page_title: Poland national football team
section_title: 2001–2006: Rebuild
hierarchical_section_title: Poland national football team / History / 2001–2006: Rebuild
caption_attribution_description: Tomasz Frankowski
context_page_description: The Poland national football team has represented Poland in men's international football competitions since their first match in 1921. The team is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland.
  Poland has competed at eight FIFA World Cups with their first appearance being in 1938 where they were eliminated by Brazil. The country's best result is a bronze medal which Poland won in 1974 and 1982, with this era being regarded as the golden era of Polish international football. At the UEFA European Championship, Poland's best result was a quarter-finals appearance at the 2016 tournament before losing to Portugal. Overall they have competed in three European Championships with their debut being in 2008. They were co-hosts of the 2012 edition, along with Ukraine. Overall, Poland's best ever result in international football tournaments was the gold medal won at the 1972 Munich Olympics, along with winning the silver medal on two occasions; at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
context_section_description: Poland qualifying for the 2002 World Cup was significant, as it was Poland's first appearance at the World Cup finals since 1986. Poland's biggest win overall in the qualifying phase was a 4–0 win over Armenia, while Poland's biggest defeat was a 1–4 defeat to Belarus.
  The Polish drew a group featuring South Korea, the United States and Portugal. The first match was played with South Korea on 4 June; with Poland losing 2–0. The second game was with Portugal on 10 June; which Poland lost 4–0. Poland then played the United States in the final group game on 14 June; winning 3–1 with goals from Olisadebe, Kryszałowicz and Żewłakow. Despite the win, Poland finished last in the group, with a goal difference of –4 and 3 points.
  Poland's qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup was overall successful; as they won eight and lost two, without a single draw. They finished behind England in the qualifying group; but as a result of being the second best second-placed team in the play-offs, they qualified automatically for the finals in Germany. The biggest win of the qualifying phase for Poland was an 8–0 victory over Azerbaijan, in which Tomasz Frankowski scored a hat-trick. The biggest defeat of the qualifying phase for Poland were two defeats against England, losing both home and away games by a scoreline of 1–2.
  At the 2006 World Cup, Poland drew Germany, Ecuador and Costa Rica in Group A. Despite high hopes from the Polish press, media and fans, Poland's campaign at the World Cup was seen as an underachievement; as Poland lost two and won one game, finishing third in the group. Poland's first match was a 2–0 defeat to Ecuador, followed by a 1–0 defeat to Germany, with Oliver Neuville scoring a stoppage time winning goal; with the defeat to Germany, and following Ecuador's 3–0 win over Costa Rica, officially ending Poland's chances of advancing further than the group. The third and final group game saw Poland defeat Costa Rica 2–1; with Bartosz Bosacki getting on the scoresheet twice.
caption: Tomasz Frankowski; top goalscorer during Poland's 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, with 7 goals, including a hat-trick against Azerbaijan.
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