Poland squad, injuries and suspensions

For the Poland national football team, this will be the ninth performance at the FIFA World Cup. Their best result is bronze medals, which they won twice. In 1974 in Germany, for the entire tournament, the Poles lost only two games: the first one – to the host of the tournament in the group stage, and the second one – to them again in the semi-finals. However, they defeated Brazil in the fight for the third place. In 1982 in the match for the bronze medals, Poland outperformed the Italy national team. But these are all the achievements of the last century. In the 21st century, in three attempts, the Poland have never been able to cross the group stage barrier.

Path of Poland to the 2022 World Cup

In the group stage of the qualifying tournament for the World Cup, the Eagles ranked second and reached the playoffs. According to the draw, in the first round they had to play against Russia, but due to the disqualification of the latter, the team automatically got into the finals, where it confidently defeated the Sweden national football team with a score of 2:0.

Right before the playoffs in the qualifiers, the coaching staff of the Poland national team underwent some changes. Portuguese Paulо Sоusa left the team, as he received a better offer from the Brazilian Flamengo. After long debate, Czesław Michniewicz, having never worked anywhere except Polish leagues, became the new head coach. And his experience in the national team is even less than 10 matches.

In the UEFA Nations League, the Poland national team played second number in almost all matches with quite a low defensive line. The defensive leader is experienced Kamil Glik, but he has not performed at the top level for several years. The midfield led by Piotr Zieliński looks sufficiently balanced. And the main star player is, of course, team captain Robert Lewandowski. For the 34-year-old striker, apparently, this is the last World Cup. By the way, in 2018, he failed to excel either in goal scoring or assists.

Rivals of Poland at the 2022 World Cup

No one doubts that in this group, the Argentina national team will rank first, and Saudi Arabia – last. The Poles will fight for their way out of group C with Mexico; by the way, they will meet already in the opening match.

The schedule can help the Poland national team, since they will play against the group favourite in the final round. If by that time, Messi and partners secure the first place, the Poles will have the chance against a less motivated team.

Bookmakers almost equally assess the chances of the national football teams of Mexico and Poland to reach the playoffs. But there is only a 1% prospect that the Poles will become champions.