FIFA World Cup 2026 Playoff Final — Sweden vs. Poland. The winner goes to the World Cup in America, the loser stays home. For 37-year-old Lewandowski, this is probably his last chance to play in the tournament, whose final will take place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — two hours away from Polish Greenpoint.
Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 8:45 PM Polish time (CET)
US Times:
🕑 2:45 PM ET (New York, New Jersey, Florida)
🕐 1:45 PM CT (Chicago, Houston, Dallas)
🕛 11:45 AM PT (Los Angeles, California)
📍 Strawberry Arena, Solna (Stockholm)
📺 TVP 1, TVP Sport, tvpsport.pl, Pilot WP
👉 Full match preview on poland.us →
The Stakes: Group F with Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia
The winner of tomorrow’s match will join Group F of the 2026 World Cup — alongside the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia. If Poland qualifies, their group stage matches would be played in Dallas (vs. Japan), Monterrey, Mexico (vs. Tunisia), and Houston (vs. Netherlands). These are three cities with a large Polish diaspora presence — especially Houston, where Forum Polonia has been organizing events for the Polish community for years. And the World Cup final itself is scheduled for MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which will be renamed “New York New Jersey Stadium” for the tournament. For the Polish community in America, this World Cup is not an abstraction — it’s a tournament within reach.
Road to the Playoff Final
Poland reached the playoff final after a 2-1 victory over Albania in the semi-final on March 26. The match was not easy — the Poles were losing before Robert Lewandowski and Piotr Zieliński turned the tide. This is typical of Jan Urban’s team: they don’t dominate, but they don’t lose. Urban, who took over the national team after a conflict between the previous coach Michał Probierz and Lewandowski, is undefeated in seven consecutive matches — five wins and two draws. The atmosphere in the team is the best in years.
Sweden advanced through the semi-final with more flair — they crushed Ukraine 3-1 on neutral ground in Spain, with Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres being the hero, scoring a hat-trick. Graham Potter, who took over the Swedish squad in October after a terrible year under Jon Dahl Tomasson, immediately transformed the team. But the Swedes have lost important players: Alexander Isak, Dejan Kulusevski, and Isak Hien are injured, and Gabriel Gudmundsson’s participation is questionable. Poland, however, has a full squad — which could prove decisive in an all-or-nothing match.
History says: we won’t win. But history has been wrong before
Pre-match statistics are not optimistic. Poland has not won in Sweden since 1930 — that’s ninety-six years without a victory on Swedish soil. The last three visits to Solna ended in defeats: 2-0 in 1999, 3-0 in 2003, and 3-1 in 2004. At Euro 2020, Sweden defeated Poland 3-2. Bookmakers give the Poles only a 24.5% chance of winning.
But there is one memory that could change the mood in the locker room: exactly four years ago, in March 2022, in an identical situation — a World Cup playoff — Poland faced Sweden. That match was played in Chorzów and ended 2-0 for the white-and-reds. Goals were scored by Lewandowski and Zieliński — the same players who defeated Albania on Thursday. The team’s institutional memory is an asset here — these players know how to beat Sweden when everything is at stake.
Predicted Lineups
Poland (coach Jan Urban): Grabara — Kędziora, Bednarek, Kiwior — Cash, Szymański, Zieliński, Zalewski — Skóraś, Kamiński — Lewandowski
Sweden (coach Graham Potter): Nordfeldt — Lagerbielke, Starfelt, Lindelöf — Johansson, Ayari, Karlström, Gudmundsson — Elanga, Nygren — Gyökeres
Key return for Poland: Nicola Zalewski, suspended for cards in the semi-final, returns to the squad and strengthens the left wing. On Sweden’s side, the biggest threat is Gyökeres — the Arsenal striker who scored three goals in the semi-final against Ukraine and is in the form of his life.
Where to Watch
The match starts at 2:45 PM ET (8:45 PM Polish time). In the USA, the broadcast is available on streaming platforms — check your local UEFA European Qualifiers broadcaster. Polish stations also broadcast live. For fans in New York, Chicago, or New Jersey who cannot travel to Solna — this is a match worth staying home for, at a Polish bar, or with friends, and keeping your fingers crossed. Because if Lewandowski scores tomorrow in Sweden, this summer we might see him in Dallas, Houston, and — who knows — maybe at MetLife Stadium in the final.
Editorial Staff, Voice of Polonia in the USA
Sweden — Poland | UEFA World Cup 2026 Playoff Final | Tuesday, March 31, 2:45 PM ET | Strawberry Arena, Solna, Sweden
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