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Football: Poland to play Tunisia in 2026 World Cup opener if they qualify

08.12.2025 16:45
Poland will open their 2026 World Cup campaign against Tunisia on June 15 at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Mexico, if they advance through the playoffs in March, according to a detailed tournament schedule released over the weekend.
Poland coach Jan Urban.
Poland coach Jan Urban.Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański

The match in cross-continental Group F would kick off at 4 a.m. Warsaw time, state news agency PAP reported.

Poland to face Tunisia, Netherlands, Japan if playoffs successful

If Poland secure a berth through the two-stage playoffs, they will face Tunisia, the Netherlands and Japan in the group stagefollowing draw in Washington on Friday.

Poland would play the Netherlands on June 20 at Houston Stadium in Houston, Texas, at 7 p.m. Warsaw time, and Japan on June 26 at AT&T/Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, at 1 a.m. Warsaw time, football's global governing body FIFA announced on Saturday.

Reactions among Polish football officials and analysts were mixed after the group-stage lineup was revealed.

Coach Jan Urban said the potential group "seems quite strong, with some interesting matches lined up—of course if we make the tournament."

He added that he was focused on the playoffs and did not want to speculate about the team's chances until qualification is secured.

Two-stage, single-leg playoffs

Poland will host Albania in a playoff semifinal on March 26, following last month's draw in Zurich.

If they win, they will face either Ukraine or Sweden in a playoff final on March 31 for a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Sixteen European teams will vie for the four remaining World Cup berths in two-stage, single-leg playoffs in March.

They include 12 runner-up teams from the qualifying groups, Poland among them, and a further four sides which performed well in the Nations League.

48-team World Cup in North America

Poland are ranked No. 31 worldwide by FIFA. Meanwhile, the Netherlands are in seventh place; Japan are ranked 18th; and Tunisia are at No. 40 in the FIFA table.

The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will feature a total of 48 teams, 16 more than in Qatar 2022.

Poland reached the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar before being eliminated by eventual runners-up France.

In 2018, the Polish team suffered an early exit from the global tournament in Russia.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP