Poland missed out on qualification for the 48-nation 2026 World Cup after a 1-0 defeat to Greece in the UEFA play-off final. The result means Robert Lewandowski will not feature in the tournament held across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Greece secured its place through a second-half goal, ending Polish hopes of a third consecutive appearance at the finals, per Reuters.
Several other high-profile nations also failed to qualify for the expanded tournament. Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard will be absent after Norway finished third in its qualifying group behind Spain and Scotland. According to The Guardian, Sweden and its forward Alexander Isak also missed out after a play-off defeat to Austria earlier this week.
Despite the tournament expansion to 48 teams, the 37-year-old Lewandowski is now expected to consider his international future. The striker has scored 82 goals for his country but was unable to find a breakthrough against a disciplined Greek defence. The draw for the group stages takes place later this year, according to FIFA.
