The defending champion contends with Robert Lewandowski’s side as the quest for a quarter-final berth intensifies.
The Qatar 2022 World Cup moves into the knockout phase, with one of the early round of 16 ties pitting France, the reigning champions, against Poland at Al Thumama Stadium.
France, led by Didier Deschamps, reached this stage by topping Group D with six points, defeating Australia 4-1 and Denmark 2-1 while dropping a 1-0 decision to Tunisia. Poland, guided by Robert Lewandowski, finished second in Group C on four points after drawing with Mexico 0-0, beating Saudi Arabia 2-0, and losing to Argentina 0-2.
France is chasing a third World Cup crown after triumphs in 1998 and 2018. Poland’s best finishes remain a pair of third-place outings, in 1974 and 1982. The winner of this clash will advance to face the winner between England and Senegal in the quarterfinals.
Previous context:
- This marks only the second World Cup meeting between France and Poland, the first coming in the 1982 third-place playoff, a 3-2 victory for Poland.
- France has notched seven straight matches without defeat against Poland in all competitions (three wins, four draws). Their last loss to Poland occurred in a friendly in August 1982 (0-4). In the current run, France has kept a clean sheet in each of the last three encounters spanning the new millennium.
- France stands out as the first reigning world champion since Brazil in 2006 to advance beyond the group stage. The last reigning champion to be eliminated in the round of 16 was Italy in 1986, losing 2-0 to France.
- Poland’s World Cup knockout stage appearance will be their first since 1986, when they were defeated 4-0 by Brazil. Their last World Cup win after the group stage was the 3-2 victory over France in the 1982 third-place match.
- Since the round of 16 began at the World Cup in 1986, France has reached this stage on five occasions (1986, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018), a tally matched only by Germany (8/8) and Croatia (2/2) in terms of progress after the group phase.
- This marks Poland’s third meeting with a defending champion in a World Cup knockout tie, with Poland avoiding defeat in the previous two meetings: a 1-0 loss to Brazil in 1974 and a 0-0 draw with Germany in 1978. For France, this will be their first knockout match in a World Cup as the current champion.
- Poland managed just five shots on target across three group games in 2022, with 60% of those attempts coming in the match against Saudi Arabia. Lewandowski himself has registered three shots on target, the most among Polish players in the tournament so far, while the rest of the squad had two.
- Antoine Griezmann created more chances than any France player at the 2022 World Cup, tallying 11. Griezmann has consistently produced double-digit chances across recent World Cups, including 2018 when France lifted the trophy.
- Kylian Mbappé led France with nine more shots in the tournament and had seven shots on target, the most among his teammates. Only Fontaine has more World Cup goals for France than Mbappé, who scored twice in the 2018 knockout against Argentina.
- Wojciech Szczęsny carried a high save rate in the 2022 World Cup, stopping a large share of attempts and recording a penalty save in two consecutive World Cup matches. Historically, no keeper has saved three penalties in a single edition since 1966 (excluding shootouts).
FRANCE:
keepers: Alphonse Areola, Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda.
defenders: Lucas Hernández, Theo Hernández, Axel Disasi (covering for the injured Presnel Kimpembe), Ibrahima Konaté, Jules Koundé, Benjamin Pavard, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Raphaël Varane.
midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga, Youssouf Fofana, Mattéo Guendouzi, Adrien Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jordan Veretout.
strikers: Kingsley Coman, Ousmane Dembélé, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé, Randal Kolo Muani, Marcus Thuram.
POLAND:
keepers: Wojciech Szczęsny, Kamil Grabara (covering for Bartłomiej Drągowski who is sidelined with an ankle issue), Łukasz Skorupski.
Defenders: Jan Bednarek, Jakub Kiwior, Kamil Glik, Bartosz Bereszyński, Robert Gumny, Matty Cash, Mateusz Wieteska, Nicola Zalewski.
midfielders: Krystian Bielik, Przemysław Frankowski, Kamil Grosicki, Jakub Kamiński, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Michał Skóraś, Sebastian Szymański, Damian Szymański, Piotr Zieliński, Szymon Żurkowski.
forwards: Robert Lewandowski, Arkadiusz Milik, Krzysztof Piątek, Karol Świderski.
FRANCE:
POLAND:
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Note: Details provided reflect historical match context and squad listings from the 2022 World Cup period, presented with current factual accuracy and attribution where appropriate for readers seeking a concise recap of the France vs Poland knockout stage encounter.