ThePoland national football team (Polish:Reprezentacja Polski w piłce nożnej) representsPoland in men's internationalfootball competitions since their first match in 1921. It is governed by thePolish Football Association (PZPN), the governing body forfootball in Poland. They are known by the nicknames "The White-Reds" and "The Eagles", symbolized by their coat of arms featuring a white eagle on a red background. The team reached their peakWorld Ranking of 5th in 2017. Poland's home ground is theKazimierz Górski National Stadium inWarsaw.
Poland has competed in nineFIFA World Cups, with their first appearance being in1938, where they were eliminated byBrazil. The country's best result was third place, which Poland achieved in1974 and1982; this era is regarded as the golden era of Polish international football. Individually,Grzegorz Lato won theGolden Shoe at the1974 FIFA World Cup having scored seven goals. The country's most recent result at the event was reaching round of 16 at the2022 FIFA World Cup.
Overall, Poland's best ever result at an international football tournament was gold won at the1972 Munich Olympics, along with the silver medal at the1976 Montreal Olympics.
In a similar fashion to other European states,football appeared in Poland in the late 19th century. In 1888, Prof.Henryk Jordan, a court physician of theHabsburgs and the pioneer of sports in Poland, opened a sports park inKraków'sBłonia, a large open space surrounding the demolished city walls of that town. The park, along with theSokół society founded in 1867, became the main centres to promote sports and healthy living in Poland. It was Jordan who began promoting football as a healthy sport in the open air; some sources also credit him with bringing the first football to Poland from his travels toBrunswick in 1890.[7] Other source mentions Dr. Edmund Cenar as the one to bring the first ball and the one to translateThe Cambridge Rules and parts of theInternational Football Association Board regulations toPolish language.[8]
On 14 July 1894, during the Second Sokół Jamboree in Lwów at theGeneral National Exhibition, a short football match was played between the Sokół members of Lwów and those from Kraków. It lasted only six minutes and was seen as a curiosity rather than a potentially popular sport. Nevertheless, it was the first recorded football match in Polish history.[a] The Lwów team won afterWłodzimierz Chomicki scored the only goal - the first known goal in Polish history.
This match precipitated the popularity of the new sport in Poland. Initially the rules and regulations were very simplified, with the size of the field and the ball varying greatly. Despite being discouraged by many educational societies and the state authorities, the new sport gained extreme popularity among pupils of variousgymnasiums in Galicia. The first football teams were formed and in 1903–1904, four Lwów-based gymnasiums formed their own sport clubs: the IV Gymnasium for Boys formed a club later renamed toPogoń Lwów, while the pupils of the I and II State Schools formed theSława Lwów club, later renamed toCzarni Lwów. In the same season theLechia Lwów was also formed. It is uncertain which of the clubs was created first as they were initially poorly organised; however, the Czarni Lwów are usually credited as being the first Polish professional football team. The following year, the popularity of the sport spread to nearbyRzeszów whereResovia Rzeszów was formed, while in theGerman-held part of Poland, the1. FC Katowice andWarta Poznań were formed.
On 6 June 1906, a representation of Lwów youth came to Kraków for a repeat match, this time composed of two already organised teams, the Czarni and the team of the IV Gymnasium. Kraków's representation was beaten in both meetings, 4–0 and 2–0 respectively. That summer theBuffalo Bill Wild West Show set up camp at Kraków's Błonia, right outside of the traditional playground area and Jordan's garden. On 5 August 1906 the team of the Kraków-based Jan Sobieski Gymnasium played a match against the British and American members of Buffalo Bill's troupe, winning 1–0. The only goal scored by Stanisław Szeligowski was also the first goal scored by a Polish team in an international meeting. The success led to the popularisation of football in Kraków and to creation of the first Kraków-based professional football team,KS Cracovia – initially composed primarily of students of the Jan Sobieski Gymnasium.[7] By the autumn of that year there were already 16 teams in Kraków, includingWisła Kraków. In 1911, a Kraków-based Union of Polish Football for Galicia was formed and entered theAustrian Football Association. The union inspired the creation of a number of teams.
After the outbreak ofWorld War I, most of the Galician football players, many of them members of eitherStrzelec orSokół, joinedPiłsudski'sPolish Legions. The unit, fighting alongside theAustro-Hungarian Army, fought mostly in various parts of Russian-held Poland, which led to popularisation of the new sport in other parts ofpartitioned Poland. Eventually, Poland regained its independence in 1918.
The first football federation was established on 25 June 1911 inLwów as the Polish Football Union (Związek Polski Piłki Nożnej). AfterWorld War I, members of PFU established the Polish Football Federation (Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej) inWarsaw on 20 December 1919. Two years later, they appointed Hungarian-bornJesza Poszony as the first coach of the Polish national team.
During theirWorld Cup debut, Poland played Brazil and sent them to extra time, only tolose 6–5.Ernest Wilimowski, who played forRuch Chorzów at the time, scored four of Poland's five goals.
Poland played what would be their last international match before the outbreak ofWorld War II against Hungary, the runners-up in the 1938 World Cup. Poland defeated Hungary 4–2.[15][16][17]
When the Wehrmacht invaded Poland in September 1939, all Polish institutions and associations were dissolved, including thePolish Football Association PZPN. The German occupying forces forbade Poles to organise football matches. Consequently, there was no national team.[18]
Kazimierz Górski was head coach of the national team between 1971 and 1976.
On 11 June 1946, following the aftermath of World War II, Poland played their first international friendly match, a 3–1 defeat againstNorway inOslo. Poland's biggest success in the early years after the war was their victory against one ofEurope's best at the time,Czechoslovakia. Poland defeated their southern neighbors 3–1.
Poland suffered the worst defeat in the team's history on 26 April 1948 with a 0–8 loss to Denmark in Copenhagen. 15 years later, they posted their second highest-ever victory inSzczecin when they defeatedNorway 9–0 on 4 September 1963. The game marked the debut forWłodzimierz Lubański, who scored one goal in the game. Lubański became the all-time top scorer for Poland while playing from 1963 to 1980, scoring 48 goals in 75 appearances, a record which stood for 37 years. The game remained their highest victory until the score was surpassed on 1 April 2009, when Poland defeatedSan Marino 10–0.
For1974 World Cup qualification, Poland qualified and eliminatedEngland, who missed out on the World Cup for the first time since 1946. For Poland themselves, this was their first appearance since 1938.
Poland celebrates a victory over Brazil in the 1974 World Cup.
In their opening match of the 1974 World Cup, Poland metArgentina. Within eight minutes Poland were up 2–0 asGrzegorz Lato opened the scoring in the seventh minute and just a minute laterAndrzej Szarmach doubled the lead. In the 60th minute, Argentina cut the lead in half whenRamon Heredia scored. Two minutes later, however, Lato scored his second, which turned out to be the winning goal asCarlos Babington gave Argentina their second in the 66th. Poland won 3–2.
Poland has wonHaiti 7–0 in their second game, with a hat-trick from Szarmach and two goals from Lato. In their final match of the group stage, Poland metItaly. Poland were already through to the second round but needed at least a draw to win the group. Poland defeated Italy 2–1, finishing at the top of the group. In the second round, Poland won 1–0 against Sweden, who had not conceded any goals in their first three matches. Lato scored the only goal of the game. In the next game, Yugoslavia conceded a penalty from Poland in the 24th minute, andStanislav Karasi tied it up for Yugoslavia in the 43rd. Lato scored the winning goal.
Poland faced hostsWest Germany in the rain;Gerd Müller scored the winning goal in the 76th minute for West Germany. The Poles eventually defeated Brazil in the third place match.
In1978 World Cup qualifying, Poland deniedPortugal their second World Cup appearance and their first in 12 years. In the World Cup, Grzegorz Lato scored the only goal against African sideTunisia in the second match. In the final first-round match Poland metMexico, with a 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 scorerMario Kempes. Poland then defeatedPeru 1–0 with a goal from Andrzej Szarmach. In Poland's last match of this World Cup, Brazil opened the scoring in the 12th minute on a goal fromNelinho. Even though Lato equalized one minute before half-time, it was not to be for Poland: two goals fromRoberto Dinamite in the 57th and 62nd minutes wrapped up a 3–1 win for Brazil.
On 29 November 1980, a dispute between players and technical staff began at a hotel inWarsaw, ending in theOkęcie Airport. Following the incident, several players of the Poland national team were banned from international duty, andRyszard Kulesza resigned as head coach of the team.[20] At the1982 FIFA World Cup, Poland were drawn in agroup withItaly,Cameroon andPeru.[21] The first two games were consecutive 0–0 draws with Italy and Cameroon, but the final group game of the first round ended in a 5–1 win for Poland, meaning they would advance to thesecond round as group winners.[22][23][24]
In the first game of the second round, Poland beatBelgium 3–0 with a hat-trick from Boniek securing a classic performance in the match, though the player would receive a yellow card in the following game.[25][26] Nevertheless, Poland advanced as group winners to the knockout stage.[21] However, Poland would eventually be stopped in the semi-finals, losing 0–2 toItaly; however, they also secured a place in the third place play-off,[27] where Poland beatFrance 3–2, with the game also being regarded as "the end of the golden era of Polish football".[28][failed verification]
Poland scoring v River Plate during their tour on Argentina, February 1986
At the1986 World Cup, Poland were drawn into a group withEngland,Morocco andPortugal.[32] The first match was a 0–0 draw against Morocco; in the second match, Poland beat Portugal 1–0.[33][34] In the final group game, they lost 0–3 to England, but Poland still advanced into the knockout stage as a result of Morocco winning 3–1 over Portugal.[35][36] In theround of sixteen, Poland were eliminated after suffering a 4–0 defeat toBrazil.[37]
After the "Golden Era" from the 1970s and 1980s, Poland suffered a severe drought in international football; they did not qualify for three consecutive editions of theFIFA World Cup, from1990 to1998.
DuringUEFA Euro 2000 qualifying, Poland was drawn in a group with England, Sweden,Bulgaria andLuxembourg. Poland finished third, tied with England in points earned, but failed to qualify due to goal difference.
Poland qualified for the2002 World Cup, their first appearance at the World Cup since1986.[75] Poland's biggest win overall in the qualifying phase was a 4–0 win overArmenia, while their biggest defeat was a 4–1 defeat toBelarus.[76][77]
The Polish drew agroup featuring hostsSouth Korea, theUnited States andPortugal.[78] Thefirst match was played against the hosts on 4 June, with Poland losing 2–0.[79] Thesecond game was againstPortugal on 10 June, which Poland lost 4–0, confirming their early elimination.[80] Poland then played theUnited States in thefinal group game on 14 June, winning 3–1; however, the U.S. advanced to the quarter-finals after defeating Mexico in the round of 16.[81] Despite the win, Poland finished last in the group, with a goal difference of –4 and 3 points.[10]
In Euro 2008 qualifying, Poland were drawn into a group withPortugal,Serbia,Finland,Belgium,Kazakhstan,Armenia andAzerbaijan.[94] Poland's campaign began in uncomfortable fashion, suffering a 1–3 defeat toFinland on 2 September 2006 and then drawing 1–1 withSerbia on 6 September.[95][96] In the third match, on 7 October, Poland won 1–0 overKazakhstan, withEbi Smolarek scoring the goal.[97] On 11 October, Poland beatPortugal 2–1, with Smolarek scoring the two goals.[98] Poland beatBelgium 1–0 on 15 November.[99] On 24 March 2007, Poland beatAzerbaijan 5–0, and on 28 March beatArmenia 1–0.[100][101] On 2 June, they beatAzerbaijan 3–1, with Smolarek andKrzynówek (2) scoring.[102] On 6 June, Poland lost 1–0 to Armenia, on 8 September drew 2–2 withPortugal, and on 12 September drew 0–0 withFinland.[103][104][105] On 13 October, Poland beatKazakhstan 3–1 with ahat-trick from Smolarek.[106] They beatBelgium 2–0 with two goals from Smolarek on 17 November and drew 2–2 withSerbia in the final qualifying game on the 21st, thus qualifying for the tournament as the 1st place team inthe qualifying group followingPortugal's 0–0 draw withFinland. This was Poland's first everEuro appearance.[107][108][109]
Poland were drawn intoGroup A, with Greece,Russia and the Czech Republic.[127] On 8 June, the opening match played between Poland and Greece at theNational Stadium inWarsaw ended 1–1, with Poland taking the lead in the 17th minute throughRobert Lewandowski before Greece equalized in the second half throughDimitris Salpingidis in the 51st minute. Both teams went down to 10 men during the game.[128][129] Poland's next game was on 12 June, again played at theNational Stadium inWarsaw, with the game against Russia finishing 1–1. Russia took the lead throughAlan Dzagoev in the 37th minute before Poland equalized throughBłaszczykowski in the 57th minute.[130][131] Poland's final game was played against theCzech Republic on 16 June at theMunicipal Stadium, inWrocław, where Poland lost 1–0 following a goal fromPetr Jiráček.[132][133] Poland finished bottom of the group with two points, prompting coachFranciszek Smuda to resign following the elimination.[127]
Poland was drawn in Group H of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying, with England, Ukraine,Montenegro, Moldova and San Marino.[134]
On 7 September, Poland's first qualifying match ended in a 2–2 draw withMontenegro, with goals fromBłaszczykowski andMierzejewski.[135] On 11 September, they beatMoldova 2–0 with goals from Błaszczykowski andWawrzyniak.[136] On 17 October, Poland drew 1–1 withEngland, withGlik scoring the equalizing goal.[137] On 22 March 2013, Poland lost 3–1 toUkraine, conceding two goals in the first seven minutes alone, withPiszczek scoring Poland's only goal.[138] On 26 March, Poland beatSan Marino 5–0, with a brace fromLewandowski, and goals from Piszczek,Teodorczyk andKosecki.[139] On 6 September, Poland drew 1–1 withMontenegro, with Lewandowski scoring the equalizing goal only five minutes after Poland initially conceded.[140] On 10 September, they beatSan Marino 5–1, with a brace fromZieliński, and goals from Błaszczykowski,Sobota and Mierzejewski.[141] However, Poland lost the last two games againstUkraine andEngland, 1–0 and 2–0, respectively.[142][143][144]
Despite drawing with Kazakhstan on 4 September 2016 opening match, Lewandowski scored 16 goals during qualifying, breaking the European qualifying scoring record, as well as becoming the all-time top goalscorer of Poland.[160]
Poland's tournament was disappointing overall; they lost to Senegal in the opening match, 2–1 on 19 June inMoscow.[165] Five days later, on 24 June, they lost to Colombia inKazan 3–0,[166] mathematically eliminating them from the round of 16. They did beat Japan 1–0 in their final group game inVolgograd.[167] Poland finished at the bottom of their group.
Qualifying forUEFA Euro 2020 was based on performance in the inaugural2018–19 UEFA Nations League. In 2018, Poland was drawn into Group 3 in the2018–19 UEFA Nations League A, along with Portugal and Italy. Poland was relegated toLeague B with two home defeats and two away draws, only to be allowed to remain onLeague A following UEFA rule changes.
Poland opened theirUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying by a single-margin 1–0 win against Austria inVienna.[168] Three days later, Poland followed up their suit by beating Latvia 2–0 at home.[169]
On 7 June 2019, Poland defeated North Macedonia 1–0 by a lone goal from Piątek.[170] They then beat Israel 4–0 in Warsaw.[171] Poland then lost 2–0 to Slovenia in Ljubljana.[172] A following 0–0 home draw to Austria meant that Poland's top spot was under bank, with Slovenia approaching very quickly.[173]
In October, Poland embattled two opponents, Latvia and North Macedonia, for its UEFA Euro 2020 quest. Poland managed a convincing 3–0 away win over Latvia, eliminating them from the competition.[174] Slovenia's shock away defeat to North Macedonia relieved pressure for Poland, with Slovenia falling from second to fourth place.[175] Eventually, Poland beat North Macedonia 2–0 at home,[176] and with Slovenia falling at home to Austria,[177] Poland qualified for the Euros for the fourth consecutive time.
Poland started their League games without Lewandowski. In their first match, an away game against the Netherlands, the Poles lost 1–0.[178] Later, Poland made a trip to Bosnia; the Bosnian team, includingEdin Džeko, had held Italy 1–1 draw away before. However, Poland managed a comeback from a goal down, withKamil Glik andKamil Grosicki scoring to beat Bosnia 2–1.[179] In October, Poland hosted Italy and Bosnia at home; a goalless draw with Italy combined with a 3–0 win over Bosnia made them temporarily occupy the top spot of the group.[180][181] However, in November, Poland suffered a 2–0 defeat despite Italy being depleted byCOVID-19.[182] Poland lost to the Netherlands 2–1 at home, ending in third place.[183]
Poland participated inUEFA Euro 2020, postponed to 2021 due toCOVID-19. A 2–1 loss to Slovakia,[184] followed by a 1–1 draw to Spain, preceded a 3–2 defeat to Sweden to eliminate the Poles.[185][186]
Poland advanced to thesecond round (play-offs) of World Cup qualification to determine the final three European teams that would join the group winners at the2022 FIFA World Cup inQatar. Poland was scheduled to face Russia in Moscow on 24 March 2022 in the semi-final of a four-team playoff bracket that also included Sweden and the Czech Republic. However, following theRussian invasion of Ukraine, FIFA indefinitely suspended Russia from all international competition. Poland advanced automatically to the play-off finals, where they defeated Sweden to qualify.[187]
At the2022 World Cup, Poland was drawn intoGroup C, where they were scheduled to play againstArgentina,Saudi Arabia, andMexico.[188] The first match ended with a goalless draw against Mexico.[189] Goals fromPiotr Zieliński andRobert Lewandowski gave Poland a 2–0 win against Saudi Arabia in the second match.[190] Following their loss to Argentina, Poland advanced to theknockout stage ahead of Mexico on goal difference, their first knockout stage appearance since 1986.[191] During the match,Wojciech Szczęsny deniedLionel Messi on a penalty kick opportunity. Szczęsny became the third keeper ever to stop two penalties in a single World Cup,[192] with the others beingBrad Friedel in 2002 for theUnited States andJan Tomaszewski in 1974, also for Poland.[193] In the round of 16, Poland lost 3–1 to France, in which Robert Lewandowski scored a penalty in stoppage time.[194][195]
Czesław Michniewicz did not renew his contract as manager and his place was taken by award-winning coachFernando Santos to take on the mission of qualifying forEuro 2024.[196][197] Away defeats to the Czech Republic, Moldova and Albania brought his dismissal.[197] In September 2023, Fernando Santos was replaced byMichał Probierz, who started with a win against the Faroe Islands inEuro 2024 qualifying, but then drew at home with Moldova.[198] Poland later ended qualification for Euro 2024 with a 1–1 home draw to the Czech Republic, ending all hopes for Poland to clinch automatic qualification. However, because of Poland's Nations League performance, the Poles were able to salvage a place in theplay-offs, where Poland defeated without problemEstonia 5–1, with the advantage of playing at home, and aided byMaksim Paskotši's 2nd yellow card in the 27th minute, the visitors were outnumbered for most of the match. After a goalless draw away against Wales, the Poles won on penalties to secure a spot at the Euros.[199] At the tournament, they finished last in the group after losing 2–1 to theNetherlands, 3–1 toAustria, and drawing 1–1 withFrance.[200]
After Robert Lewandowski was stripped of captaincy in June, he announced his retirement from international duty until Probierz was no longer the manager.[201] Following their 2–1 away defeat toFinland in a2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, Probierz resigned from the national team.[202] On 16 July 2025, he was replaced byJan Urban.[203]
The officialFIFA country code for Poland isPOL. This abbreviation is used to identify the team in FIFA, UEFA, and other matches. The same abbreviation is also used under theInternational Organization for Standardization. "Polish national football team" can be translated intoPolish as "Reprezentacja Polski w piłce nożnej". The team's most common nicknames include "Biało-czerwoni", which means "The white-reds", and "Orły", which translates into "The Eagles". In English, the team is also widely known as "The White Eagles", based on Poland's national coat of arms.
The Polish team enjoys widespread support in Poland and among Polish diaspora worldwide. A notable chant among Polish fans is "Polska, biało-czerwoni" ("Poland, the White-Reds").[204]
The national kits of Poland reflect the colours of thenational flag, which are 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 when both home and away kits clash with the opponent's, a 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 thecoat of arms of Poland, i.e. the crowned white eagle. Until 2006, the coat of arms featured only the inscription "POLSKA" in capital letters above the eagle, and not, as with many other national teams, the national football federation logo. TheEuro 2012 kits were the first to feature the logo of thePZPN. When the kit was first launched it did not include the coat of arms, but it was restored shortly thereafter. Since 2009, the kits have been provided byNike.
Silesian Stadium inChorzów was built in 1956; the stadium has a seating capacity of 47,246. The stadium was renovated to expand its seating capacity to 55,211 and was reopened in October 2017. In 1993, the stadium was designated as the official home stadium of the Poland national team. In 2011, theNational Stadium inWarsaw was completed with a capacity of 58,580 and since then, it has become a major stadium of Polish team and hosts most of Euro and World Cup qualifications matches.
Statistics updated as of 17 November 2025 after match against Malta. List including all matches officially recognized by thePolish Football Association (also those not recognized byFIFA).
^"Tuż przed inwazją".Biblioteka Piłkarstwa Polskiego (in Polish). Retrieved15 October 2024.
^Thomas Urban, "Football 'Only for Germans', in the Underground and in Auschwitz: Championships in Occupied Poland", inEuropean Football During the Second World War. Ed. M. Herzog/F. Brändle. Oxford 2018, p. 367.
^Thomas Urban, "Football 'Only for Germans', in the Underground and in Auschwitz: Championships in Occupied Poland", inEuropean Football During the Second World War. Ed. M. Herzog/F. Brändle. Oxford 2018, p. 374.
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