Poland team UEFA EURO 2024
Composition of the Polish national team
Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczęsny, Marcin Bulka, Łukasz Skorupski, Oliver Zich.
Defenders: Jan Bednarek, Paweł Bochniewicz, Jakub Kiwior, Bartosz Salamon, Bartosz Bereszyński, Sebastian Walukiewicz, Paweł Dawidowicz, Tymoteusz Puchacz.
Midfielders: Przemysław Frankowski, Jakub Moder, Taras Romanchuk, Damian Szymański, Michał Karbownik, Nikola Zalewski, Kamil Grosicki, Jakub Piątek, Bartosz Ślis, Sebastian Szymański, Kacper Urbański, Piotr Zieliński.
Forwards: Adam Buksa, Arkadiusz Milik, Karol Świderski, Robert Lewandowski, Krzysztof Piątek.
History of the Polish football team
The Polish national football team has a checkered history at the European Championships, ranging from humble beginnings to notable successes. Poland, a country with a long football tradition, only managed to qualify for a European Championship for the first time in 2008, despite having been known at international level for decades before.
Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland marked Poland’s debut at the prestigious tournament. However, the team, then under the management of Leo Beenhakker, could not get past the group stage. Nevertheless, participation was an important milestone for Polish football, paving the way for future success.
Four years later, at Euro 2012, Poland was one of the hosts, along with Ukraine. Expectations in the country were high and the tournament brought a wave of enthusiasm and national pride. Unfortunately, the group stage did not go as hoped and Poland was eliminated early. Nevertheless, the tournament left a lasting impression as Poland was able to experience the European football scene in a new way.
The turning point came at the 2016 European Championships in France. Under the leadership of coach Adam Nawałka, Poland reached the quarterfinals, which was the best result in the country’s history at a European Championship. The team showed impressive defensive strength and fought hard before being eliminated on penalties by Portugal, the eventual tournament winners. Players like Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Błaszczykowski played a crucial role in this success.
Euro 2020, held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was a setback for Poland. The team was eliminated in the group stage, despite the efforts of Robert Lewandowski, who scored some great goals. This disappointment shows that Poland must continue to work on stability and consistency in order to be successful in future European Championships.
However, the Polish national team remains a team with great potential and a passionate fan base. With a mix of experienced players and talented newcomers, Polish fans hope the team will be among the top teams again at future European Championships.