Poland World Cup squad 2022: Robert Lewandowski heads the list of 26 players on Polish national football team roster

Nathan Evans

Toby Miles

Poland World Cup squad 2022: Robert Lewandowski heads the list of 26 players on Polish national football team roster image

Poland's impressive run to World Cup qualification proposed dark-horse status in Qatar, but manager Paulo Sousa's sudden departure in December has left much to prove and some doubt as to whether the side has what it takes to compete.

Sousa led Robert Lewandowski and his colleagues to the runners-up spot in Group I behind England, before quitting his post to join Brazilian side Flamengo.

Czeslaw Michniewicz is the new man aiming to play Poland's first World Cup knockout match since 1986. In his second match, the former Legia Warsaw boss masterminded a 2-0 victory over Sweden in the European playoff final to seal qualification.

With a squad that blends experienced stars with career journeymen and unproven young talents, Michniewicz's key task will be unlocking Lewandowski in what could be be the captain's final World Cup, the striker has only scored one goal in the World Cup.

More: Poland's World Cup 2022 fixtures and schedule

Poland World Cup squad 2022

Record topscorer Robert Lewandowski will once again lead the line for Poland at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 

He'll captain the European nation's squad with the likes of experienced pair Kamil Gilk and Grzegorz Krychowiak amongst its ranks, whilst Napoli's Piotr Zielinski will be expected to provide the magic in midfield. 

Aston Villa's Matty Cash will also turn out for the Eagles at the World Cup after switching allegiances from his homeland England to represent Poland where his mother was born. 

After goalkeeper Bartłomiej Drągowski broke his leg playing for Spezia in the final game before the World Cup, Kamil Grabara was brought in to replace hjim. 

Position No. Player Club Age Caps
GK 1 Wojciech Szczesny Juventus (ITA) 32 66
GK 12 Lukasz Skorupski Bologna (ITA)  31 8
GK 22 Kamil Grabara Copenhagen (DEN) 23 1
DEF 5 Jan Bednarek Aston Villa (ENG) 26 45
DEF 15 Kamil Glik  Benevento (ITA) 34 99
DEF 2 Matty Cash Aston Villa (ENG) 25 7
DEF 14 Jakub Kiwior  Spezia (ITA) 22 3
DEF 25 Robert Gumny  FC Augsburg (GER) 24 5
DEF 18 Bartosz Bereszynski  Sampdoria (ITA) 30 46
DEF 4 Mateusz Wieteska Clermont (FRA) 25 2
DEF 3 Artur Jedrzejczyk Legia Warsaw (POL) 34 40
MID 21 Nicola Zalewski  Roma (ITA) 20 7
MID 26 Michal Skoras Lech Poznan (POL) 22 1
MID 10 Grzegorz Krychowiak Al Shabab (SAU) 32 94
MID 20 Piotr Zielinski Napoli (ITA) 28 74
MID 6 Krystian Bielik Birmingham (ENG) 24 5
MID 11 Kamil Grosicki  Pogon Szczecin (POL) 34 87
MID 24 Przemyslaw Frankowski Lens (FRA) 27 26
MID 19 Sebastian Szymanski Feyenoord (NED) 23 18
MID 8 Damian Szymanski AEK Athens (GRE) 27 9
MID 17 Szymon Zurkowski Fiorentina (ITA) 25 7
MID 13 Jakub Kaminski Wolfsburg (GER) 20 4
FWD 23 Krzysztof Piatek Salernitana (ITA) 27 11
FWD 16 Karol Swiderski  Charlotte (USA) 25 18
FWD 7 Arkadiusz Milik Juventus (ITA) 28 64
FWD 9 Robert Lewandowski Barcelona (SPA) 34 134

WORLD CUP 2022 SELECTED SQUADS:
Australia | Argentina | Belgium | Brazil | Cameroon 
Canada | Costa Rica | Croatia | Denmark | England
France | Germany | Ghana | Iran | Japan | Mexico
Netherlands | Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Senegal
Serbia | Spain | Switzerland | Uruguay | USA | Wales 

Poland best player, strengths & weaknesses

Just one victory in their last five games means Poland will go into the tournament needing to find some momentum. However, there is more than enough talent in their squad to put together an underdog run deep into the knockout rounds. 

It remains to be seen whether Michniewicz, a former Polish Under-21 coach and Ekstraklasa champion, has the answers. 

Stars

Lewandowski, Poland's captain, all-time top scorer and most-capped player, has never scored at a World Cup. Qatar will likely be his final chance, and he'll be desperate to right the wrongs of past tournaments. 

Lewandowski has begun life at Barcelona in searing form but, as evidenced by past tournaments, he can't do it alone for Poland. Napoli's Piotr Zielinski will be a critical creative link.

Strengths

The Poles' backbone in the form of veteran midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak will be a strong base from which to build.

Juventus No. 1 Wojciech Szczesny is still a force between the sticks, while Aston Villa's Matty Cash will provide a boost to the backline assuming he is back from injury, after impressing in the UEFA Nations League. 

Weaknesses

The link between Poland's creatives and Lewandowski has been their undoing throughout the great goalscorer's international career. Przemyslaw FrankowskiPiotr Zielinski and Nicola Zalewski must find a way of supplying their captain. 

Poland World Cup group

Poland were drawn in a competitive group containing Argentina, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. 

After drawing blank against Mexico, Poland bounced back with a crucial 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia. 

They'll now face Argentina with a place in the Round of 16 on the line. 

Poland Group C fixtures and match schedule

Date Match Time (ET) Stadium
Tues, Nov. 22 Mexico 0 Poland 0 11 a.m. Stadium 974
Sat, Nov. 26 Poland 2  S. Arabia 0 8 a.m. Education City Stadium
Wed, Nov. 30 Poland vs. Argentina 2 p.m. Stadium 974

Can Poland replace players on World Cup roster?

Once the final 26-man roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup can only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.

According to the official tournament rules, "a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team's first match."

The team in question would need to submit a medical report to FIFA and if the world governing body determines "the injury or illness is sufficiently serious to prevent the player from taking part in the FIFA World Cup" then the replacement will be allowed. 

The replacement player must come from the preliminary list of players submitted to FIFA in October.

Nathan Evans

Nathan Evans Photo

A Sports Journalism Masters graduate, Nathan Evans joined The Sporting News in 2022 after working at Opta/Stats Perform for six years. He's an avid fan of Bradford City, FC Köln and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Toby Miles

Toby Miles Photo

Toby joined Sporting News in 2022 ahead of the World Cup, bringing previous sports writing experience at MailOnline and UEFA. An Englishman and Chelsea fan still fuming about Frank Lampard's 2010 ghost goal but never afraid to say 'It's Coming Home'.