Poland vs Malta

PGE Narodowy is the venue as Poland and Malta go head-to-head in a lopsided 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. 

After a hugely disappointing 2024 that saw them exit the Euros at the group stage and suffer UEFA Nations League relegation, Poland started 2025 on a more positive note with a victory. Their unconvincing 1-0 home triumph came against 142nd-ranked Lithuania, but a World Cup qualifier against another low-ranked opponent in Malta (FIFA #168) presents a massive opportunity to secure back-to-back competitive wins for the first time in a year. Encouragingly, Michal Probierz’s men have avoided defeat in 13 of their last 14 World Cup qualifying games on home soil (W11, D2, L1). Furthermore, their three most recent such wins yielded clean sheets, putting them in pole position to register another routine win as they aim for their tenth World Cup finals appearance and third on the spin.

In the meantime, reaching the final tournament remains a distant dream for Malta, who have never won more than one game in a single World Cup qualifying campaign. They opened this cycle with a familiar day-one defeat to Finland (0-1), extending their winless World Cup qualifying streak to seven matches (D1, L6), with Emilio De Leo’s side conceding 12 unanswered goals since their last strike. As if that’s not troubling enough, the visitors have won just two away games in World Cup qualifying history since their first qualification attempt ahead of the 1974 tournament (W2, D3, L51). On top of that, it’s been over a decade since their last such victory!