Poland enter Tuesday’s World Cup playoff final against Sweden seeking to end a winless run on Swedish soil that stretches back nearly a century.
The match at the sold-out Strawberry Arena in Solna is a winner-takes-all clash for a place in the tournament finals in North America and for Poland, it offers a chance to end a dismal sequence of results, having not won in Sweden since a 3-0 friendly victory in Stockholm in 1930. Since then, Poland have endured eight losses and two draws in Sweden.
“It depends on whether ?we look at the statistics,” Poland coach Jan Urban told reporters earlier in the week when asked if the winless streak would have an impact on Tuesday’s match. “Apparently, it has been nearly 100 years since we won a match in Sweden. This will be a completely different encounter.” While Sweden hold the historical edge, Poland can draw confidence from more recent events. The two nations met in the 2022 World Cup playoffs, with Poland earning a 2-0 victory at home in Chorzow to secure their spot in Qatar.
After a disappointing qualifying campaign, Sweden are showing signs of improvement under new coach Graham Potter, beating Ukraine 3-1 in their playoff semi-final while ?Poland fought to a 2-1 win over Albania.
“On paper, Sweden are the strongest team in this bracket,” Urban told reporters on Monday. “Potter’s team confirmed their quality against Ukraine, but many unknowns remain. We don’t yet know how they will behave in a more difficult scenario – for example, if they are trailing.” The match could mark the end of an era for Poland’s experienced core.
Captain Robert Lewandowski, 37, has indicated he is approaching the final stage of his career, while midfielder Piotr Zielinski, 31, remains a key figure.
“I’m not afraid to end my career because I’m starting to prepare for it, to prepare things I can do after football,” Lewandowski said in January. “I know it’s a very important part of my life, but it’s not everything.”
Failure to qualify would likely trigger an immediate overhaul of the national side, signalling ?the end for a generation that made Poland a fixture at major tournaments. “The World Cup is the most important tournament in every footballer’s career. Tomorrow we’ll play a decisive match to fulfil our dreams and write more history,” winger Jakub Kaminski said.