Polish Football Association (PZPN) head Cezary Kulesza told a news conference that Urban, a former national team player and experienced coach, was "the right choice" to lead the team.
"Jan Urban was an excellent player and was also a member of our coaching staff in the past," Kulesza said. "He is a coach with a wealth of experience. I believe he is the right choice for the job."
Kulesza added that the search for a new coach — following Probierz’s resignation last month — took several weeks because the association wanted to select the most suitable candidate, state news agency PAP reported.
Urban said he would work to resolve any internal issues within the squad through direct communication with players.
"The best way to resolve problems is through conversation," Urban told reporters at the National Stadium in Warsaw. "That’s how I’ve always approached things. I want to hear from both sides.”
Jan Urban. Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański
The PZPN officially announced Urban's appointment on Wednesday.
Probierz stepped down on June 12 after a World Cup qualifying loss to Finland and a public falling-out with star striker Robert Lewandowski.
Urban, 63, is a seasoned coach with extensive experience in both domestic and international football.
As a player, he represented clubs including Zagłębie Sosnowiec, Górnik Zabrze and Spain’s Osasuna.
He earned 57 caps for Poland between 1985 and 1991, scoring seven goals and featuring in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Urban began his coaching career with youth teams in Spain before taking senior roles at clubs such as Legia Warsaw, Osasuna, Lech Poznań, Śląsk Wrocław, and most recently Górnik Zabrze, from which he was dismissed in April.
He has previously served as an assistant coach for the national team under Dutch manager Leo Beenhakker.
Who's the captain?
Poland suffered a humiliating 2-1 defeat to lower-ranked Finland in Helsinki on June 10, a loss that dealt a blow to the team’s chances of securing automatic qualification for next year’s tournament in North America.
Tensions had escalated after Probierz stripped Lewandowski of the captain’s armband, naming Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zieliński as his replacement.
Lewandowski said on June 8 he would no longer play under Probierz, citing a breakdown in trust—a stance he reiterated in an interview published a day later.
Kulesza said last month that the decision about Lewandowski's future with the national team would be up to the next coach.
'We simply cannot afford not to have Robert in this team'
Urban said in an interview on Wednesday that he would do everything he can to bring Lewandowski back to the national squad.
Speaking to the Polish Football Association’s official channel Łączy nas Piłka, Urban said he intends to meet with the Barcelona forward in person to discuss the way forward.
"Let’s imagine, because no one has said this yet, that Robert really is done with the national team and wants to focus solely on his club at the end of his career. That’s possible,” Urban said. “But I will do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen — because we all know the situation Polish football is in. As of today, we simply cannot afford not to have Robert in this team."
Urban added that Lewandowski has played a decisive role in Poland’s recent appearances at major international tournaments.
“To understand the full picture, I need to speak with him directly,” the coach said. “I won’t judge this situation from a distance. I won’t hesitate to travel to meet him — and there’s nothing wrong with that. Other coaches have done the same with players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.”
Urban declared that open dialogue would be key not just with Lewandowski, but across the entire team.
“Only through conversation can I form my own opinion about what happened and how to move forward,” he said. “Robert is an extremely important figure for our national team. His age? Sorry, but the numbers he’s putting up in La Liga — not in, say, Saudi Arabia — speak for themselves.”
Lewandowski, who turns 37 in August, is Poland’s all-time leader in both caps and goals, at 158 and 85 respectively.
Urban also said in the interview that he would speak with Zieliński to better understand his perspective.
Poland began its World Cup qualifying campaign in March with a 1-0 home win over Lithuania, followed by a 2-0 victory against Malta and the away defeat to Finland.
After three rounds of qualifiers, Poland sit third in their qualifying Group G with six points. Finland lead the group with seven points from three games, followed by the Netherlands with six points from two matches.
Poland will face the Netherlands away on September 4 and host Finland on September 7 in their next World Cup qualifiers.
The top two teams in each group will qualify automatically.
The 2026 World Cup will be held in June and July next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Poland reached the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar before being eliminated by eventual runners-up France.
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Source: IAR, PAP, TVP Info
Click on the audio player above for a report by Marcin Matuszewski.