an away game against the Netherlands, the Poles lost 1–0. Then, Poland made a trip to Bosnia; the Bosnian team, including Edin Džeko, had held Italy 1–1 away before. However, Poland managed a comeback from a goal down, with Kamil Glik and Kamil Grosicki scoring to beat Bosnia 2–1. In October, Poland hosted Italy and Bosnia at home; a goalless draw with Italy combined with a 3–0 win over Bosnia made them temporarily occupy the top spot of the group. However, in November, Poland suffered a 2–0 defeat despite Italy being depleted by COVID-19. Poland lost to the Netherlands 2–1 at home, ending in third place. Poland participated in UEFA Euro 2020, postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19. A 2–1 loss to Slovakia, followed by a 1–1 draw to Spain, preceded a 3–2 defeat to Sweden to eliminate the Poles. 2022–present: Resurgence Poland advanced to the second round (play-offs) of World Cup qualification to determine the final three European teams that will join the group winners at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Poland was scheduled to face Russia in Moscow on 24 March 2022 in the semifinal of a four-team playoff bracket that also included Sweden and the Czech Republic. However, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIFA indefinitely suspended Russia from all international competition. Poland advanced automatically to the play-off finals, where they defeated Sweden to qualify. At the 2022 World Cup, Poland was drawn into the 2022 FIFA World Cup Group C, where they were scheduled to play against Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. The first match ended with a goalless draw against Mexico. Goals from Piotr Zieliński and Robert Lewandowski secured Poland a 2–0 win against Saudi Arabia in the second match. Following their loss to Argentina, Poland advanced to the knockout stage ahead of Mexico on goal difference, to be their first qualification since 1986. During the match Wojciech Szczęsny denied Lionel Messi on a penalty kick opportunity. Szczęsny became the third keeper ever to stop two penalties in a single World Cup, with the others being Brad Friedel in 2002 for the USA and Jan Tomaszewski in 1974, also for Poland. In the round of 16, Poland lost 3–1 to France, in which Robert Lewandowski scored a penalty in the stoppage time. Team image Names The official FIFA country code for Poland is POL. This abbreviation is used to identify the team in