Poland

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First Polish club football teams were Lechia Lwow (1903), Czarni Lwow (1903), Pogon Lwow (1904), KS Cracovia (1906) and Wisla Krakow (1906). There was a Polish National Federation, dubbed"the Polish Football Union (Polski Zwiazek Piki Niemczej PZPN) was established on December 20, 1919 in Krakow when delegates from 31 countries were elected Edward Cetnarowski as the first president. The PZPN was admitted to FIFA in 1923, and UEFA in 1955.

Similar like the other European countries, soccer was introduced in Poland at the end of the 19th century. In 1888, Prof. Henryk Jordan, a court doctor for the Habsburgs and the first to introduce sports in Poland and the world, established the Krakow sports park Blonia the vast open space that was built around the walls of the city that had been demolished in the town. The park, together with the Sokol society, which was founded in 1867, was one of the principal centers for promoting fitness and healthy living in Poland. The park was founded by Jordan who started promoting football as a sport that was healthy in the open air. several sources claim that he brought the first soccer ball to Poland through his travels through Brunswick around 1890. Some sources also mention that Dr. Edmund Cenar as the person who brought the first ball to Poland and the first to translate The Cambridge Rules and parts of the International Football Association Board regulations into the Polish language.

On July 14, 1894, during the Second Sokol Jamboree in Lwow at the General National Exhibition a short football match took place between Sokol members from Lwow and the Sokol members from Krakow. The match lasted just six minutes and was viewed as more of a curiosity than an event that could be popular. However, it was the first football match to be recorded that was played in Polish history. Note 1: The Lwow team took the victory following Wlodzimierz Chomicki scored the sole goal, which was the first recorded strike to be recorded in Polish history.

This game sparked the rise of the sport that was just being introduced in Poland. At first, the laws and guidelines were simplified, with the dimensions of the field and ball's size varying drastically. Despite being dissuaded by a number of schools and government authorities, the new sport quickly gained a lot of popularity with students of different gymnasiums across Galicia. First football clubs were established and, in 1903-1904 four gymnasiums that were based at Lwow created their own clubs. The IV Gymnasium for Boys formed an organization later changed as Pogon Lwow, while the students of the State I and II Schools created their own club, the Slawa Lwow club, later changed its name as Czarni Lwow. The same year, the Lechia Lwow was also formed. It is unclear which club was first formed since they were at first poorly organized, however, Czarni Lwow are the ones that were founded. Czarni Lwow are often considered to be their very first Polish professional soccer team. In the following year football's popularity grew into nearby Rzeszow which is where Resovia Rzeszow was formed, in the German-held region of Poland the 1. FC Katowice and Warta Poznan were created.

On June 6, 1906, the Lwow youth team was invited to Krakow to play a second match which was this time comprised of two teams that were already organized known as Czarni and the Czarni as well as the group from the IV Gymnasium. Krakow's representatives were badly defeated in both matches (4-0 and 2-0, respectively). The following summer, Buffalo Bill Wild West Show was in town. Buffalo Bill Wild West Show established a camp in Krakow's Blonia situated just outside the playground that was used in the past as well as Jordan's gardens. On the 5th of August 1906, the the Krakow-based Jan Sobieski Gymnasium played a game against British and American Buffalo Bill's group, winning by 1-0. The sole goal that was scored by Stanislaw Szeligowski also happened to be the first goal achieved by an Polish team at an international game. The game's success led to the popularity of soccer in Krakow and also to the creation of the first professional Krakow-based football club, KS Cracovia - initially comprised of students from the Jan Sobieski Gymnasium. In the fall of the year, there had already been 16 clubs in Krakow and included Wisla Krakow. (It is believed [by whom by whom? that Wisla Krakow was the first professional football team, rather than Cracovia). In 1911, the city-based Union of Polish Football for Galicia was founded and was admitted to into the Austrian Football Association. The union was the catalyst for the creation of numerous teams.

Following the start of World War I, most of the Galician footballers, a majority who were members of Strzelec or Sokol were enrolled in the The Pilsudski's Polish Legions. The group, fighting together with the Austro-Hungarian Army was primarily fighting in different parts of Russia-held Poland that resulted in the spread of the new sport in different regions of the partitioned Poland. In the end, Poland regained its independence in 1918, and football in Poland was officially established.

A first football association was founded on June 25, 1911, at Lwow under the title of the Polish Football Union (Zwiazek Polski Pilki Noznej). Following World War I, members of the PFU created an organization called the Polish Football Federation (Polski Zwiazek Pilki Noznej) in Warsaw on December 20, 1919. The following year they appointed Hungarian-born Jesza Poszony as their first head coach. Polish nation's team. Poland had their first international match on the 18th of December 1921 in Budapest and fell to Hungary 1-1. The first time they won an international match was on May 28, 1922, when they faced Sweden at Stockholm and defeated them with a score of 2-1. Jozef Klotz scored the very first strike for their national team in that match. Poland were invited to its first World Cup in 1937 when they defeated Yugoslavia by 4-0, and then lost by one goal in their two qualifying matches . They secured their spot in their 1938 World Cup in France.

In their first appearance at the World Cup, Poland played Brazil and went into extra time, losing 6-5. Ernest Wilimowski, who played for Ruch Chorzow at the time and scored the four goals in Poland's 5 games.

Poland played in what would be their final international game prior to the beginning of World War II against Hungary which was the runners-up of 1938's World Cup. Poland won against Hungary 4-2.

When the Wehrmacht took over Poland on September 19, 1939 in 1939, all Polish organisations and associations were disbanded and included PZPN, the Polish Football Association PZPN. The German troops in the occupation prohibited Poles to organize football matches. Therefore the country did not have a national football team.

Nine former players from the national team were killed by German troops in the occupied territories. Three of them died at Auschwitz: Marian Einbacher, Adam Kniola (both Warta Poznan) and Antoni Lyko (Wisla Krakow). Stefan Fryc (Cracovia) and Bronislaw Makowski (Wisla Krakow) both actively involved with the Resistance, were shot dead in massive shootings. The following four Jewish players were shot dead in Jewish Ghettos: Jozef Klotz Zygmunt Krumholz (both Jutrzenka Krakow), Leon Sperling (Cracovia) and Zygmunt Steuermann (Hasmonea Lwow) and sister of actor as well as Hollywood screenwriter Salka Viertel.

On the 11th of June 1946, in the aftermath of World War II, Poland played their first international friendly game which ended in a 3-1 loss to Norway on the streets of Oslo. Poland's greatest success during the initial years following the war was the victory over one of Europe's greatest in that time: Czechoslovakia. Poland beat their neighbors from the south 3-1.

Poland suffered their worst loss in their history on the 26th of April 1948 when they suffered a loss of 0-8 against the Danish team. A year later, the team recorded their second-highest-ever win in Szczecin after they defeated Norway 9-0 on the 4th of September 1963. This was the first game for Wlodzimierz Lubanski who scored one goal during the match. Lubanski was the highest scorer in Poland in the years 1963 until 1980 with 48 goals over 75 games. This was their most successful scoring game until it was exceeded on April 1, 2009 in which Poland beat San Marino 10-0.

To qualify for 1974 World Cup qualification, Poland met England but ultimately missed out from winning the World Cup for the first time since 1946.

In their opening game during the 1974 World Cup, Poland met Argentina. Within 8 minutes, Poland were leading 2-0. Grzegorz Lato scored within the 7th minute, and within a minute Andrzej Szarmach added to the lead. The 60th minute Argentina reduced the lead to half as Ramon Heredia scored. After a minute Lato scored his second goal, however. Lato made it two goal, which proved to be the winner when Carlos Babington gave Argentina their second goal in the 66th minute. The match ended 3-1 with Poland defeated Poland.

Poland defeated Haiti seven-0, in the first game, scoring a hat-trick by Szarmach along with two goals scored by Lato. In their final game in the stage of group play, Poland met Italy. Poland were already in the next round, but they required an equal draw to be able to win the group. Poland beat Italy by a score of 2-1 and finished in the top spot in the competition. After the first round Poland initially won by 1-0 over Sweden who had not conceded a goal in their initial three games. Lato scored the sole goal of the match. In the following match, Yugoslavia conceded a penalty from Poland in the 24th minute. Stanislav Karasi tied it up for Yugoslavia in the 43rd. Lato scored the winner.

Poland met hosts West Germany in the rain; Gerd Muller scored the winning goal in the 76th minute of West Germany. The Poles ultimately defeated Brazil in the third game.

The year 1978 was World Cup qualifying, Poland did not allow Portugal the chance to make their first World Cup appearance and their first appearance in 12 years. At the World Cup, Grzegorz Lato scored the only goal against African team Tunisia at the end of the first game. In the first round final match, Poland played Mexico in a 3-1 victory.

The second time around, Poland faced in the second round three South American teams. It was 1974 and Poland was playing and defeated each of Argentina and Brazil Both teams would take revenge this time. In the first game, Argentina beat the Poles 2 to 0 thanks to goals from the top scorer of the tournament Mario Kempes. Poland won the next match against Peru 1-1 with the goal of Andrzej Szarmach. The final match for Poland at the World Cup, Brazil opened score in the first minute thanks to the goal of Nelinho. Although Lato made it 2-0 just after halftime, it wasn't to be the case for Poland Two goals scored by Roberto in the second and 57th minutes wrapped the match with a 3-1 victory for Brazil.

On November 29, 1980, a row between the technical staff and the players started at the hotel in Warsaw and ended in Okecie Airport. In the aftermath of the incident, many players from their Poland squad were disqualified from international duty. Ryszard Kulesza was dismissed as head manager of the squad. In 1982, at the FIFA World Cup, Poland were placed in a group alongside Italy, Cameroon and Peru. Two of the first games resulted in draw 0-0 with Italy and Cameroon and Peru, however the final game in the first round was the 5-1 win of Poland which meant they could be able to advance to the next round as the group winner.

In the opening game in the 2nd round Poland defeated Belgium 3-1 with a hat-trick from Boniek who put in a great performance during the match but the player was to be given a yellow card the next game. However, Poland advanced as group winners and advanced to the knockout phase. But, Poland would eventually be eliminated in the semi-finals after losing 2 to Italy and thus ending their hopes of participating in the World Cup final once again but they were also were able to secure a spot in the third-place play-off. Third place was the play-off Poland defeated France by a score of 3-2. The match also being described as "the ending of the golden era in Polish soccer".

The year 1986 was FIFA World Cup qualifying, Poland ended up top of their qualifying group, having three wins, two draws , and one defeat. The biggest victory for Poland during their qualifying stage was an win of 4-1 against Greece and their biggest loss was a 0-2 loss to Belgium.

In 1986, at the FIFA World Cup, Poland were drawn in an group that included England, Morocco and Portugal. The first game was a draw versus Morocco In the second game, Poland beat Portugal 1-0. In the final group match they were defeated 0-3 by England however, Poland nonetheless advanced to the knockout phase due to Morocco beating 3-1 Portugal. At the end of round 16, Poland were eliminated after losing 4-0 to Brazil.

Following during the "Golden Era" during the 1970s and 1980s Poland was hit by a prolonged lack of international football. Poland was not eligible for three consecutive years of the FIFA World Cup, from 1990 until 1998.

As of 1990 World Cup qualifying, Poland placed 3rd in their qualifying group, just behind Sweden as well as England. They finished with 5 points having won two times, a draw, and three losses. They qualified for the 1990 tournament with the win of 1-0 against Albania and then lost in the final two games to Sweden (2-1) as well as England (3-0). Poland later drew 0-0 with England but losing to Sweden 2 to 0 and defeated Albania by a score of 2-1 in their final match, but finished 4 points lower than England in the race to be able to qualify.

The year 1994 was the first World Cup qualifying, Poland placed fourth in their qualifying group just behind Norway as well as Norway, the Netherlands in addition to England. Poland began their qualifying campaign with a 1-0 victory over Turkey and was following a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands as well as a 1-0 win against San Marino, and a 3-1 win over San Marino in the final fixture. After that, Poland drew 1-1 with England and then suffered losing 0-3 in the reverse match. Poland was then to lose consecutively in the form of a 1-0 loss and a 3-0 defeat to Norway after which they suffered losing 2-1 in Turkey in the final game, and then a 1-3 loss against Poland's Netherlands during the last match.

Then, during Euro 1996 qualifying, Poland had a qualification group drawn with Romania, France, Slovakia, Israel and Azerbaijan. Poland lost the game 2-1 in the first game to Israel in the first match after which they won victory by 1-0 against Azerbaijan as well as a draw against France. In the following game, Poland lost 2-1 to Romania and defeated Israel with a score of 4-3, and Slovakia 5-1 before drawing between France (1-1) in addition to Romania (0-0). Poland was defeated 4-1 by Slovakia in the final qualifying game, but they drew 0-0 against Azerbaijan during the last game of the group.

The year 1998 was World Cup qualifying, Poland came in third place, ahead of England in the finals, just behind England and Italy. The qualifying began by losing 2-1 to England after which they beat Moldova (2-1) before draw 0-0 against Italy. After that, they fell to successive losses in the face of Italy (3-0) as well as England (0-2). They came out on top in the following two games by scoring 4-1 against Georgia and 3-0 against Moldova and which included Andrzej Juskowiak scoring a hat trick against Moldova. The final game was played against Georgia which ended and Poland losing 3-3.

In UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying, Poland was grouped into a group that included England, Sweden, Bulgaria and Luxembourg. Poland came third and was close to England in points scored, but was unable to get into the tournament because of goal differentiating factors.

Poland were selected to participate in Poland was selected for the 2002 World Cup, their first participation in this World Cup since 1986. Poland's most significant win overall in the qualifying stage was a win of 4-0 against Armenia Their biggest loss was a loss of 4-1 against Belarus.

The Polish drawn a group that included the hosts South Korea, the United States and Portugal. The first game was played against the hosts on the 4th of June, and Poland losing by 2-0. The second game was played against Portugal on June 10 and Poland was defeated 4-0, which confirmed their early exit. Poland was then matched against with the United States in the final group game on June 14 and won 3-1. However they lost 4-0. U.S. advanced to the quarterfinals following their victory over Mexico during the Round of 16. Despite this victory, Poland finished last in the group with an average goal difference of 3 and -4 points.

Poland's qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup saw eight wins and two losses. They were second to England within the group of qualifying, but because they were the second best side in the playoffs they were automatically qualified to tournaments held in Germany. The most significant win in the qualifier phase for Poland included an 8-0 win against Azerbaijan where Tomasz Frankowski scored a hat-trick. The most devastating loss during the qualification phase of Poland was two defeats against England and England, both losing at home and away with a score of 1-2.

In the 2006 World Cup, Poland drew Germany, Ecuador and Costa Rica in Group A. Although there were high expectations from the Polish media, press and public, Poland's experience in this World Cup was seen as an under-performance, since Poland suffered two losses and only took one victory, finishing 3rd in their group. The first game of Poland's was a loss of 2-0 to Ecuador and then the loss of 1-0 to Germany and Oliver Neuville scoring a stoppage time winner goal. The loss to Germany after Ecuador's 3-0 victory against Costa Rica, officially ended Poland's chances of making it beyond in the stage of group. In the third game in the group was a 2-1 victory for Poland lose to Costa Rica 2-1, with Bartosz Bosacki getting on the score twice.

For Euro 2008 qualifying, Poland were placed in a group alongside Portugal, Serbia, Finland, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Poland's campaign started in a difficult manner, suffering a 3-1 defeat against Finland on September 2 and then drawing 1-1 against Serbia on the 6th September. In the third game on the 7th of October Poland beat Kazakhstan by 1-0. Kazakhstan in which Euzebiusz Smolarek scoring the goal. On the 11th of October, Poland beat Portugal 2-1 in Lisbon, with Smolarek scoring two goals. Poland defeated Belgium 1-1 on the 15th of November. On March 24, 2007 Poland defeated Azerbaijan by 5-0, and then on March 28, they beat Armenia by 1-0. 2 June was the day they defeated Azerbaijan 3-1 in which Smolarek as well as Krzynowek (2) scoring. On June 6, Poland lost 1-0 to Armenia On September 8, they was drawn 2-2 with Portugal and on the 12th of September, they played 1-1 with Finland. On the 13th of October Poland defeated Kazakhstan 3-1 with a hat-trick scored by Smolarek. They defeated Belgium by 2-0, scoring two goals scored by Smolarek on the 17th of November and then on November 21 played 2-2 against Serbia at the end of the qualifying match, therefore qualifying to play in the competition as the first spot side in their qualifying group, following Portugal's draw to Finland. This was Poland's very first Euro appearance.

at UEFA Euro 2008, they were assigned to Group B together with Germany, Austria and Croatia. Germany and Poland were in action on the 8th of June on the Hypo-Arena in Klagenfurt, Austria, with Poland losing 2-0, thanks to two goals scored by Lukas Podolski. In the second match, Poland drew 1-1 with Austria after taking the lead thanks to Brazilian-born Roger Guerreiro, before conceding in the third minute of the final period following an unpopular penalty. Poland fell 1-0 in the final game in the group, which was against Croatia and came in last place of the group.

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Poland were part of the same group as Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Northern Ireland and San Marino. Poland came in fifth place within the team, which was just over San Marino, with 11 points. Poland began their campaign with a draw of 1-1 against Slovenia on the 6th of September. The following day, on October 10, Poland beat San Marino by 2-0. On October 11 they beat 2-1 their counterparts in the Czech Republic. Following these victories, Poland lost consecutive matches against Slovakia (2-1) and Northern Ireland (3-2). Poland also recorded their biggest ever win , with a score at 10-0 with San Marino. Six players scored the victory on April 1, 2009. In the final rounds of qualifying Poland was unable to draw 1-1 with Northern Ireland and lost to Slovenia. Poland was then able to conclude the qualifying campaign with successive losses to Czech Republic and Slovakia.

On April 18, 2007 on the 18th of April 2007 in Cardiff, Poland and Ukraine were selected as hosts for UEFA Euro 2012 by the UEFA Executive Committee. The bid beat other bids that came from Italy, Greece, Turkey and the joint bid of Croatia along with Hungary. Poland as well as Ukraine's offer was the third joint bid that was successful for hosting the UEFA European Championship, after the Netherlands and Belgium in 2000 as well as Austria and Switzerland in 2008.

Poland were dragged into the group A together alongside Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic. On June 8 the first game played against Poland with Greece on the Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw ended 1-1. Poland scoring the lead within the first minute of the match with Robert Lewandowski before Greece equalized in the second period through Dimitris Salpingidis at the end of 51st minutes. Both teams were reduced to 10 men throughout the match. The next game of Poland took place on 12 June, held at Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw, with the match against Russia ended 1-1. Russia scored the lead with Alan Dzagoev in the 37th minute, but Poland scored a goal of their own with Blaszczykowski during the 55th minute. The final game of Poland came against Czech Republic on 16 June at the Stadion Miejski, in Wroclaw in which Poland were defeated 1-0 thanks to the goal scored by Petr Jiracek. Poland ended up bottom of the group with just two points, which prompted head coach Franciszek Smuda to step down after the humiliating defeat.

Poland was selected into Group H in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying, alongside England, Ukraine, Montenegro, Moldova and San Marino.

On the 7th of September, the first match of Poland's qualifying campaign ended in a draw against Montenegro and goals scored by Blaszczykowski as well as Mierzejewski. On the 11th of September Poland beat Moldova by 2-0 thanks to goals scored by Blaszczykowski as well as Wawrzyniak. On October 17, Poland drew 1-1 with England in the final, with Glik scoring the goal that equalized the score. On the 22nd of March, 2013 Poland suffered a 3-1 loss to Ukraine with two goals conceded in the first 7 minutes. Piszczek scoring Poland's sole goal. On March 26, Poland beat San Marino by 5-0, including two goals from Lewandowski as well as goals scored by Piszczek, Teodorczyk and Kosecki. On the 6th of September, Poland drew 1-1 with Montenegro and Montenegro, with Lewandowski scoring the equalizing goal just half an hour after Poland had conceded. On the 10th of September Poland defeated San Marino 5-1, with two goals from Zielinski and goals scored by Blaszczykowski, Sobota and Mierzejewski. Then, Poland lost the last two matches with Ukraine and England by both 2-0 and 1-0, respectively.

The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, Poland were included in Group D along alongside Germany, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Georgia and Gibraltar.

On October 11, 2014 Poland defeated the 2014 World Cup champions Germany with a score of 2-0. The next day, Poland drew 2-2 with Scotland. They played 1-1 against their counterparts from the Republic of Ireland in March 2015 following conceding the goal of Shane Long in stoppage time. By the end of October, they had defeated Ireland Republic of Ireland to score enough points to secure an automatic qualification to the Euros.

In the UEFA Euro 2016 finals, Poland were selected in Group C together with Germany, Northern Ireland and Ukraine.

Poland's first game was against Northern Ireland on 12 June at the Stade de Nice in Nice The game was won by 1-0 thanks to a goal scored by Arkadiusz Milik at the beginning of the 51stminute. The next match was played against Germany on the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on 16 June, and the final score was with a 0-0 draw. The final game of the group for Poland was against Ukraine on 21 June on the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, winning 1-1 thanks to a goal scored by Jakub Blaszczykowski. At the end of round 16, Poland were drawn to play Switzerland on June 25, in the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne. Poland scored the lead with an own goal by Blaszczykowski however, they conceded the goal with a bicycle kick by Shaqiri's Xherdan Shaqiri at the minute. They ended the match 1-1 in normal time. Poland defeated Switzerland in the penalty shootout 5-4. Poland was then set to face Portugal in the quarter-finals. another penalty shootout was held following the draw was 1-1. Poland fell 5-3 in the shootout.

In the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Poland were selected in Group E alongside Denmark, Montenegro, Romania, Armenia and Kazakhstan.

Despite a draw against Kazakhstan on September 4, 2016's opening game, Lewandowski scored 16 goals during qualifying and broke the European qualifying record of scoring and also becoming the top goal scorer of Poland.

Poland participated in their first 2018 FIFA World Cup, their first World Cup since 2006, in Group H. They played Senegal, Colombia and Japan. Although the group was thought to be to be close, Poland were tipped as favorite to win the tournament.

Overall, Poland's tournament was disappointing They lost to Senegal in their opening match, winning 2-1 the 19th of June Moscow. The next day on the 24th of June they were defeated by Colombia in Kazan with a score of 3-0, effectively removing Poland from round 16. They however beat Japan with a 1-0 win during their last group match in Volgograd. Poland ended up last in their group.

Qualification to be a part of UEFA Euro 2020 was based on the performance of the inaugural year of UEFA Nations League. This year, Poland got a place in the group 3 for the 2018-19 UEFA Nations League A, together with Portugal as well as Italy. Poland was dropped into League B with two home draws and two losses and was then permitted to stay in League A following UEFA rule modifications.

Poland began the first phase of their UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying by an 1-0 win in single-margin in the first match against Austria during Vienna. A few days later, Poland followed up their success by defeating Latvia by 2-0 in their home.

On the 7th of June, Poland won against North Macedonia 1-0 by a single goal scored by Piatek. Poland then defeated Israel by 4-0 in Warsaw. Poland later lost 2-0 to Slovenia during Ljubljana. After that, a 0-0 draw against Austria resulted in Poland's top spot was now under bank and Slovenia close to a quick win.

The month of October saw Poland defeated two of its opponents Latvia along with North Macedonia in their UEFA Euro 2020 quest. Poland won an impressive victory of 3-0 against Latvia and North Macedonia, removing them from contention. Slovenia's shocking defeat away against North Macedonia relieved pressure for Poland and saw Slovenia dropping from second to fourth. In the end, Poland beat North Macedonia by 2-0 in their home stadium, and after Slovenia losing home against Austria, Poland qualified for the Euros for the fourth time in a row. time.

After being allowed to remain as a member of League A, Poland was drawn against Italy and the Netherlands and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The success of this event was doubled in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification as the playoffs began.

Poland began their League matches without Lewandowski. In their first game in the away game against the Netherlands The Poles were defeated 1-1. After that, Poland made a trip to Bosnia and they were beaten by the Bosnian team, which included Edin Dzeko who had held Italy 1-1 prior to. But, Poland managed a comeback from a goal down including Kamil Glik as well as Kamil Grosicki scoring, to beat Bosnia by a score of 2-1. The month of October saw Poland took on Italy in the same match as Bosnia at home. A draw without goals against Italy and an 3-0 win against Bosnia caused them to briefly hold the top spot in the group. However, in November Poland fell 2-0 to Bosnia even with Italy being wiped out by COVID-19. Poland fell to the Netherlands by a score of 2-1 in their home stadium which left them in third place.

Poland took part at UEFA Euro 2020, postponed to 2021 because of COVID-19. The Poles lost 2-1 to Slovakia which was followed by one-sided draw with Spain followed by an 3-2 loss to Sweden in order to knock out the Poles.

Poland made it into the 2nd round (play-offs) of World Cup qualification to determine the three European teams to join the group winners in 2022's FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Poland was set to play Russia on the 24th of March in Moscow on March 24, 2022, in the semifinals of a bracket for playoffs with four teams which also included Sweden along with The Czech Republic. But, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIFA indefinitely suspended Russia from any international competition. Poland made it to the play-off finals in which they defeated Sweden in order to qualify.

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It is the official FIFA nation code of Poland is POL. The abbreviation can be used for identifying teams for FIFA, UEFA, and other games. The same abbreviation can also be employed by the International Organization for Standardization. "Polish National Football Team" could be translated in Polish by the name "Reprezentacja Polski w pilce noznej". The most well-known nicknames of the team include "Bialo-czerwoni" meaning "The white-reds" as well as "Orly" which translate to "The Eagles". In English the team is also called "The White Eagles" which is a reference to Poland's coat of arms.

The Polish team has a large amount of support throughout Poland and also among Polish diaspora across the world. A few fans are reported to be fanatics and frequently violent, and have connections to Polish criminal syndicates. The team's supporters are involved in range of incidents, including at UEFA Euro 2012, held in Poland during which Polish and Russian fans clashed before the match between the two teams.

One of the most popular chants in the ranks of Polish supporters is "Polska bialo-czerwoni" ("Poland", one of the White-Reds"). Styrmir Gislason, head of the Association of Icelandic Football Fans declared that Icelandic Viking thunderclap song was an inspiration for Polish soccer chants.

The national kit of Poland are a reflection of the colors of the flag, that is red and white. Other than small aspects (in the 1920s, the socks of the kit for home were stripe-like) The overall design has remained unchanged from 1921. The home kit is comprised of white shirts along with red shorts and white socks. The away kit is red (though occasionally paired in white shorts). If the home and away kits are in conflict with each other's the third kit is offered, typically with blue or black colours (currently navy blue, with sleeves that are white-red).

The uniform is traditionally embellished with the armorial from Poland, i.e. the white crowned Eagle. Up until 2006, the coat of arms displayed only the words "POLSKA" with capital letters over the eagle but not, like numerous other teams of the national league as well, the national soccer federation logo. In the case of Euro 2012, Euro 2012 kits were the first ones to display that logo for the PZPN. When the kit first released, it was not equipped with the PZPN's coat of arms however, it was restored shortly afterward. Since 2009 the kits have been made available by Nike.

Stadion Slaski in Chorzow was built in 1956 and holds 47,246 people. The stadium was rebuilt to accommodate 55,211 people and was restored in October 2017. In 1993 the stadium was declared as the official stadium for Poland. Poland nation's team. Since 2011, Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw was built having a seating capacity of 58.580 and over the years, it has grown into a major venue of the Polish team and is the venue for most of Euro and World Cup qualifications matches.

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Caretaker manager are listed in bold.

Prior to 1966 the Polish team was chosen by a selection committee.

•  MichaÅ‚ Matyas (1966–1967)
•  Ryszard Koncewicz (1968–1970)
•  Kazimierz Górski (1971–1976)
•  Jacek Gmoch (1976–1978)
•  Ryszard Kulesza (1978–1980)
•  Antoni Piechniczek (1981–1986, 1996–1997)
•  Wojciech Łazarek (1986–1989)
•  Andrzej Strejlau (1989–1993)
•  LesÅ‚aw Ćmikiewicz (1993)
•  Henryk Apostel (1994–1995)
•  WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Stachurski (1996)
•  Krzysztof Pawlak (1997)
•  Janusz Wójcik (1997–1999)
•  Jerzy Engel (2000–2002)
•  Zbigniew Boniek (2002)
•  PaweÅ‚ Janas (2003–2006)
•  Leo Beenhakker (2006–2009)
•  Stefan Majewski (2009)
•  Franciszek Smuda (2009–2012)
•  Waldemar Fornalik (2012–2013)
•  Adam NawaÅ‚ka (2013–2018)
•  Jerzy BrzÄ™czek (2018–2021)
•  Paulo Sousa (2021)
•  CzesÅ‚aw Michniewicz (2022–present)

The following players were called up for the UEFA Nations League matches against Netherlands and Wales on 22 and 25 September 2022.

Caps and goals updated as of 14 June 2022, after the match against Belgium, as recognized by the PZPN.

The following players have been called up for the national team in the last twelve months.

As of 14 June 2022

Players in bold are still active with Poland.

.

• FIFA World Cup
  •  Third place: 1974, 1982
• Olympic Games
  •  Gold medalists: 1972
  •  Silver medalists: 1976, 1992