Kusto
and Żmuda remained from the ’74 squad
. However, the white and reds were an exciting mix of veterans and upstart youngsters. This was soon to be Zibi’s
team and the Cup time to shine. Poland was in fact a pre-tourney favorite to go far.
World Cup España
also featured a new format for the tournament, with both an expansion to the overall pool to twenty-four and of the second group round to twelve.
Poland won a spot in Group A, placing them with Italy, Cameroon
and Peru. As often appears to be the case historically, Poland started slowly. On day two of the tournament, Poland opened with a respectable 0–0 draw against the Italians. Nevertheless, the defense played a great game holding Paolo Rossi
scoreless, the only time the eventual champion Italians were to be shut out during the entire tournament. The Italy game was followed by an inexplicable 0–0 draw with Cameroon.
Everyone either awaited a Poland goal explosion or was ready to write the squad off as too dependent on their aging stars. The former came. A torrent of goals rained on Peru to close out Polish group play with a 5–1 onslaught. Five different Poles scored including Smolarek, Zibi and Lato, in what would be his final World Cup goal. Lato also had one assist and Zibi added two. Due to Italy’s first round results, which consisted of three draws, Poland won the group.
Then came one for the ages. In one of the most impressive one-man shows in Cup history, Zibi netted a hat trick
against Belgium in the first game of Group 1 play, accounting for all three goals in the 3–0 victory. Zibi would be key in the following match as well against the Soviet Union, but not in positive fashion. In the midst of the tense scoreless draw, Zibi was yellow carded for the second time and thus had to sit and watch the following match.
The Poles would eventually be stopped in the semi-finals. The opponent was once again Italy, winners of Group 3 and eliminators of Brazil. This would be no rematch of the first meeting, though, as the adaptable Italians were not to be stymied. Rossi ran the shagged-out Poland ragged, scoring in the 22nd and 72nd minute in a reportedly easy 2–0 win.
Poland saved some face in the third-place game, feeling freewheeling enough to beat France
3–2 in a game that featured about ten minutes of absolute dominance by the Poles surrounding the halftime break. This game along with the World Cup would be remembered as an end to the golden era of Polish football.
in Mexico
would mark Poland's last appearance on the World's greatest stage in the 20th century. Poland qualified to the tournament by finishing in first place over Belgium on goal differential and qualified for their fourth consecutive World Cup.
Poland's opponents in Group F would be Morocco
, Portugal, and England. During the first game the fans spotted that the magic of the earlier years was gone as they only managed a scoreless draw against a surprising Morocco team that would finish top of the group. In the second game hope was restored with an impressive 1–0 victory over Portugal
in which Włodzimierz Smolarek got the winning goal. In the last match of the group stages Poland took on England
. England won the match 3–0, with all three goals scored by Gary Lineker
, however, Poland still managed to reach the knockout stages after Morocco surprised Portugal with a 3–1 victory.
Due to Poland finishing in third place in the group they were drawn against a strong Brazilian side in the knock-out stages. The Brazilians gave Poland no chance after defeating them 4–0, sending them home.
. There were high hopes for the young team who narrowly missed out on the gold medal (losing the final 3–2 to the hosts Spain after conceding a goal in injury time), and the two star strikers Wojciech Kowalczyk
and Andrzej Juskowiak
in particular, but ultimately this generation achieved nothing in international football.
marked their first appearance in the tournament since 1986. During the qualifications Poland finished top of their group and qualified for the World Cup in Korea and Japan as the first team out of Europe
.
Although nobody expected Poland to repeat their feats of 1974 and 1982 most fans and the press did expect at least the second round. Both South Korea and the USA were viewed as teams easily within Poland's reach, particularly after the excellent qualifying campaign. Portugal was another matter but many did not dismiss the possibility of a draw. However, in the first game the South Koreans stunned Poland with a 2–0 win. The poor performance led to calls for wholesale changes to the team that was to face Portugal in the second game. In the end the manager Jerzy Engel
only made one change and the Poles were duly hammered 4–0 and eliminated from the tournament. In the last game Engel fielded a completely overhauled team and Poland showed what could have been by completely outclassing the USA, but, in the light of two previous defeats, the 3–1 victory was too little, too late.
Poland came in with high hopes of qualifying out of the group stages for the first time since 1986 after a solid qualifying
campaign. Being drawn to the group A, which consisted of the hosts Germany
, Ecuador
, and Costa Rica
, Poland was looked upon as a favorite with Germany to progress through the knockout stages. However, just like four years earlier, the campaign was a massive disappointment. Again, Poland lost their first game, this time to Ecuador. The final score was 2–0 with goals from Carlos Tenorio
and Agustin Delgado
. Poland did have to major chances to score against Ecuador though; with first Ireneusz Jelen
's and then Pawel Brozek
's left foot strikes hitting the woodwork (crossbar and then post). Poland lost to group leader Germany on June 14, in an epic game, where goalkeeper Artur Boruc
made several very critically important saves. The final score was 1–0 though, with a goal scored by Oliver Neuville
in the 91st minute, thus ensuring their exit from the World Cup. In the last match Poland beat also eliminated Costa Rica 2–1 with both Polish goals headed in by center back Bartosz Bosacki
, coming from behind from Ronald Gomez.
Under the new manager Leo Beenhakker
, who replaced Paweł Janas in 2006, Poland began its Euro 2008 qualifying campaign in a distinctly unimpressive fashion, losing 1–3 to Finland
at Zawisza Stadium in Bydgoszcz. They followed that up with a 1–1 draw against Serbia
at Legia Stadium in Warsaw
on September 6, 2006. Their first win came against Kazakhstan
on October 7, 2006 (final score 0:1). Just four points from three relatively easy games put the Poles on the brink of early elimination.
However, in the next five games Poland notched five straight victories. Poland faced Portugal
on October 11, 2006, winning 2–1 in Chorzów
, after an excellent performance. Next they headed to Brussels
where they defeated Belgium 1:0. They recorded wins against Azerbaijan
(5–0) and Armenia
(1–0) at home in Poland, and away to Azerbaijan
(1–3), however they failed to pick up any points in Armenia
on June 6, 2007 (0–1).
Poland then traveled to Lisbon
to face Portugal, the match ended in a 2–2 draw. They returned from Helsinki
with another point (0–0). A power outage briefly marred the rematch against Kazakhstan but Poland collected three points (3–1). Poland clinched its Euro 2008 berth with a 2–0 victory against Belgium
in Chorzów
and followed that up with a draw (2–2) against Serbia in Belgrade. Poland finished its qualifying campaign as group leaders. Ebi Smolarek finished with 9 goals under his tally for Poland and was the third overall top scorer in the qualifications only behind David Healy
of Northern Ireland (13 goals), and Eduardo
of Croatia (10 goals).
Poland’s qualification to the Euro 2008
marked their first appearance in the tournament. Despite qualifying for the tournament with an impressing campaign edging Portugal
to the first place in their qualifying group the tournament would be a disappointing debut.
Poland was drawn in the group that consisted of Germany, the co-hosts Austria
, and Croatia
. In a rematch from the 2006 World Cup Poland took on Germany in the first game. Although the Poles were far from dominated in the game and created many chances, the match ended with a victory for Germany with the final score being 2–0. Lukas Podolski
the Polish-born German striker scored the two goals for Germany in the game. In the second game Poland would take on the co-hosts Austria in Vienna
. Roger Guerreiro
opened the scoring for Poland in the 30th minute. Austria equalized in stoppage time in the 93rd minute after a very controversial penalty, which the Austrian striker Ivica Vastic
converted making the final score 1–1. In any hopes of qualifying Poland would need a large victory in their last game against Croatia. However, Croatia went on to beat Poland 1–0 and eliminated them from the tournament.
, with a record of 3 victories 2 draws and 5 losses. The campaign started off well enough with a total of 7 points in the first three matches. A respectable 1–1 draw against future world cup qualifiers Slovenia was seen as a undesirable result at start. A routine victory over San Marino, and an impressive win over the Czech Republic left Poland at the top of the table after 3 games. The match against Slovakia in Bratislava
was seen as the turning point in qualifying. Poland was leading 1–0 until the 85th minute when Stanislav Šesták
scored an equalizer after an error by Artur Boruc
. Then just a minute later Šesták got his second making the final score 2–1 in Slovakia's favor. The next opponent was Northern Ireland; the match, which was played at Windsor Park in Belfast, was seen as a crucial match for Poland, as their hopes of qualification hung in the balance. The ground was not in the best condition, which allowed for a horrific mistake in the 61st minute when Michał Żewłakow passed the ball back to Boruc who miskicked the ball while it hopped over his foot on a bumpy pitch. Northern Ireland went on to win the game 3–2. Following that crucial loss Poland recorded their largest victory ever, defeating San Marino 10–0. However, in the last three matches Poland managed just a 1–1 draw with Northern Ireland, and two losses to the eventual two World Cup qualifiers Slovenia and Slovakia.
, Wales
, Poland
along with Ukraine
were elected by the UEFA’s Executive Committee to co-host the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship
. It will be the 14th European Championship. Poland’s and Ukraine’s bid defeated the other shortlisted bids from Italy and Croatia/Hungary, becoming the third successful joint-bid for the European Championship, after those of Belgium/Netherlands, for Euro 2000, and Austria/Switzerland for Euro 2008.
The Polish-Ukrainian hosting is seen as a way of shifting the focus towards regions and nations of central and eastern Europe, whose population demonstrates a strong feeling for football, but are less developed in terms of the quality of the local leagues and football infrastructure, when compared with western Europe.
along with England, Montenegro, co-hosts for Euro 2012 Ukraine, Moldova and San Marino.
. "Polish national football team" can be translated into Polish
as "Reprezentacja Polski w piłce nożnej". The team's nicknames include "Biało-czerwoni" which means "The white and reds" and "Białe Orły" which translates into "The White Eagles". These are the most common names given to the Polish national football team.
which is white and red. Apart from minor details (in the 1920s the socks in the home kit were striped), the design remains unchanged since 1921. The home kit consists of a white shirt, red shorts and white socks; the away kit is all red (though sometimes worn with white shorts). On the rare occasions both home and away kits clash with the opponent's colours third kit is available, usually in either black or blue (currently navy blue with white-red sleeves). The kit has traditionally been adorned with the white eagle
, Polish coat of arms, and not, as with many other national teams, the national football federation logo. This changed, however, in 2011 when the Polish FA took the decision to switch to a crest that can be trademarked, to help distinguish against unlicensed product.New Poland Euro 2012 kit launch in turmoil The current kits are provided by Nike
.
, Gdańsk
, Kielce
, Kraków
, Łódź, Poznań
, Szczecin
, Wrocław and Warsaw
.
In recent years, many of Poland's most important matches have been played in the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów. The stadium was built in 1956 and seats 47,246 people. The record attendance came on October 20, 1956 when 100,000 fans witnessed a game between Poland and the Soviet Union, with Poland achieving a 2–1 victory. This holds the record for the most spectators to watch the Polish national football team. The stadium is currently being renovated to seat 55,210. In 1993, the stadium was designated as the official home stadium of the Polish national football team.
A new National Stadium
is under construction in Warsaw
with an expected capacity of 55,920 seats. Following Euro 2012, this stadium will be used as the venue for some matches of the Polish national team. Polish Football Association's President, Grzegorz Lato
has stated in 2011 that the Warsaw stadium called "National Stadium" will not be Polish national football team's official national stadium.
Matches not on specified FIFA dates and composed of Ekstraklasa players only are denoted by *.
and Hungary
on November 11 and 15, 2011.
Caps and goals correct as of November 15, 2011.
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European Football Championship squads
Summer Olympics football squads
Bold- Indicates player with at least 50 caps and 10 goals.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association
Polish Football Association
The Polish Football Association is the governing body of football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues , the Polish Cup, the Polish SuperCup, the Polish League Cup, and the Polish national football team...
, the governing body for football in Poland
Football in Poland
Football is the most popular sport in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally. The first professional clubs were founded in the early 1900s, and the Polish national football team played its first international match in 1921.There are hundreds of...
. Poland's home ground is Silesian Stadium in Chorzów
Chorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
and their head coach is Franciszek Smuda.
The most well-renowned Polish team was the one of the mid-seventies that held England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
to a draw at Wembley to qualify for the World Cup in 1974
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
. They finished third 1-0 over Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in the tournament with striker Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Bolesław Lato is a former Polish football striker, and the leading scorer at the 1974 World Cup. Lato's playing career coincided with the golden era of Polish football, which began with Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 and ended a decade later with third place at the 1982 World Cup in...
winning the Golden Boot for his seven goals. Poland had another third place result in 1982
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
beating France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
3–2 in the third-place play-off.
Poland also won the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
in 1976
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
as well in 1992 silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. Their Olympic success was helped by a wholly amateur squad, similar to other nations behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
.
Poland first qualified for the European Football Championships in 2008, although they will compete as joint hosts with Ukraine in 2012 European Football Championship, thus have automatically qualified.
1919–1939 Early Years
The Polish Football Federation (Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej) was established on December 20, 1919 in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland. Poland would play their first official international match on December 18, 1921 in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
where they lost to Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
1–0. Their first international win would come on May 28, 1922 where they took on Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and beat them 2–1. Poland qualified for their first ever World cup in 1937 when they beat Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
4–0, and 1–0 in the two qualifying matches and ensured their place in the 1938 World Cup in France
1938 FIFA World Cup
The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:...
.
During their debut in the World Cup Poland would face off against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
which would become one of the most memorable matches in the history of the World Cup. Even though Brazil was not regarded as the world’s top team in the 1930s, it was still believed to be a very good, hard-to-beat side. Under these circumstances, Polish team, which had never before participated on such level, was supposed to lose the game against the South Americans. Thus, the defeat was not a sensation. However, all fans were surprised at the style with which the Poles played its lone game of the tournament. The white and reds got to the extra time, only then losing 5–6
Poland v Brazil (1938)
Poland v Brazil was a football match held during the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France and still remembered by Polish fans of this sport as the one in which Poland national football team debuted. To qualify to the tournament Poland had to beat only one team - Yugoslavia...
. Ernest Wilimowski
Ernest Wilimowski
Ernst Willimowski was a football player who played for both the Polish and German national teams....
, who played his club football for Ruch Chorzów
Ruch Chorzów
Ruch Chorzów is a Polish association football club based in Chorzów, Upper Silesia. It is one of the most successful football teams in Poland: 14 time national champion, and 3 time winner of the Polish Cup. Currently the team plays in the top Polish league, the Ekstraklasa. Their stadium capacity...
at the time, scored four of five goals for Poland, which to date is one of the most impressive individual performances in the history of the World Cup.
Poland played what would be their last international match before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
against the 1938 World Cup Runners-up Hungary. The match stands out as an achievement as Poland defeated the strong favored Hungarian side 4–2.
1946–1972
On June 11, 1946 following the aftermath of World War II, Poland played their first international friendly match against NorwayNorway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. The game ended with a defeat as Norway won by the score of 3–1. The biggest success in the early years after the war was the victory against one of Europe’s
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
best at the time the Czechoslovakian team
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
. Poland defeated their southern neighbors 3–1.
Poland would suffer the worst defeat in the team's history on April 26, 1948 with a 0–8 loss to the Danish
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
side. Poland would later erase that memory as they posted their second highest ever victory in Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
when they took down Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
9–0 on September 4, 1963. The game marked the debut for Włodzimierz Lubański. He scored one of the goals in the game, which would eventually be one of many. Lubański became the all-time top scorer for Poland while playing from 1963 to 1980 scoring 48 goals in 75 appearances. This victory was surpassed on April 1, 2009 in Kielce
Kielce
Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...
when Poland defeated San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
10–0.
On December 1, 1970 Poland’s football history would change forever all due to one man. Kazimierz Górski
Kazimierz Górski
Kazimierz Klaudiusz Górski was a coach of Poland national football team and honorary president of Polish Football Union . He was also a football player, capped once for Poland....
was elected as the head coach of the team. His success with the team was evident from the start with a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
. Górski would later lead the team to another medal at the 1976 Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
were they captured silver. However, nothing matched the two bronze medals at the 1974 and 1982 World Cups.
1974 World Cup 3rd Place
Poland being mostly unknown on the international footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
scene before 1974 shook up the football world during the World Cup in Germany
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
. However, this was no huge surprise as the core of the team successfully achieved a gold medal place in the Munich Olympics in 1972. The Olympics were not considered a major tournament by most Western nations, but Eastern European countries bypassed the amateur rules by fielding their full national teams, as most players also had employment with national industries or within the army. With their lightning speed and incredible team chemistry they were almost unstoppable. In qualifying they surprised everyone by eliminating England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, quarter-finalists in 1970
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
and Champions in 1966
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
.
In their opening match of Germany 74 Poland met Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, a team that was appearing in their 6th World Cup. Within eight minutes Poland were up 2–0, Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Bolesław Lato is a former Polish football striker, and the leading scorer at the 1974 World Cup. Lato's playing career coincided with the golden era of Polish football, which began with Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 and ended a decade later with third place at the 1982 World Cup in...
opened the scoring in the 7th minute and just a minute later Andrzej Szarmach
Andrzej Szarmach
Andrzej Szarmach is a former Polish football player.He played in the Polish national team during its "golden age" in the 1970s...
doubled the lead. In the 60th minute Argentina cut the lead in half when Ramon Heredia
Ramón Heredia
Ramón Armando Heredia Ruarte is an Argentine former football defender who played for the Argentina national team....
scored. But two minutes later Lato got his second, which turned out to be the winning goal as Carlos Babington
Carlos Babington
Carlos Alberto Babington "El Inglés" is a former Argentine football striker. He represented the Argentine national team at the 1974 World Cup....
gave Argentina their second in the 66th. The match finished 3–2 for Poland.
Poland easily beat the Caribbean nation of Haiti
Haiti national football team
The Haiti national football team represents Haiti in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Haïtienne de Football, the governing body for football in Haiti. Haiti's home ground is Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince and their head coach is Edson Tavares...
7–0 in their second game. The goals included a hat-trick from Szarmach and two from Lato. In their final match of the first stage Poland met Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, who were 2nd at the previous World Cup in 1970. Poland were already through to the Second Round but needed at least a tie to win the group. At half-time Poland was leading 2–0 on goals from Andrzej Szarmach and Kazimierz Deyna
Kazimierz Deyna
Kazimierz Deyna was a Polish footballer, who played as an offensive midfielder in the playmaker role and was one of the most highly regarded players of his generation.-Early life:...
. It was not until the 86th minute that Italy managed a consolation goal through Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...
. This gave Poland their third consecutive win, which led them to win the group.
In the second round Poland first won 1–0 against a Swedish side, which had not let in any goals in their first three matches. Lato scored the only goal of the game. Next was Yugoslavia who had drawn with Brazil and Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and won 9–0 against Zaire in the first round. Poland was awarded a penalty in the 24th minute and took the lead when Deyna converted. Stanislav Karasi
Stanislav Karasi
Stanislav Karasi is a Serbian striker who played at FIFA World Cup 1974 for SFR Yugoslavia....
tied it up for Yugoslavia in the 43rd. Lato won it for Poland again when he scored in the 62nd making the final score 2–1 in Poland’s favor.
On July 3, 1974 came the game that could have sent Poland into the 1974 FIFA World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
. They played against the eventual champions West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. It had rained all day long, the field was entirely flooded. Poland wanted the game postponed but the Austrian referee would not agree. The game went ahead. Poland needed a win to be in the final, a tie was enough for the Germans. But in the miserably wet conditions Poland's speed was of no use since the ball would not roll like it does on a dry field. Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...
scored the winning goal in the 76th minute for Germany. The whole country was crushed.
Poland would end the amazing run with a 1–0 victory over Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
in the third place game. Lato scored the winning goal his 7th of the tournament crowning him the top scorer of the World Cup.
1978 World Cup
In qualifying Poland denied PortugalPortugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
their second World Cup appearance when in 1966
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
they had captured 3rd place. Poland opened the World Cup against their rivals from four years prior and the current Champions, West Germany. This time the match ended in a 0–0 draw.
Grzegorz Lato continued his scoring ways with the only goal in the 1–0 win over African side Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...
in the second game. In the final first round match Poland met North American nation Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
. Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek is a former Polish footballer and coach. He first played at Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at Widzew Łódź. Boniek was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers and by FIFA as one of the 100 best-ever players. On 12 October 2009 he received a Golden...
playing in his first World Cup opened the scoring in the 43rd minute. The Mexicans drew level through Victor Rangel
Víctor Rangel
Víctor Rangel Ayala is a retired Mexican footballer, currently manager of Atlético Mexiquense of the Mexican Primera Division A....
in the 52nd minute, but four minutes later Kazimierz Deyna
Kazimierz Deyna
Kazimierz Deyna was a Polish footballer, who played as an offensive midfielder in the playmaker role and was one of the most highly regarded players of his generation.-Early life:...
put Poland ahead once again. Then Boniek scored his second in the 84th to secure the 3–1 win.
In the second round Poland met three South American teams. In 1974 Poland had played and won against both Argentina and Brazil, both teams would get their revenge this time around. First Argentina beat the Poles 2–0 with two goals from tournament top scorer Mario Kempes
Mario Kempes
Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi is a retired Argentine footballer. His father, Mario, also a footballer, inspired him to play from a young age. At the age of 7, he began playing with a junior team and at 14, he joined La Cuarta de Talleres...
. Poland then defeated Peru
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
1–0 with a goal from Andrzej Szarmach. In what was Poland's last match of this World Cup Brazil opened the scoring in the 12th minute on a goal from Nelinho
Nelinho
Nelinho, real name Manoel Rezende de Mattos Cabral, is a former association footballer who played right back...
. Even though Lato equalized one minute before half-time it was not to be for Poland. Two goals from Roberto in the 57th and 62nd minute wrapped up the 3–1 win for Brazil.
1982 World Cup 3rd Place
The presence of Górski’sKazimierz Górski
Kazimierz Klaudiusz Górski was a coach of Poland national football team and honorary president of Polish Football Union . He was also a football player, capped once for Poland....
Eagles was slowly dissolving by 1982, and only Lato
Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Bolesław Lato is a former Polish football striker, and the leading scorer at the 1974 World Cup. Lato's playing career coincided with the golden era of Polish football, which began with Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 and ended a decade later with third place at the 1982 World Cup in...
, Szarmach
Andrzej Szarmach
Andrzej Szarmach is a former Polish football player.He played in the Polish national team during its "golden age" in the 1970s...
, Kusto
Marek Kusto
Marek Andrzej Kusto is a retired Polish football player and later a football manager.He played for a few clubs, including Wisła Kraków, Legia Warsaw and KSK Beveren ....
and Żmuda remained from the ’74 squad
1974 FIFA World Cup squads
-West Germany:Head coach: Helmut Schön-East Germany:Head coach: Georg Buschner-Australia:Head coach: Ralé Rašić-Chile:Head coach: Luis Alamos-Brazil:...
. However, the white and reds were an exciting mix of veterans and upstart youngsters. This was soon to be Zibi’s
Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek is a former Polish footballer and coach. He first played at Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at Widzew Łódź. Boniek was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers and by FIFA as one of the 100 best-ever players. On 12 October 2009 he received a Golden...
team and the Cup time to shine. Poland was in fact a pre-tourney favorite to go far.
World Cup España
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
also featured a new format for the tournament, with both an expansion to the overall pool to twenty-four and of the second group round to twelve.
Poland won a spot in Group A, placing them with Italy, Cameroon
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
and Peru. As often appears to be the case historically, Poland started slowly. On day two of the tournament, Poland opened with a respectable 0–0 draw against the Italians. Nevertheless, the defense played a great game holding Paolo Rossi
Paolo Rossi
Paolo Rossi is an Italian former football striker. In 1982, he led Italy to the 1982 FIFA World Cup title, scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot/top scorer honors, and the Golden Ball. After his performance at the 1982 FIFA World Cup he became a hero in the hearts of all Italians...
scoreless, the only time the eventual champion Italians were to be shut out during the entire tournament. The Italy game was followed by an inexplicable 0–0 draw with Cameroon.
Everyone either awaited a Poland goal explosion or was ready to write the squad off as too dependent on their aging stars. The former came. A torrent of goals rained on Peru to close out Polish group play with a 5–1 onslaught. Five different Poles scored including Smolarek, Zibi and Lato, in what would be his final World Cup goal. Lato also had one assist and Zibi added two. Due to Italy’s first round results, which consisted of three draws, Poland won the group.
Then came one for the ages. In one of the most impressive one-man shows in Cup history, Zibi netted a hat trick
Hat Trick
Hat trick, hat-trick or hattrick may refer to:* hat-trick — in various sports, achieving three goals, wickets, etc. in a single match* Hattrick — online football management game** Hattrick Limited — producers of this game...
against Belgium in the first game of Group 1 play, accounting for all three goals in the 3–0 victory. Zibi would be key in the following match as well against the Soviet Union, but not in positive fashion. In the midst of the tense scoreless draw, Zibi was yellow carded for the second time and thus had to sit and watch the following match.
The Poles would eventually be stopped in the semi-finals. The opponent was once again Italy, winners of Group 3 and eliminators of Brazil. This would be no rematch of the first meeting, though, as the adaptable Italians were not to be stymied. Rossi ran the shagged-out Poland ragged, scoring in the 22nd and 72nd minute in a reportedly easy 2–0 win.
Poland saved some face in the third-place game, feeling freewheeling enough to beat France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
3–2 in a game that featured about ten minutes of absolute dominance by the Poles surrounding the halftime break. This game along with the World Cup would be remembered as an end to the golden era of Polish football.
1986 World Cup
The 1986 World Cup1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
would mark Poland's last appearance on the World's greatest stage in the 20th century. Poland qualified to the tournament by finishing in first place over Belgium on goal differential and qualified for their fourth consecutive World Cup.
Poland's opponents in Group F would be Morocco
Morocco national football team
The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and...
, Portugal, and England. During the first game the fans spotted that the magic of the earlier years was gone as they only managed a scoreless draw against a surprising Morocco team that would finish top of the group. In the second game hope was restored with an impressive 1–0 victory over Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
in which Włodzimierz Smolarek got the winning goal. In the last match of the group stages Poland took on England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. England won the match 3–0, with all three goals scored by Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
, however, Poland still managed to reach the knockout stages after Morocco surprised Portugal with a 3–1 victory.
Due to Poland finishing in third place in the group they were drawn against a strong Brazilian side in the knock-out stages. The Brazilians gave Poland no chance after defeating them 4–0, sending them home.
1987–2002
After the golden era in the seventies and eighties Poland would encounter a period of drought being unable to qualify for any major tournament. During the late eighties to the late nineties Poland’s biggest achievement would be capturing the silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
. There were high hopes for the young team who narrowly missed out on the gold medal (losing the final 3–2 to the hosts Spain after conceding a goal in injury time), and the two star strikers Wojciech Kowalczyk
Wojciech Kowalczyk
Wojciech Kowalczyk is a retired Polish footballer who played as a striker.The bulk of his professional career was spent with hometown's Legia Warsaw and in Spain...
and Andrzej Juskowiak
Andrzej Juskowiak
Andrzej Mieczysław Juskowiak is a former Polish football striker, who played for Polish national team.-National team:Nicknamed "Jusko", he was a participant at the 1992 Summer Olympics, where Poland won the silver medal...
in particular, but ultimately this generation achieved nothing in international football.
2002 World Cup
Poland’s qualification to the 2002 World Cup2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
marked their first appearance in the tournament since 1986. During the qualifications Poland finished top of their group and qualified for the World Cup in Korea and Japan as the first team out of Europe
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
.
Although nobody expected Poland to repeat their feats of 1974 and 1982 most fans and the press did expect at least the second round. Both South Korea and the USA were viewed as teams easily within Poland's reach, particularly after the excellent qualifying campaign. Portugal was another matter but many did not dismiss the possibility of a draw. However, in the first game the South Koreans stunned Poland with a 2–0 win. The poor performance led to calls for wholesale changes to the team that was to face Portugal in the second game. In the end the manager Jerzy Engel
Jerzy Engel
Władysław Jerzy Engel was a Polish footballer and coach. Engel began his career in football at an early age playing at local club Junak Wloclawek, before moving to Polonia Warsaw , Hutnik Warszawa and several other clubs.Engel, nicknamed "Jurek", began playing in midfield or attack before, at...
only made one change and the Poles were duly hammered 4–0 and eliminated from the tournament. In the last game Engel fielded a completely overhauled team and Poland showed what could have been by completely outclassing the USA, but, in the light of two previous defeats, the 3–1 victory was too little, too late.
2006 World Cup
During the 2006 World Cup2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
Poland came in with high hopes of qualifying out of the group stages for the first time since 1986 after a solid qualifying
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup...
campaign. Being drawn to the group A, which consisted of the hosts Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, Ecuador
Ecuador national football team
The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
, and Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
, Poland was looked upon as a favorite with Germany to progress through the knockout stages. However, just like four years earlier, the campaign was a massive disappointment. Again, Poland lost their first game, this time to Ecuador. The final score was 2–0 with goals from Carlos Tenorio
Carlos Tenorio
Carlos Vicente Tenorio Medina is an Ecuadorian footballer who plays for Emirati club Al-Nasr. Tenorio is an experienced striker known for his heading ability.-Club career:He began his career with LDU Quito. In Tenorio's early years...
and Agustin Delgado
Agustín Delgado
Agustín Javier Delgado Chalá is a retired Ecuadorian footballer. Nicknamed Tín, Delgado is the all-time top scorer for the Ecuadorian national team with 31 goals in 71 games. He played professional club football in Ecuador, Mexico and England.-Southampton:Delgado moved to Southampton in 2001...
. Poland did have to major chances to score against Ecuador though; with first Ireneusz Jelen
Ireneusz Jelen
Ireneusz Jeleń is a Polish footballer who plays as a right-winger or striker for Ligue 1 side Lille and the Polish national football team.-Club career:...
's and then Pawel Brozek
Pawel Brozek
Paweł Łukasz Brożek is a Polish footballer who plays plays as a strikerfor Trabzonspor and the Poland national football team.- Club career :...
's left foot strikes hitting the woodwork (crossbar and then post). Poland lost to group leader Germany on June 14, in an epic game, where goalkeeper Artur Boruc
Artur Boruc
Artur Boruc is a Polish footballer who plays for Serie A club Fiorentina as a goalkeeper. On 20 October 2008, Boruc was one of 55 players shortlisted for the FIFPro World XI Player Awards.-Pogoń Siedlce:...
made several very critically important saves. The final score was 1–0 though, with a goal scored by Oliver Neuville
Oliver Neuville
Oliver Patric Neuville is a retired German footballer who played as a striker.During an 18-year professional career, he played mainly for Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach , amassing Bundesliga totals of 334 games and 91 goals.Neuville gained almost 70 caps for the German national...
in the 91st minute, thus ensuring their exit from the World Cup. In the last match Poland beat also eliminated Costa Rica 2–1 with both Polish goals headed in by center back Bartosz Bosacki
Bartosz Bosacki
Bartosz Bosacki is a Polish footballer who plays as a defender.-International:On 22 May 2006, Paweł Janas called up Bosacki for the 2006 World Cup as a replacement for Damian Gorawski, after the latter failed medical tests upon being diagnosed with severe asthma...
, coming from behind from Ronald Gomez.
2008 European Championship
Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.- Coaching career :...
, who replaced Paweł Janas in 2006, Poland began its Euro 2008 qualifying campaign in a distinctly unimpressive fashion, losing 1–3 to Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
at Zawisza Stadium in Bydgoszcz. They followed that up with a 1–1 draw against Serbia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
at Legia Stadium in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
on September 6, 2006. Their first win came against Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
on October 7, 2006 (final score 0:1). Just four points from three relatively easy games put the Poles on the brink of early elimination.
However, in the next five games Poland notched five straight victories. Poland faced Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
on October 11, 2006, winning 2–1 in Chorzów
Chorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, after an excellent performance. Next they headed to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
where they defeated Belgium 1:0. They recorded wins against Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
(5–0) and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
(1–0) at home in Poland, and away to Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
(1–3), however they failed to pick up any points in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
on June 6, 2007 (0–1).
Poland then traveled to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
to face Portugal, the match ended in a 2–2 draw. They returned from Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
with another point (0–0). A power outage briefly marred the rematch against Kazakhstan but Poland collected three points (3–1). Poland clinched its Euro 2008 berth with a 2–0 victory against Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in Chorzów
Chorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
and followed that up with a draw (2–2) against Serbia in Belgrade. Poland finished its qualifying campaign as group leaders. Ebi Smolarek finished with 9 goals under his tally for Poland and was the third overall top scorer in the qualifications only behind David Healy
David Healy (footballer)
David Jonathan Healy, MBE is a Northern Ireland international footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Premier League champions Rangers...
of Northern Ireland (13 goals), and Eduardo
Eduardo da Silva
Eduardo Alves da Silva , commonly known as Eduardo, sometimes nicknamed as Dudu, is a Brazilian-born Croatian footballer who plays for Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk and the Croatia national team...
of Croatia (10 goals).
Poland’s qualification to the Euro 2008
2008 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations. It took place in Austria and Switzerland from 7 to 29 June 2008...
marked their first appearance in the tournament. Despite qualifying for the tournament with an impressing campaign edging Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
to the first place in their qualifying group the tournament would be a disappointing debut.
Poland was drawn in the group that consisted of Germany, the co-hosts Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
, and Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
. In a rematch from the 2006 World Cup Poland took on Germany in the first game. Although the Poles were far from dominated in the game and created many chances, the match ended with a victory for Germany with the final score being 2–0. Lukas Podolski
Lukas Podolski
Lukas Josef Podolski ; born Łukasz Podolski ) on 4 June 1985 in Gliwice, Poland) is a German footballer who plays as a striker/winger for 1. FC Köln and for the German national team. He joined 1. FC Köln in 1995 where he broke into the first team in 2003 and made 81 appearances for the club before...
the Polish-born German striker scored the two goals for Germany in the game. In the second game Poland would take on the co-hosts Austria in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. Roger Guerreiro
Roger Guerreiro
Roger Guerreiro , commonly known as Roger, is a naturalized Polish footballer currently playing for A.E.K. Athens as a midfielder.- AEK Athens F.C. :...
opened the scoring for Poland in the 30th minute. Austria equalized in stoppage time in the 93rd minute after a very controversial penalty, which the Austrian striker Ivica Vastic
Ivica Vastic
Ivica Vastić is a retired Croatian-born Austrian football midfielder, formerly a striker, who last played for LASK Linz and the Austria national football team and works now as Head Coach of FK Austria Wien Amateure.- Club career :Born in Split, Vastić started to play for local clubs Jugovinil and...
converted making the final score 1–1. In any hopes of qualifying Poland would need a large victory in their last game against Croatia. However, Croatia went on to beat Poland 1–0 and eliminated them from the tournament.
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
Poland's qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup has been their worst to date. Despite being drawn in a seemingly easy group with Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland and San Marino, Poland finished in 5th place only ahead of San MarinoSan Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
, with a record of 3 victories 2 draws and 5 losses. The campaign started off well enough with a total of 7 points in the first three matches. A respectable 1–1 draw against future world cup qualifiers Slovenia was seen as a undesirable result at start. A routine victory over San Marino, and an impressive win over the Czech Republic left Poland at the top of the table after 3 games. The match against Slovakia in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
was seen as the turning point in qualifying. Poland was leading 1–0 until the 85th minute when Stanislav Šesták
Stanislav Šesták
Stanislav Šesták is a Slovak football striker who plays for Bursaspor and the Slovakia national football team.-Slovakia:...
scored an equalizer after an error by Artur Boruc
Artur Boruc
Artur Boruc is a Polish footballer who plays for Serie A club Fiorentina as a goalkeeper. On 20 October 2008, Boruc was one of 55 players shortlisted for the FIFPro World XI Player Awards.-Pogoń Siedlce:...
. Then just a minute later Šesták got his second making the final score 2–1 in Slovakia's favor. The next opponent was Northern Ireland; the match, which was played at Windsor Park in Belfast, was seen as a crucial match for Poland, as their hopes of qualification hung in the balance. The ground was not in the best condition, which allowed for a horrific mistake in the 61st minute when Michał Żewłakow passed the ball back to Boruc who miskicked the ball while it hopped over his foot on a bumpy pitch. Northern Ireland went on to win the game 3–2. Following that crucial loss Poland recorded their largest victory ever, defeating San Marino 10–0. However, in the last three matches Poland managed just a 1–1 draw with Northern Ireland, and two losses to the eventual two World Cup qualifiers Slovenia and Slovakia.
Euro 2012
On April 18, 2007 in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
along with Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
were elected by the UEFA’s Executive Committee to co-host the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship
2012 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2012, will be the 14th European Championship for national football teams sanctioned by UEFA. The final tournament will be hosted by Poland and Ukraine between 8 June and 1 July 2012...
. It will be the 14th European Championship. Poland’s and Ukraine’s bid defeated the other shortlisted bids from Italy and Croatia/Hungary, becoming the third successful joint-bid for the European Championship, after those of Belgium/Netherlands, for Euro 2000, and Austria/Switzerland for Euro 2008.
The Polish-Ukrainian hosting is seen as a way of shifting the focus towards regions and nations of central and eastern Europe, whose population demonstrates a strong feeling for football, but are less developed in terms of the quality of the local leagues and football infrastructure, when compared with western Europe.
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The preliminary draw was held and Poland was drawn in Group H of the European FIFA World Cup qualifying2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European Zone of qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup will see teams competing for places at the finals in Brazil. As in recent tournaments, UEFA will have 13 direct qualfiers for the finals tournaments, with the 2014 qualifiers chosen as the winners of each of nine qualifying groups as...
along with England, Montenegro, co-hosts for Euro 2012 Ukraine, Moldova and San Marino.
World Cup Record
| Host Nation(s) – Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 19301930 FIFA World Cup The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930... |
Did not Enter | ||||||
 19341934 FIFA World Cup The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934.... |
Withdraw | ||||||
 19381938 FIFA World Cup The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:... |
Round 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
 19501950 FIFA World Cup The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II... |
Did not Enter | ||||||
 19541954 FIFA World Cup The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game... |
Withdraw | ||||||
 19581958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European... |
Did not Qualify | ||||||
 19621962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final... |
Did not Qualify | ||||||
 19661966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as... |
Did not Qualify | ||||||
 19701970 FIFA World Cup The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by... |
Did not Qualify | ||||||
 19741974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded... |
Third place | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 5 |
 19781978 FIFA World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth... |
Round 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
 19821982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:... |
Third place | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 5 |
| 1986 1986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially... |
Round of 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 1990 1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated... |
Did not Qualify | ||||||
 19941994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988... |
Did not Qualify | ||||||
| 1998 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... |
Did not Qualify | ||||||
  20022002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
 20062006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six... |
Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
 20102010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010... |
Did not Qualify | ||||||
 20142014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014.... |
|||||||
 20182018 FIFA World Cup The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were selected. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was... |
|||||||
 20222022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be the 22nd FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that is scheduled to take place in 2022 in Qatar. The competition is scheduled to take place in June and July, although proposals have been made for a winter season. The tournament will involve... |
|||||||
| Total | 7/19 | 31 | 15 | 5 | 11 | 44 | 40 |
UEFA European Championship record
| UEFA European Championship record UEFA European Football Championship The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current... |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
| 1960 |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
 1964 |
||||||||
| 1968 |
||||||||
 1972 |
||||||||
 1976 |
||||||||
| 1980 |
||||||||
| 1984 |
||||||||
| 1988 |
||||||||
| 1992 |
||||||||
| 1996 |
||||||||
 2000 |
||||||||
 2004 |
||||||||
 2008 |
Group Stage | 14th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
  2012 |
Hosts | |||||||
| 2016 UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2016, will be the 15th European Championship for national football teams sanctioned by UEFA. It will be held in the summer of 2016. The host nation was announced to be France on 28 May 2010... |
To Be Determined | |||||||
| Total | Group Stage | 2/14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Olympic Games Record
| Host Nation(s) – Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 18961896 Summer Olympics The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. It was the first international Olympic Games held in the Modern era... |
Did not enter | ||||||
| 1900 1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of... |
Did not enter | ||||||
| 1904 1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States from 1 July 1904, to November 23, 1904, at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University... |
Did not enter | ||||||
| 1906 1906 Summer Olympics The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Games in Athens" by the International Olympic Committee... |
Did not enter | ||||||
 19081908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games... |
Did not enter | ||||||
| 1912 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports... |
Did not enter | ||||||
| 1920 Football at the 1920 Summer Olympics The football at the 1920 Summer Olympics, was one of the 154 events at the 1920 Summer Olympics, held in Antwerp. It was the fifth time football was on the Olympic schedule. The tournament was contested by 14 teams, with host country Belgium winning the gold medals... |
Did not enter | ||||||
| 1924 Football at the 1924 Summer Olympics At the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris, Uruguay dominated the Football tournament winning the Gold.-Amateur Status:In 1921, the Belgium Football Association first allowed for payments to players for time lost from work; in the months that followed four other Associations permitted similar... |
Round 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 1928 Football at the 1928 Summer Olympics Football at the 1928 Summer Olympics tournament, won by Uruguay against Argentina, would be the precursor to the first FIFA World Cup held in 1930 in Uruguay.-Medalists:-Background:... |
Did not qualify | ||||||
 19321932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations... |
Did not qualify | ||||||
 19361936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona... |
Fourth place | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 10 |
| 1948 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin... |
Did not qualify | ||||||
 19521952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II... |
Round 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 19561956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations... |
Did not qualify | ||||||
| 1960 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy... |
Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 |
| 1964 1964 Summer Olympics The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's... |
Did not qualify | ||||||
| 1968 Football at the 1968 Summer Olympics Final results for the football competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics.-Medalists:-Group A:-------------------------Group B:-------------------------Group C:Ghana replaced Morocco, who refused to play Israel.----... |
Did not qualify | ||||||
| 1972 Football at the 1972 Summer Olympics Final results for the Football competition at the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Nürnberg, Passau, and Regensburg.-Medalists:-Group A: ---- -----------------Group B: ---- ----------------... |
Champions | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 5 |
 1976Football at the 1976 Summer Olympics Final results for the Football competition at the 1976 Summer Olympics held in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Sherbrooke. Groups A, C and D had only three teams instead of four, as Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia national teams adhered to African-led boycott of the Games against the participation of New... |
Runners-up | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 |
 1980Football at the 1980 Summer Olympics thumb|right|Official Programme of the match [[USSR]] vs [[Venezuela]]The football tournament at the 1980 Summer Olympics started on July 20 and ended on August 2. Only one event, the men's tournament, was contested... |
Did not qualify | ||||||
| 1984 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984... |
Did not qualify | ||||||
| 1988 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics... |
Did not qualify | ||||||
| 1992 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same... |
Runners-up | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 6 |
| Total | 7/23 | 28 | 17 | 3 | 8 | 70 | 39 |
- Football at the summer Olympics has been an U-23 tournament since 1992.
Competition Record
| Tournament | Wins | Draws | Losses | Total | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Cup FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body... |
15 | 5 | 11 | 31 | 48% |
| World Cup qualifying FIFA World Cup qualification The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup is a global event, so qualification is required to reduce the large field of participants from about 200 to 32.Qualifying tournaments... |
49 | 15 | 31 | 95 | 53% |
| European Championship UEFA European Football Championship The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current... |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0% |
| Euro qualifying | 38 | 23 | 29 | 90 | 42% |
| Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
210 | 129 | 161 | 496 | 43% |
| Total | 312 | 167 | 235 | 714 | 44% |
Achievements
- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
- Third Place (2) 1974,
1982
- Football at the Summer OlympicsFootball at the Summer OlympicsAssociation football, usually known simply as football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official programme in 1996.-Early history:...
- Gold medal (1) 1972
- Silver Medal (2) 1976,
1992
Names
According to the official FIFA Trigramme the team’s name is abbreviated as POL. This acronym is used to identify the team in FIFA, UEFA, and other matches. The same acronym is also used under the International Organization for StandardizationInternational Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
. "Polish national football team" can be translated into Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
as "Reprezentacja Polski w piłce nożnej". The team's nicknames include "Biało-czerwoni" which means "The white and reds" and "Białe Orły" which translates into "The White Eagles". These are the most common names given to the Polish national football team.
National kits
The national kits of Poland reflect the colors of the national flagFlag of Poland
The flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colors are defined in the Polish constitution as the national colors. A variant of the flag with the national coat of arms in the middle of the white stripe is legally reserved...
which is white and red. Apart from minor details (in the 1920s the socks in the home kit were striped), the design remains unchanged since 1921. The home kit consists of a white shirt, red shorts and white socks; the away kit is all red (though sometimes worn with white shorts). On the rare occasions both home and away kits clash with the opponent's colours third kit is available, usually in either black or blue (currently navy blue with white-red sleeves). The kit has traditionally been adorned with the white eagle
Coat of arms of Poland
The White Eagle is the national coat of arms of Poland. It is a stylized white eagle with a golden beak and talons, and wearing a golden crown, in a red shield.- Legal basis :...
, Polish coat of arms, and not, as with many other national teams, the national football federation logo. This changed, however, in 2011 when the Polish FA took the decision to switch to a crest that can be trademarked, to help distinguish against unlicensed product.New Poland Euro 2012 kit launch in turmoil The current kits are provided by Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
.
Stadium
The national football team of Poland does not have one set stadium where it plays its matches. Various cities have been granted hosting duties, including Bydgoszcz, ChorzówChorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Kielce
Kielce
Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...
, Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Łódź, Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
, Wrocław and Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
In recent years, many of Poland's most important matches have been played in the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów. The stadium was built in 1956 and seats 47,246 people. The record attendance came on October 20, 1956 when 100,000 fans witnessed a game between Poland and the Soviet Union, with Poland achieving a 2–1 victory. This holds the record for the most spectators to watch the Polish national football team. The stadium is currently being renovated to seat 55,210. In 1993, the stadium was designated as the official home stadium of the Polish national football team.
A new National Stadium
National Stadium (Warsaw)
The National Stadium football stadium under construction in Warsaw, Poland, on the site of the former stadium Stadion Dziesięciolecia.The new stadium will have a seating capacity of 58,145. Its construction started in 2008 and is to finish in November 2011...
is under construction in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
with an expected capacity of 55,920 seats. Following Euro 2012, this stadium will be used as the venue for some matches of the Polish national team. Polish Football Association's President, Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Bolesław Lato is a former Polish football striker, and the leading scorer at the 1974 World Cup. Lato's playing career coincided with the golden era of Polish football, which began with Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 and ended a decade later with third place at the 1982 World Cup in...
has stated in 2011 that the Warsaw stadium called "National Stadium" will not be Polish national football team's official national stadium.
Recent and future matches
| Date | Venue | Opponent | Competition | Score | Goalscorer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 6, 2011 | Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... * |
1-0 W | Plizga Dawid Plizga Dawid Plizga is a Polish footballer who plays for Jagiellonia Białystok.-Club:Previously he played for GKS Katowice... |
|
| February 9, 2011 | Faro Faro, Portugal Faro is the southernmost city in Portugal. It is located in the Faro Municipality in southern Portugal. The city proper has 41,934 inhabitants and the entire municipality has 58,305. It is the seat of the Faro District and capital of the Algarve region... , Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
1–0 W | R.Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski is a Polish footballer who plays for German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund as a striker, having previously played for Delta Warszawa, Legia Warsaw, Znicz Pruszków and Lech Poznań... |
|
| March 25, 2011 | Kaunas Kaunas Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation... , Lithuania Lithuania Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... * |
0–2 L | ||
| March 29, 2011 | Karaiskaki, Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
0–0 D | ||
| June 5, 2011 | Warsaw Warsaw Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
2–1 W | Mierzejewski Adrian Mierzejewski Adrian Mierzejewski is a Polish football player who plays for Trabzonspor and the national team of Poland, as a midfielder.-Early career:... , Brożek |
|
| June 9, 2011 | Warsaw Warsaw Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
0–1 L | ||
| August 10, 2011 | Lubin Lubin Lubin is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. From 1975–1998 it belonged to the former Legnica Voivodeship. Lubin is the administrative seat of Lubin County, and also of the rural district called Gmina Lubin, although it is not part of the territory of the latter,... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
1–0 W | Błaszczykowski | |
| September 2, 2011 | Warsaw Warsaw Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
1–1 D | Brożek | |
| September 6, 2011 | Gdansk Gdansk Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
2–2 D | R.Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski is a Polish footballer who plays for German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund as a striker, having previously played for Delta Warszawa, Legia Warsaw, Znicz Pruszków and Lech Poznań... Błaszczykowski |
|
| October 7, 2011 | Seoul Seoul Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world... , South Korea South Korea The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
2–2 D | R.Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski is a Polish footballer who plays for German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund as a striker, having previously played for Delta Warszawa, Legia Warsaw, Znicz Pruszków and Lech Poznań... Błaszczykowski |
|
| October 11, 2011 | Wiesbaden Wiesbaden Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
2–0 W | Błaszczykowski R.Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski is a Polish footballer who plays for German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund as a striker, having previously played for Delta Warszawa, Legia Warsaw, Znicz Pruszków and Lech Poznań... |
|
| November 11, 2011 | Wrocław, Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
0–2 L | ||
| November 15, 2011 | Poznan Poznan Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
2–1 W | Brożek | |
| June 8, 2012 | Warsaw Warsaw Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
A2 | UEFA Euro 2012, Group A | ||
| June 12, 2012 | Warsaw Warsaw Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most... , Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
A3 | UEFA Euro 2012, Group A | ||
| June 16, 2012 | Wrocław, Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
A4 | UEFA Euro 2012, Group A | ||
| August 15, 2012 | Tallinn Tallinn Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list... , Estonia Estonia Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies... |
Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
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| September 7, 2012 | Montenegro | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group H is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
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| September 11, 2012 | Poland | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group H is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
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| October 16, 2012 | Poland | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group H is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
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| 22 March, 2013 | Poland | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group H is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
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| 26 March, 2013 | Poland | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group H is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
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| 7 June, 2013 | Moldova | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group H is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
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| 6 September, 2013 | Poland | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group H is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
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| 10 September, 2013 | San Marino | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group H is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
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| 11 October, 2013 | Ukraine | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group H is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
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| 15 October, 2013 | England | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group H is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino.The group winners will qualify directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup... |
Matches not on specified FIFA dates and composed of Ekstraklasa players only are denoted by *.
Current squad
The squad called up for the friendly matches against ItalyItaly national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
and Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
on November 11 and 15, 2011.
Caps and goals correct as of November 15, 2011.
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Other recent call-ups
The following players have also appeared for the Polish NT in the last 12 months. ★ denotes reserve for upcoming match.|-
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Previous squads
World Cup squads- 1938 FIFA World Cup squad
- 1974 FIFA World Cup squad
- 1982 FIFA World Cup squad
- 1986 FIFA World Cup squad
- 2002 FIFA World Cup squad
- 2006 FIFA World Cup squad
European Football Championship squads
- UEFA Euro 2008 squad
Summer Olympics football squads
- 1972 Summer Olympics football squad
- 1976 Summer Olympics football squad
- 1992 Summer Olympics football squad
Most capped players
As of April 2, 2011 the players with the most caps for Poland are:| # | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Michał Żewłakow | 1998–2011 | 102 | 3 |
| 2. | Grzegorz Lato Grzegorz Lato Grzegorz Bolesław Lato is a former Polish football striker, and the leading scorer at the 1974 World Cup. Lato's playing career coincided with the golden era of Polish football, which began with Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 and ended a decade later with third place at the 1982 World Cup in... |
1971–1984 | 100 | 45 |
| 3. | Kazimierz Deyna Kazimierz Deyna Kazimierz Deyna was a Polish footballer, who played as an offensive midfielder in the playmaker role and was one of the most highly regarded players of his generation.-Early life:... |
1968–1978 | 97 | 41 |
| 4. | Jacek Bąk Jacek Bak Jacek Bąk is a retired Polish footballer. He had made 96 appearances for the Poland national football team.-Club career:He made his footballing debut with Motor Lublin aged just 16, before moving to Lech Poznań two years later.... |
1993–2008 | 96 | 3 |
| 4. | Jacek Krzynówek Jacek Krzynówek Jacek Krzynówek , born 15 May 1976, is a former Polish footballer. One of the most glorious moments of his career was scoring a rocket shot against Real Madrid in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League.-Club career:... |
1999–2009 | 96 | 15 |
| 6. | Władysław Żmuda | 1973–1986 | 91 | 1 |
| 7. | Antoni Szymanowski Antoni Szymanowski Antoni Szymanowski was a Polish footballer , and a member of the Poland national football team in two FIFA World Cups: 1974 and 1978. During those tournaments his club was Wisła Kraków. Szymanowski was one of the best defenders in Poland during the golden era of Polish football... |
1970–1980 | 82 | 1 |
| 8. | Zbigniew Boniek Zbigniew Boniek Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek is a former Polish footballer and coach. He first played at Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at Widzew Łódź. Boniek was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers and by FIFA as one of the 100 best-ever players. On 12 October 2009 he received a Golden... |
1976–1988 | 80 | 24 |
| 9. | Włodzimierz Lubański | 1963–1980 | 75 | 48 |
| 10. | Tomasz Wałdoch | 1991–2002 | 74 | 2 |
- Bold – still active
Top goalscorers
As of November 17, 2010 the ten players with the most goals for Poland are:| # | Player | Career | Goals | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Włodzimierz Lubański | 1963–1980 | 48 | 75 |
| 2. | Grzegorz Lato Grzegorz Lato Grzegorz Bolesław Lato is a former Polish football striker, and the leading scorer at the 1974 World Cup. Lato's playing career coincided with the golden era of Polish football, which began with Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 and ended a decade later with third place at the 1982 World Cup in... |
1971–1984 | 45 | 100 |
| 3. | Kazimierz Deyna Kazimierz Deyna Kazimierz Deyna was a Polish footballer, who played as an offensive midfielder in the playmaker role and was one of the most highly regarded players of his generation.-Early life:... |
1968–1978 | 41 | 97 |
| 4. | Ernest Pol Ernest Pol Ernest Pohl , aka Ernst Pol, was a Polish football player.He was born in Ruda , Poland and died in Hausach, Germany.... |
1955–1965 | 39 | 46 |
| 5. | Andrzej Szarmach Andrzej Szarmach Andrzej Szarmach is a former Polish football player.He played in the Polish national team during its "golden age" in the 1970s... |
1973–1982 | 32 | 61 |
| 6. | Gerard Cieślik Gerard Cieslik Gerard Cieślik , also known as Gienek, is a former football player of Ruch Wielkie Hajduki .... |
1947–1958 | 27 | 45 |
| 7. | Zbigniew Boniek Zbigniew Boniek Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek is a former Polish footballer and coach. He first played at Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at Widzew Łódź. Boniek was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers and by FIFA as one of the 100 best-ever players. On 12 October 2009 he received a Golden... |
1976–1988 | 24 | 80 |
| 8. | Ernest Wilimowski Ernest Wilimowski Ernst Willimowski was a football player who played for both the Polish and German national teams.... |
1934–1939 | 21 | 22 |
| 9. | Dariusz Dziekanowski Dariusz Dziekanowski Dariusz Paweł Dziekanowski is a Polish football trainer and former player. He started his career at Polonia Warsaw, between 1973–79, throughout the youth set-up and into a very young first team, but went to ŁKS Łódź from 1979-83.Having not impressed the coach during his final season he moved to... |
1981–1990 | 20 | 63 |
| 9. | Euzebiusz Smolarek Euzebiusz Smolarek Euzebiusz "Ebi" Smolarek is a Polish footballer who is currently player of Qatari Al-Khor. He has played 46 times for the Polish national football team. Smolarek plays primarily as a striker or winger.-Club career:... |
2002 – | 20 | 47 |
- Bold – still active
Notable players
Players who appeared at least 50 times for the national team or scored at least 10 goals.
|
|
Bold- Indicates player with at least 50 caps and 10 goals.
Managers
| Poland national team managers since 1922 | from | to |
|---|---|---|
| Józef Szkolnikowski | 1921-03-12 | 1922-05-14 |
| Józef Lustgarten Józef Lustgarten Józef Lustgarten was a Polish Jewish footballer.Born in Cracow, he represented Cracovia, and was the fist manager of the Poland national football team in 1922. During World War II, he was arrested in Lviv in 1939 by NKVD and send to the Gulag, where spent 17 years... |
1922-05-14 | 1922-09-03 |
| Kazimierz Glabisz | 1923-06-03 | 1923-11-01 |
| Adam Obrubański Adam Obrubanski Adam Obrubański was a Polish soccer player and soccer official, also a graduate of Kraków’s renowned Jagiellonian University.... |
1924-08-10 | 1924-08-31 |
| Tadeusz Kuchar Tadeusz Kuchar Tadeusz Kuchar was a Polish athlete, soccer player, swimmer, ice-skater, skier, sports official, and the brother of Wacław Kuchar.... |
1925-07-19 | 1925-07-19 |
| Tadeusz Synowiec Tadeusz Synowiec Tadeusz Synowiec was a Polish soccer player, midfielder and forward, later a coach and journalist, graduate of Kraków’s Jagiellonian University.... |
1925-08-30 | 1927-06-19 |
| Tadeusz Kuchar Tadeusz Kuchar Tadeusz Kuchar was a Polish athlete, soccer player, swimmer, ice-skater, skier, sports official, and the brother of Wacław Kuchar.... |
1928-06-10 | 1928-06-10 |
| Stefan Loth | 1928-07-01 | 1931-10-25 |
| Józef Kałuża | 1932-05-29 | 1939-08-27 |
| Henryk Reyman Henryk Reyman Henryk Tomasz Reyman was an attacking soccer player, sports official and military officer. He fought in World War I in the Austrian Army, then in the Polish Army in the Polish-Soviet War, and also participated in the Silesian Uprisings.-Sports career:He came to Wisła in 1910 and remained with the... |
1947-06-11 | 1947-08-31 |
| Andrzej Przeworski Andrzej Przeworski Andrzej Przeworski - was Polish footballer, referee and manager. He played in Cracovia , WKS Warsaw , Polonia Warsaw and Legia Warsaw . His debut in national team came on September 3, 1922 in 1–1 draw to Romania.- Bibliography :... |
1947-09-14 | 1947-10-26 |
| Zygmunt Alfus | 1948-04-04 | 1948-09-19 |
| Andrzej Przeworski Andrzej Przeworski Andrzej Przeworski - was Polish footballer, referee and manager. He played in Cracovia , WKS Warsaw , Polonia Warsaw and Legia Warsaw . His debut in national team came on September 3, 1922 in 1–1 draw to Romania.- Bibliography :... |
1948-10-10 | 1948-10-17 |
| Mieczysław Szymkowiak | 1949-05-08 | 1949-11-06 |
| Mieczysław Szymkowiak | 1950-05-01 | 1950-10-22 |
| Ryszard Koncewicz Ryszard Koncewicz Ryszard Tadeusz Koncewicz was a Polish soccer player as well as a coach. In the interbellum period, Koncewicz played without notable successes for Lechia Lwów... |
1953-05-10 | 1956-07-22 |
| Alfred Nowakowski | 1956-08-26 | 1956-08-26 |
| Czesław Krug | 1956-10-28 | 1956-11-16 |
| Henryk Reyman Henryk Reyman Henryk Tomasz Reyman was an attacking soccer player, sports official and military officer. He fought in World War I in the Austrian Army, then in the Polish Army in the Polish-Soviet War, and also participated in the Silesian Uprisings.-Sports career:He came to Wisła in 1910 and remained with the... |
1957-05-19 | 1958-10-05 |
| Czesław Krug | 1959-05-20 | 1962-11-28 |
| Wiesław Motoczyński | 1963-05-15 | 1965-11-01 |
| Ryszard Koncewicz Ryszard Koncewicz Ryszard Tadeusz Koncewicz was a Polish soccer player as well as a coach. In the interbellum period, Koncewicz played without notable successes for Lechia Lwów... |
1966-01-05 | 1966-01-05 |
| Antoni Brzeżańczyk Antoni Brzeżańczyk Antoni Brzeżańczyk was a Polish footballer and football manager.He played for Podgórze Kraków, Dąb Poznań, Lechia Gdańsk, Odra Opole, AKS Chorzów, Lech Poznań and Stal Mielec where he began his coaching career.... |
1966-05-03 | 1966-07-05 |
| Alfred Nowakowski | 1966-09-11 | 1966-10-22 |
| Michał Matyas | 1966-11-17 | 1967-10-29 |
| Ryszard Koncewicz Ryszard Koncewicz Ryszard Tadeusz Koncewicz was a Polish soccer player as well as a coach. In the interbellum period, Koncewicz played without notable successes for Lechia Lwów... |
1968-04-24 | 1970-10-25 |
| Kazimierz Górski Kazimierz Górski Kazimierz Klaudiusz Górski was a coach of Poland national football team and honorary president of Polish Football Union . He was also a football player, capped once for Poland.... |
1971-05-05 | 1976-07-31 |
| Jacek Gmoch Jacek Gmoch Jacek Gmoch is a former Polish footballer, who later became a trainer and selector of the Polish National Team.... |
1976-10-16 | 1978-09-06 |
| Ryszard Kulesza Ryszard Kulesza Ryszard Kulesza was a Polish footballer, coach and official, one of managers of the Poland national football team. His father was killed during Warsaw Uprising, and Kulesza himself, who was 13, was very lucky to survive, as a German soldier threw him under a passing tank... |
1978-10-11 | 1980-12-07 |
| Antoni Piechniczek Antoni Piechniczek Antoni Piechniczek is a retired Polish football player and a football manager. Since 2007 he is a Polish senator.- Player career :... |
1981-01-25 | 1986-06-16 |
| Wojciech Łazarek | 1986-10-07 | 1989-06-03 |
| Andrzej Strejlau Andrzej Strejlau Andrzej Strejlau is a retired Polish football and handball player, and a football manager.In 1989-1993 he was a coach of Poland national football team... |
1989-08-23 | 1993-09-22 |
| Lesław Ćmikiewicz | 1993-10-13 | 1993-11-17 |
| Henryk Apostel Henryk Apostel Henryk Apostel is a retired Polish football player and manager.He played for Polonia Bytom, Legia Warsaw, Orły Chicago, Śląsk Wrocław and Polonia Warsaw... |
1994-02-09 | 1995-11-15 |
| Władysław Stachurski Władysław Stachurski Władysław Stachurski is a retired Polish football player and manager.He played for Legia Warsaw. He capped eight times for Poland, scoring one goal.... |
1996-02-19 | 1996-05-01 |
| Antoni Piechniczek Antoni Piechniczek Antoni Piechniczek is a retired Polish football player and a football manager. Since 2007 he is a Polish senator.- Player career :... |
1996-06-02 | 1997-05-31 |
| Krzysztof Pawlak Krzysztof Pawlak Krzysztof Henryk Pawlak is a retired Polish football player, who played for a few clubs, including Warta Poznań, Lech Poznań, KSC Lokeren and Trelleborgs FF Sweden... |
1997-06-14 | 1997-06-14 |
| Janusz Wójcik Janusz Wójcik Janusz Marek Wójcik is a Polish politician and former football player and coach.-Playing Career:He played in several clubs at home and abroad, including Agrykola, Gwardia, Ursus and Hutnik Warszawa, Ravalpandi and the Toronto Falcons .-Coaching career:Wójcik also trained several Polish clubs like... |
1997-09-06 | 1999-10-09 |
| Jerzy Engel Jerzy Engel Władysław Jerzy Engel was a Polish footballer and coach. Engel began his career in football at an early age playing at local club Junak Wloclawek, before moving to Polonia Warsaw , Hutnik Warszawa and several other clubs.Engel, nicknamed "Jurek", began playing in midfield or attack before, at... |
2000-01-26 | 2002-06-14 |
| Zbigniew Boniek Zbigniew Boniek Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek is a former Polish footballer and coach. He first played at Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at Widzew Łódź. Boniek was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers and by FIFA as one of the 100 best-ever players. On 12 October 2009 he received a Golden... |
2002-07-15 | 2002-11-20 |
| Paweł Janas | 2003-02-12 | 2006-06-20 |
| Leo Beenhakker Leo Beenhakker Leo Beenhakker is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.- Coaching career :... |
2006-07-11 | 2009-09-10 |
| Stefan Majewski Stefan Majewski Stefan Majewski is a retired Polish soccer player and subsequently a football manager who recently was the interim manager of the Polish national team.-Career:... |
2009-09-17 | 2009-10-28 |
| Franciszek Smuda Franciszek Smuda Franciszek Smuda is a Polish football manager and former player. Who played in Poland, the United States, and Germany. In 1983 he turned to coaching, becoming the manager of Widzew Łódź, Wisła Kraków, Legia Warsaw and Lech Poznań, among others. He has won three Polish league titles... |
2009-10-29 | — |
See also
- Poland national youth football teamPoland national youth football teamPoland national youth football team can refer to the following age group teams:* Poland national under-21 football team* Poland national under-20 football team* Poland national under-19 football team* Poland national under-18 football team...
s - Poland women's national football teamPoland women's national football teamThe Poland women's national football team represents Poland in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Polish Football Association, has never qualified for a major international tournament.-World Cup record:...
- Football in PolandFootball in PolandFootball is the most popular sport in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally. The first professional clubs were founded in the early 1900s, and the Polish national football team played its first international match in 1921.There are hundreds of...
- History of football in Poland
- Polish Championship in FootballPolish Championship in FootballPolish Championship in FootballYear, 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place* 1913: Cracovia, Pogoń Lwów, Czarni Lwów * 1920: abandoned * 1921: Cracovia, Polonia Warszawa, Warta Poznań...
- Polish CupPolish CupThe Polish Cup in football or officially Remes Puchar Polski, is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title...
- Polish SuperCupPolish SuperCupThe Polish SuperCup in football is an annually held match between the champion of the Ekstraklasa and the Polish Cup winner. To this date the Polish SuperCup has been played out 21 times with the Polish Cup winner taking the trophy 13 times, while the Ekstraklasa champions had won the trophy 8 times...
- Sports in Poland
External links
- Official website
- 90minut.pl – Polish national team at 90minut.pl
- Polish national team news in English at PolishFootballOnline.com
- Poland – Record International Players; most capped players & top goalscorers at RSSSF.com