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Football: Poland in training ahead of World Cup qualifiers

18.03.2025 14:30
Poland’s national football team has started a training camp ahead of its upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania and Malta.
Poland players during a training session in Warsaw ahead of the teams upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania and Malta.
Poland players during a training session in Warsaw ahead of the team's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania and Malta.Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański

Poland begin their World Cup qualifying campaign with a fixture against Lithuania in Warsaw on Friday.

Three days later the Poles will take on Malta in their next qualifying fixture on home turf.

Manager Michał Probierz last week released a list of 25 players called up for the two games.

Since then two of the players, Torino defender Sebastian Walukiewicz and Inter Milan midfielder Nicola Zalewski, have succumbed to injuries and will not be available for international duty, state news agency PAP reported.

Meanwhile, Jagiellonia Białystok defender Mateusz Skrzypczak and Real Salt Lake City midfielder Dominik Marczuk have been called up as replacements.

Poland have been drawn to play Lithuania, Malta and Finland in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in North America.

The loser of the Nations League quarterfinal tie between the Netherlands and Spain will round out qualifying Group G containing Poland.

The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will feature a total of 48 teams, 16 more than in Qatar 2022.

Poland are ranked 35th worldwide by football's governing body FIFA, while Spain hold the No. 3 spot, and the Netherlands are No. 7 in the FIFA table.

Meanwhile, Finland are ranked 69th, Lithuania are No. 142, and Malta sit at No. 168.

Poland reached the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar before being eliminated by eventual runners-up France.

(gs)

Source: PAP, pzpn.pl