Poland National Team World Cup Betting
Robert Lewandowski has been one of the best forwards in the world for the last decade, but he has been unable to lead Poland out of the Group Stage. It’s been 36 years since Poland last made it out of the knockout rounds of the World Cup, and they are hoping to change that this year. Lewandowski can’t do it alone though, so the big question is whether or not some of his teammates can step up.
Manager: Czeslaw Michniewicz
Nicknames: The White and Reds, The Eagles
Confederation: UEFA (Europe)
FIFA Ranking: 26 (March 2022)
Poland World Cup Betting Odds
To Win Group C: +460
To Win 2022 World Cup: +15000
*Odds as of May 4, 2022
Poland Group Stage Schedule
Mexico vs. Poland, Tuesday, November 22, 2022, 11 a.m. ET, at Stadium 974 in Doha (FOX)
Poland vs. Saudi Arabia, Saturday, November 26, 2022, 8 a.m. ET, at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan (FS1)
Poland vs. Argentina, Wednesday, November 30, 2022, 2 p.m. ET, at Stadium 974 in Doha (FOX)
History at the World Cup
Appearances: 9 (first in 1938)
Best Result: Third Place (1974, 1982)
Poland doesn’t have the storied history of many large European nations at the World Cup. The Poles only made the World Cup one time in the first nine iterations of this competition. They only played one match at the 1938 World Cup, but it was one of the most famous matches of all-time. Ernest Wilimowski scored four goals against Brazil, yet the Brazilians won a 6-5 thriller in extra time.
It took a long time for Poland to make it to the World Cup again. The Polish next made it to the biggest stage in 1974 with what was their best performance ever. Poland was dominant in the Group Stage with wins over Argentina, Italy, and Haiti to make it to the next round. They proceeded to knock off Sweden and Yugoslavia in close matches to set up a game with West Germany for a spot in the World Cup Final. Poland fell 1-0 to the eventual champions in Frankfurt but managed to beat Brazil in the third-place game.
The Eagles were very competitive at the 1978 World Cup, and they made it to the semifinals the following cycle. Poland topped a group with Italy, Cameroon, and Peru at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, and they then bested the Soviet Union and Belgium to make it into the semifinals. They were unable to beat eventual champions Italy, but they knocked off France in the third-place match.
We saw Poland make the Round of 16 in 1986, but the Poles have been unable to reach the knockout rounds since that point. They were one of the most disappointing teams in 2018, as they were expected to advance from a group with Colombia, Senegal and Japan and instead finished in last place.
What to Watch
It all starts with Robert Lewandowski for Poland. Lewandowski is the greatest player in national team history with a record 75 goals and 129 caps. He may go down as the greatest scorer in the history of the Bundesliga, as he has a whopping 236 goals in 250 games with Bayern Munich. Lewandowski only trails Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of Champions League goals too. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had much success at the World Cup as teams fully focus their attention on him.
Krzysztof Piatek, Adam Buksa, and Arkadiusz Milik are the other forwards for Poland. Milik will be a welcome addition after he missed the European Championship last year, hopefully taking some of the onus off Lewandowski.
There isn’t as much talent in the midfield and along the back line. Grzegorz Krychowiak is a solid No. 10, and Piotr Zielinski can make things happen too. However, Kamil Grosicki is past his prime, and Kamil Glik is no longer an elite defender.
Poland does have a superb goalkeeper in Wojciech Szczesny. He is now the clear first choice in net after Lukasz Fabianski retired from international play last year.
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