The clock is ticking… In just a little bit more than a week, the moment Polish football fans were waiting for will have come. From 20 November, Qatar is hosting the World Cup, the most popular sports competition in the world. 

Poland qualified for the prestigious tournament following a glorious playoff match against Sweden (2-0). This followed a fortunate turn of events, as our team benefited from the disqualification of Russia, which allowed us to automatically reach the final stage of the playoffs. 

The Polish national team will need to be at its best to make it out of the group stage in Qatar. Apart from Poland, group C includes Argentina, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. The two best teams of these four will make it to the round of 16. Reaching this stage would represent a considerable achievement for our team to say the least. 

Yet, the White and Reds have reasons to keep hope. After all, the World Cup is such a unique tournament that everything is possible. Poland has a few players playing in big clubs that could make a difference. 

Let’s start with the most obvious one: our captain, Robert Lewandowski. At 34, “Lewy” remains one of the very best strikers in the world. He is currently La Liga’s top scorer with 13 goals in 14 matches, putting FC Barcelona on top of the Spanish league’s classification. Our number 9 is arguably the best player the Polish team has ever had. He holds the record for most matches played (138) and most goals scored (76). There’s no doubt he’ll play this World Cup like it’s his last one. 

Another key player on which Polish fans count is Piotr Zieliński. The 28-year-old midfielder is having the season of his life with Napoli. The Gli Azzurri are currently outplaying the competition in Serie A, where Zieliński is on the podium of the best assists providers (5). Besides, Napoli has just qualified for the round of 16 of the Champions League in which they are the favourite against Francfort. 

Italian giant Juventus also has two Poles in its ranks: Arkadiusz Milik and Wojciech Szczęsny. In England, two of our young talents, Matt Cash and Jan Bednarek, play for Aston Villa.

Poland’s opening match against Mexico is scheduled for Tuesday, 22 November, at 4 PM (British time).  

Image: Łączy Nas Piłka

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen