About Poland

The Polish Football Association (PZPN) was established on 20 December 1919, building on an earlier autonomous Polish Football Union that had operated under the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1911. The PZPN joined FIFA on 20 April 1923 and affiliated with UEFA on 2 March 1955. During the Nazi occupation of Poland in World War II, all Polish institutions were dissolved and the occupying forces banned Poles from organising football matches — a dark chapter the federation formally acknowledged at its centenary celebrations in 2019, including the honouring of national team player Józef Klotz, murdered during the Holocaust.

Poland's greatest footballing achievements came in the 1970s and early 1980s. The national team finished third at the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany, with Grzegorz Lato winning the Golden Boot, and claimed bronze again at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. An Olympic gold medal followed at the 1972 Munich Games. More recently, Poland has produced Robert Lewandowski — widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers in the history of the game — who has been the cornerstone of the national team's qualifying campaigns and holds the record as Poland's all-time top scorer.

The PZPN has faced governance challenges, including a 2008 suspension by Poland's Olympic Committee for statutory violations. Cezary Kulesza assumed the presidency in August 2021 as the association sought to restore credibility and build on the footballing talent available to the national team.