The hosts fell behind late in the first half at the National Stadium in Warsaw when Arber Hoxha capitalised on a defensive error by Jan Bednarek to give Albania a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute.
Poland responded after the break, with captain Robert Lewandowski equalising with a header in the 63rd minute before Piotr Zieliński scored the winner from a long-range shot 10 minutes later.
Poland will face Sweden in Stockholm on Tuesday for a place at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Poles finished second in their qualifying group behind the Netherlands, missing out on automatic qualification and advancing to the playoffs.
They entered the semifinal with a strong recent record in such matches, having reached the last World Cup and qualified for Euro 2024 through the playoff route.
Poland are ranked 34th in the world by football's governing body FIFA, while Albania are No. 63
The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19.
(gs)
Source: TVP Sport, IAR, PAP