Poland's performance in their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, led by Paulo Sousa, was respectable with twenty points in 10 games. They placed in the UEFA play-offs after finishing second in Group I, behind a formidable England team, and Sousa left to join Flamengo of Brazil, making room for Czeslaw Michniewicz to take over as manager. Poland advanced directly to the final round when their first opponents, Russia, were eliminated from the playoffs, earning them a trip to Qatar for the duration of