Poland played their first official women's football match in 1981. The country's links with the sport go back a long way, although their UEFA Women's EURO 2025 play-off second leg win over Austria on 3 December 2024 was the first time they had qualified for a major tournament. It represents the dawn of a new era for them.

“(It was a) great joy and satisfaction that we accomplished what we had planned for ourselves, and above all we were a team from start to finish - the players on the field, the reserves and the staff,” coach Nina Patalon told Inside FIFA. “Especially since our road to the EURO was not easy. However, during this year we gathered a lot of valuable experience and we survived difficult moments. Our perseverance brought a beautiful result.”

Her emotions are still palpable. She has achieved a remarkable feat, thanks to years of hard work and dedication. After all, the Polish Football Association has worked tirelessly to put women's football in the spotlight in the country. By way of example, last October's UEFA EURO qualifier against Romania drew a record crowd of 8,849, while Poland's meeting with Austria was watched at home by some 600,000 fans.

“The successes we have achieved in the past year confirm that we are heading down the right path,” said Patalon. “We are aware that if we had not taken concrete steps a few years ago, we would not be able to enjoy our current achievements. Popularisation of women's football in Poland is a process, requiring constant attention and implementation of many projects. The guidelines in our strategy drive our progress and decisions.”

Strategy is the name of the game. This term ties in with FIFA's Women's Football Strategy 2024-2027 and the Women's Football Development programme that guided Poland through the process. Festivals were held in 16 provinces and attended by over 1,600 girls, thanks to the support of world football's governing body. A FIFA-led workshop also brought together key stakeholders to organise and finance the so-called Strategy for the Development of Women's Football in Poland.

“Our activities concern not only the youngest. We also carry out projects indicating that football is not just one career path - after all, it is female coaches, referees or staff members,” added Patalon. “At the Polish Football Association, we also believe that the popularity of the discipline is built not only by sports successes and grassroots initiatives, but also by the organisation of major international sports events.”

Poland is due to host the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Poland 2026™, after successfully organising the men's competition seven years previously. The buzz is expected to be huge, especially as the Polish U-20 team is set to be dominated by players who managed to secure a historic spot at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™, where they performed impressively and advanced beyond the group stage.

“This is the first time that Poland will be the organiser of an event of this stature in women's football. This is a special honour for us,” said Patalon. “In the career of any athlete it is particularly important to develop their skills and test them against the best possible opponents. Championship events provide such opportunities. I am convinced that these events will have a positive impact on the development of the players' careers and the popularisation of women's football in Poland. This very generation of female football players has the opportunity to participate in the next international tournament of championship rank, which is definitely the future of the Polish Women's National Team.”

The future looks bright, all the more so as no player in the current Poland senior team is over 28. The coach, who has not yet turned 40, is also one of the world’s youngest women in this position. In fact, she was one of the ‘students’ on the FIFA Coach Mentorship Programme for women five years ago. Patalon's mentor was Swedish coach Anna Signeul.

“The FIFA Coach Mentorship Program enabled me to gain an international perspective, allowed me to meet great passionate and professional people, and enriched me with important competencies in team management. Thanks to working with Anna, with whom I still have a very good rapport to this day, I was able to gain distance from my work and take a broader view of the functioning of the entire staff. Touching the elite level and learning about it from the ground up showed me that anyone can spread their wings, they just need the opportunities and conditions created.”

The coach and her Orlice (Eaglesses), as the national team is known, have well and truly spread their wings. They now fly high in the world rankings (28th), following their best ever progression on points in the latest edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking.

“The work of a Head Coach is rich in many difficult, but also wonderful moments. I am proud that we have built a team composed of people who care a lot about the development of women's soccer in Poland,” Patalon concluded “I also know what a long and bumpy road I have travelled, requiring me to make many sacrifices. However, it is a journey of a lifetime, which brings a lot of satisfaction. I believe that the best moments are still ahead of me.”