Poland national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Poland

Nickname(s)	Biało-Czerwoni (The White-Reds) Orły (The Eagles)
Association	Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej (PZPN)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Jan Urban
Captain	Piotr Zieliński
Most caps	Robert Lewandowski (158)
Top scorer	Robert Lewandowski (85)
Home stadium	National Stadium Silesian Stadium
FIFA code	POL
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	20 (7 February 2019)
Highest	5 (August 2017)
Lowest	78 (November 2013)
Elo ranking
Current	1
Highest	2 (10 September 1975)
Lowest	58 (October 1956)
First international
Hungary 1–0 Poland  (Budapest, Hungary; 18 December 1921)
Biggest win
Poland 10–0 San Marino  (Kielce, Poland; 1 April 2009)
Biggest defeat
Denmark 8–0 Poland  (Copenhagen, Denmark; 26 June 1948)
World Cup
Appearances	9 (first in 1938)
Best result	Third place (1974, 1982)
European Championship
Appearances	5 (first in 2008)
Best result	Quarter-finals (2016)
Medal record Men's football FIFA World Cup Bronze 1974 West Germany Team Bronze 1982 Spain Team Olympic Games Gold 1972 Munich Team Silver 1976 Montreal Team

The Poland national football team represents Poland in international football games. It is managed by the Polish Football Association (PZPN). The team is known as "The White-Reds" and "The Eagles". These names come from Poland's national symbol, a white eagle on a red background.

Poland has played in nine FIFA World Cup tournaments. Their first World Cup was in 1938. Their best results were third place in 1974 and 1982. These years are seen as the "golden era" for Polish football. In 1974, Grzegorz Lato won the Golden Shoe award for scoring seven goals. Poland reached the Round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

In the UEFA European Championship, Poland's best result was reaching the quarter-finals in 2016. They have played in five European Championships since their first in 2008. Poland was a co-host for the 2012 tournament with Ukraine.

Poland's greatest success in international football was winning the gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics. They also won a silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

History of Polish Football

Early Days of Football

Football first came to Poland in the late 1800s. In 1888, Professor Henryk Jordan opened a sports park in Kraków. He helped make football popular as a healthy outdoor sport. Some say he brought the first football to Poland in 1890.

The first recorded football match in Poland happened on July 14, 1894. It was a short game between teams from Lwów and Kraków. The Lwów team won 1–0. This match helped football become very popular in Poland.

Early football clubs started forming around 1903-1906. These included Lechia Lwów, Czarni Lwów, Pogoń Lwów, KS Cracovia, and Wisła Kraków. The Polish Football Association (PZPN) was created on December 20, 1919. The PZPN joined FIFA in 1923 and UEFA in 1955.

First International Matches (1919–1939)

Poland national team, 1924

Poland team that played Brazil at the 1938 FIFA World Cup

Poland played its first official international match on December 18, 1921. They lost 1–0 to Hungary in Budapest. Their first win came on May 28, 1922, when they beat Sweden 2–1. Józef Klotz scored Poland's first goal.

Poland qualified for their first World Cup in 1937. They beat Yugoslavia to earn a spot in the 1938 World Cup in France. In their World Cup debut, Poland played Brazil. They lost a close game 6–5 after extra time. Ernest Wilimowski scored four goals for Poland in that match.

Poland's last international game before World War II was a 4–2 win against Hungary.

After World War II (1946–1974)

Kazimierz Górski was head coach of the national team between 1971 and 1976.

After World War II, Poland played its first friendly match on June 11, 1946. They lost 3–1 to Norway. A big success was beating Czechoslovakia 3–1.

On April 26, 1948, Poland had their biggest loss, 8–0 to Denmark. However, on September 4, 1963, they had a huge 9–0 win against Norway. This game was the debut for Włodzimierz Lubański, who scored a goal. Lubański became Poland's top scorer with 48 goals. This record stood for 37 years. Poland's biggest win ever was 10–0 against San Marino on April 1, 2009.

The Golden Era (1974–1986)

Poland celebrates a victory over Brazil in the 1974 World Cup.

Poland qualified for the 1974 World Cup by beating England. This was their first World Cup since 1938.

In the 1974 World Cup, Poland started strong. They beat Argentina 3–2, Haiti 7–0, and Italy 2–1. They won their group. In the second round, they beat Sweden 1–0 and Yugoslavia 2–1. They then faced hosts West Germany in a tough match, losing 1–0. Poland finished third in the tournament by beating Brazil 1–0.

Zbigniew Boniek, top scorer for Poland in the 1982 World Cup

Poland also qualified for the 1978 World Cup. They won their first group but struggled in the second round, losing to Argentina and Brazil.

At the 1982 World Cup, Poland drew their first two games 0–0 against Italy and Cameroon. They then beat Peru 5–1 to win their group. In the next round, they beat Belgium 3–0 with three goals from Zbigniew Boniek. Poland lost to Italy in the semi-finals but won the third-place match 3–2 against France. This was seen as the end of their "golden era."

Poland also played in the 1986 World Cup. They drew with Morocco, beat Portugal 1–0, and lost to England 3–0. They made it to the Round of 16 but lost 4–0 to Brazil.

Challenges and Return to World Stage (1986–2006)

After the golden era, Poland did not qualify for the World Cup for a long time (1990, 1994, 1998). They also missed out on the European Championships during this period.

Andrzej Juskowiak; top goalscorer for Poland in Euro 1996 qualifying (7 goals) and 1998 World Cup qualifying (3 goals)

Poland finally qualified for the 2002 World Cup, their first since 1986. They were in a group with South Korea, the United States, and Portugal. They lost their first two games to South Korea (2–0) and Portugal (4–0). They won their last group game 3–1 against the United States but were already out of the tournament.

Tomasz Frankowski; top goalscorer during Poland's 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, with 7 goals

Poland also qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. They were in a group with Germany, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. They lost to Ecuador (2–0) and Germany (1–0). They won their last game against Costa Rica (2–1) but did not move past the group stage.

Recent Tournaments (2008–Present)

Ebi Smolarek, who scored 9 goals during the qualifying phase

Poland made their first ever appearance at the European Championship in 2008. They were in a group with Germany, Austria, and Croatia. They lost to Germany and Croatia, and drew with Austria, finishing last in their group.

Poland did not qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

In 2012, Poland co-hosted Euro 2012 with Ukraine. They were in a group with Greece, Russia, and the Czech Republic. They drew 1–1 with Greece and Russia, and lost 1–0 to the Czech Republic. They finished last in their group and were eliminated.

Poland did not qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

Left: Jakub Błaszczykowski playing for Poland during the Euro 2016 quarter-final match with Portugal, on 30 June 2016; right: Robert Lewandowski, who finished the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with 16 goals; breaking the European qualifying record for goals scored, as well as becoming all-time top goalscorer for Poland.

At Euro 2016, Poland had a strong run. They won their group games against Northern Ireland (1–0) and Ukraine (1–0), and drew with Germany (0–0). In the Round of 16, they beat Switzerland in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw. They then faced Portugal in the quarter-finals. After another 1–1 draw, Poland lost in a penalty shootout.

The Poland national team line-up before the third and final group game against Japan on 28 June 2018. Poland won the game 1–0.

Poland qualified for the 2018 World Cup. They were in a group with Senegal, Colombia, and Japan. They lost their first two matches to Senegal (2–1) and Colombia (3–0), which meant they were out. They won their final game against Japan (1–0) but finished last in the group.

Poland also played in UEFA Euro 2020, which was held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They lost to Slovakia (2–1), drew with Spain (1–1), and lost to Sweden (3–2), getting eliminated in the group stage.

Poland qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They were in a group with Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. They drew 0–0 with Mexico and beat Saudi Arabia 2–0. Despite losing 2–0 to Argentina, Poland advanced to the knockout stage for the first time since 1986. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny saved a penalty from Lionel Messi in the Argentina match. In the Round of 16, Poland lost 3–1 to France.

Poland played in UEFA Euro 2024. They lost to the Netherlands (2–1) and Austria (3–1), and drew with France (1–1), finishing last in their group.

After the Euro 2024 tournament, Robert Lewandowski announced he would not play for the national team as long as Michał Probierz was the manager. Probierz resigned in July 2025, and Jan Urban became the new head coach.

Team Identity

Nicknames

The official FIFA code for Poland is POL. The team is often called "Biało-czerwoni" (The White-Reds) and "Orły" (The Eagles). In English, they are also known as "The White Eagles." These names come from Poland's national symbol, the white eagle.

Supporters

Polish football fans

Polish football fans are very passionate. They support the team strongly in Poland and all over the world. A popular chant among fans is "Polska, biało-czerwoni" (Poland, the White-Reds).

Team Kits

Poland scarf

Poland's national kits use the colors of the national flag: white and red. The home kit is a white shirt, red shorts, and white socks. The away kit is usually all red. Sometimes, a third kit in black or navy blue is used if the other kits clash with the opponent's colors.

The kits traditionally feature the coat of arms of Poland, which is a crowned white eagle. Since 2009, Nike has been the kit supplier.

Kit supplier	Period
Polsport	until 1974
Adidas	1974–1992
Admiral	1992–1993
Adidas	1993
Lotto	1993–1994
Puma	1994–1996
Nike	1996–1999
Adidas	1999
Puma	1999–2000
Tico	2000
Puma	2001–2008
Nike	2009–present

Stadiums

Main Stadiums

The Silesian Stadium in Chorzów was built in 1956 and can hold 47,246 people. It was made bigger in 2017 to hold 55,211 fans. Since 1993, it has been an official home stadium for the Poland national team. The National Stadium in Warsaw was finished in 2011. It can hold 58,580 people and hosts most of Poland's important qualification matches.

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  National Stadium

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  Silesian Stadium

Other Stadiums

Poland has also played games at these stadiums:

• 

  Gdańsk Stadium

• 

  Wrocław Stadium

• 

  Poznań Stadium

• 

  Henryk Reyman Stadium

• 

  Polish Army Stadium

Recent Matches and Schedule

Here are Poland's match results from the last year and upcoming games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024

Scotland  v  Poland

5 September 2024 (2024-09-05) Nations League	Scotland	2–3	Poland	Glasgow, Scotland
19:45 BST (UTC+1)	Gilmour  46' McTominay  76'		Szymański  8' Lewandowski  44' (pen.) Zalewski  90+7' (pen.)	Stadium: Hampden Park Attendance: 46,356 Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)

Croatia  v  Poland

8 September 2024 (2024-09-08) Nations League	Croatia	1–0	Poland	Osijek, Croatia
20:45	Modrić  52'			Stadium: Opus Arena Attendance: 12,612 Referee: François Letexier (France)

Poland  v  Portugal

12 October 2024 (2024-10-12) Nations League	Poland	1–3	Portugal	Warsaw, Poland
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Zieliński  78'		Silva  26' Ronaldo  37' Bednarek  88' (o.g.)	Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 56,854 Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (Netherlands)

Poland  v  Croatia

15 October 2024 (2024-10-15) Nations League	Poland	3–3	Croatia	Warsaw, Poland
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Zieliński  5' Zalewski  45' Szymański  68'		Sosa  19' P. Sučić  24' Baturina  26'	Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 56,103 Referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (Spain)

Portugal  v  Poland

15 November 2024 (2024-11-15) Nations League	Portugal	5–1	Poland	Porto, Portugal
19:45 WET (UTC±0)	Leão  59' Ronaldo  72' (pen.), 87' Fernandes  80' Neto  83'		Marczuk  88'	Stadium: Estádio do Dragão Attendance: 47,239 Referee: Donatas Rumšas (Lithuania)

Poland  v  Scotland

18 November 2024 (2024-11-18) Nations League	Poland	1–2	Scotland	Warsaw, Poland
20:45 CET (UTC+1)	Piątkowski  59'		McGinn  3' Robertson  90+3'	Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 55,433 Referee: Christian Dingert (Germany)

2025

Poland  v  Lithuania

21 March 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Poland	1–0	Lithuania	Warsaw, Poland
20:45 CET (UTC+1)	Lewandowski  81'			Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 55,738 Referee: Tasos Sidiropoulos (Greece)

Poland  v  Malta

24 March 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Poland	2–0	Malta	Warsaw, Poland
20:45 CET (UTC+1)	Świderski  27', 51'			Stadium: National Stadium Attendance: 45,872 Referee: Morten Krogh (Denmark)

Poland  v  Moldova

6 June 2025 Friendly	Poland	2–0	Moldova	Chorzów, Poland
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Cash  30' Slisz  88'			Stadium: Stadion Śląski Attendance: 36,357 Referee: David Dickinson (Scotland)

Finland  v  Poland

10 June 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Finland	2–1	Poland	Helsinki, Finland
21:45 EEST (UTC+3)	Pohjanpalo  31' (pen.) Källman  64'		Kiwior  69'	Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium Attendance: 16,511 Referee: João Pinheiro (Portugal)

Netherlands  v  Poland

4 September 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Netherlands	v	Poland	Rotterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: De Kuip

Poland  v  Finland

7 September 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Poland	v	Finland	Chorzów, Poland
20:45 CEST (UTC+1)				Stadium: Stadion Śląski

Poland  v  New Zealand

TBD October 2025 Friendly	Poland	v	New Zealand	Gdańsk, Poland
TBD				Stadium: Gdańsk Stadium

Lithuania  v  Poland

12 October 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Lithuania	v	Poland	Kaunas, Lithuania
21:45 EEST (UTC+3)				Stadium: Darius and Girėnas Stadium

Poland  v  Netherlands

14 November 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Poland	v	Netherlands	Warsaw, Poland
20:45 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: National Stadium

Malta  v  Poland

17 November 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Malta	v	Poland	Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: National Stadium

Team Staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Jan Urban
Second coach	Jacek Magiera
Assistant coaches	Marcin Prasoł Grzegorz Staszewski
Goalkeeping coaches	Andrzej Dawidziuk Józef Młynarczyk
Fitness coach	Cesar Sanjuan-Szklarz
Match analyst	Hubert Małowiejski
Video analyst	Jakub Rejmoniak
Doctor	Jacek Jaroszewski
Physiotherapists	Paweł Bamber Marcin Bator Wojciech Herman Adam Kurek
Team director	Adrian Mierzejewski
Communications manager	Tomasz Kozłowski
Logistics manager	Łukasz Gawrjołek
Technical director	Paweł Kosedowski
Assistant technical director	Paweł Sidorowicz

Coaching History

Caretaker managers are in italics.

Before 1966, a committee chose the Polish team.

Players

Current Squad

These players were called up for recent matches in June 2025.

Caps and goals are updated as of June 10, 2025, after the match against Finland.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Łukasz Skorupski	(1991-05-05) 5 May 1991 (age 34)	17	0	Bologna
12	1GK	Marcin Bułka	(1999-10-04) 4 October 1999 (age 25)	5	0	Neom
22	1GK	Bartosz Mrozek	(2000-02-23) 23 February 2000 (age 25)	0	0	Lech Poznań
	1GK	Mateusz Kochalski	(2000-07-25) 25 July 2000 (age 25)	0	0	Qarabağ
2	2DF	Matty Cash	(1997-08-07) 7 August 1997 (age 27)	19	2	Aston Villa
3	2DF	Paweł Dawidowicz	(1995-05-20) 20 May 1995 (age 30)	17	0	Free agent
4	2DF	Mateusz Wieteska	(1997-02-11) 11 February 1997 (age 28)	6	0	Cagliari
5	2DF	Jan Bednarek	(1996-04-12) 12 April 1996 (age 29)	69	1	Southampton
14	2DF	Jakub Kiwior	(2000-02-15) 15 February 2000 (age 25)	35	2	Arsenal
15	2DF	Sebastian Walukiewicz	(2000-04-05) 5 April 2000 (age 25)	10	1	Torino
16	2DF	Mateusz Skrzypczak	(2000-08-22) 22 August 2000 (age 24)	2	0	Lech Poznań
18	2DF	Bartosz Bereszyński	(1992-07-12) 12 July 1992 (age 33)	58	0	Free agent
6	3MF	Jakub Piotrowski	(1997-10-04) 4 October 1997 (age 27)	12	2	Ludogorets Razgrad
7	3MF	Mateusz Bogusz	(2001-08-22) 22 August 2001 (age 23)	5	0	Cruz Azul
8	3MF	Jakub Moder	(1999-04-07) 7 April 1999 (age 26)	35	2	Feyenoord
10	3MF	Sebastian Szymański	(1999-05-10) 10 May 1999 (age 26)	45	5	Fenerbahçe
13	3MF	Jakub Kamiński	(2002-06-05) 5 June 2002 (age 23)	22	1	1. FC Köln
17	3MF	Bartosz Slisz	(1999-03-29) 29 March 1999 (age 26)	17	1	Atlanta United
19	3MF	Przemysław Frankowski	(1995-04-12) 12 April 1995 (age 30)	50	3	Galatasaray
20	3MF	Maxi Oyedele	(2004-11-07) 7 November 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Strasbourg
21	3MF	Nicola Zalewski	(2002-01-23) 23 January 2002 (age 23)	29	3	Internazionale
	3MF	Oskar Repka	(1999-01-03) 3 January 1999 (age 26)	0	0	Raków Częstochowa
9	4FW	Adam Buksa	(1996-07-12) 12 July 1996 (age 29)	23	7	Midtjylland
11	4FW	Karol Świderski	(1997-01-23) 23 January 1997 (age 28)	42	13	Panathinaikos
23	4FW	Krzysztof Piątek	(1995-07-01) 1 July 1995 (age 30)	37	12	Al-Duhail

Recent Call-ups

These players have been called up for the national team in the last year.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Bartłomiej Drągowski	(1997-08-19) 19 August 1997 (age 27)	2	0	Panathinaikos	v.  Malta, 24 March 2025
GK	Kacper Trelowski	(2003-08-19) 19 August 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Raków Częstochowa	v.  Croatia, 15 October 2024
DF	Kamil Piątkowski	(2000-06-21) 21 June 2000 (age 25)	8	1	Red Bull Salzburg	v.  Malta, 24 March 2025
DF	Tymoteusz Puchacz	(1999-01-23) 23 January 1999 (age 26)	15	0	Holstein Kiel	v.  Scotland, 18 November 2024
DF	Michał Gurgul	(2006-01-30) 30 January 2006 (age 19)	0	0	Lech Poznań	v.  Scotland, 18 November 2024
MF	Piotr Zieliński (captain)	(1994-05-20) 20 May 1994 (age 31)	99	14	Internazionale	v.  Finland, 10 June 2025 INJ
MF	Kamil Grosicki RET	(1988-06-08) 8 June 1988 (age 37)	95	17	Pogoń Szczecin	v.  Moldova, 6 June 2025
MF	Kacper Urbański	(2004-09-07) 7 September 2004 (age 20)	11	0	Bologna	v.  Malta, 24 March 2025
MF	Dominik Marczuk	(2003-11-01) 1 November 2003 (age 21)	1	1	Real Salt Lake	v.  Malta, 24 March 2025
MF	Bartosz Kapustka	(1996-12-23) 23 December 1996 (age 28)	15	3	Legia Warsaw	v.  Scotland, 18 November 2024
MF	Antoni Kozubal	(2004-08-18) 18 August 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Lech Poznań	v.  Scotland, 18 November 2024
MF	Taras Romanczuk	(1991-11-14) 14 November 1991 (age 33)	5	1	Jagiellonia Białystok	v.  Scotland, 18 November 2024 INJ
MF	Kacper Kozłowski	(2003-10-16) 16 October 2003 (age 21)	6	0	Gaziantep	v.  Portugal, 15 November 2024 INJ
MF	Michael Ameyaw	(2000-09-16) 16 September 2000 (age 24)	2	0	Raków Częstochowa	v.  Portugal, 15 November 2024 INJ
MF	Mateusz Kowalczyk	(2004-04-16) 16 April 2004 (age 21)	0	0	GKS Katowice	v.  Croatia, 8 September 2024
FW	Robert Lewandowski	(1988-08-21) 21 August 1988 (age 36)	158	85	Barcelona	v.  Malta, 24 March 2025
INJ Withdrew from the squad due to an injury. PRE Preliminary squad. RET Retired from the national team.

Player Records

Players in bold are still active with Poland.

Most Games Played

Robert Lewandowski is Poland's top goalscorer and their most capped player.

Top Goalscorers

Most Clean Sheets (Goalkeepers)

Most Games as Captain

Team Achievements

Major Competitions

• FIFA World Cup
  • Third place (2): 1974, 1982
• Olympic Games
  • Gold medal (1): 1972
  • Silver medal (1): 1976

Friendly Tournaments

• Nehru Cup
  • Champions (1): 1984
  • Runners-up (1): 1988
• Cyprus International Football Tournament
  • Champions (1): 1997
• Valeriy Lobanovskyi Memorial Tournament
  • Champions (1): 2005
• King's Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2010

Summary of Medals

Competition				Total
FIFA World Cup	0	0	2	2
Olympic Games	1	1	0	2
UEFA European Championship	0	0	0	0
Total	1	1	2	4

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Polonia para niños