Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina begin their 2026-27 UEFA Nations League campaigns at the PGE Narodowy on Friday evening, with two of Europe’s great goalscorers inevitably commanding much of the attention.

Robert Lewandowski remains the focal point for a Polish side attempting to recover from the disappointment of missing the World Cup, while Edin Dzeko is approaching the end of his extraordinary international career after helping Bosnia reach the knockout stages in North America.

There is plenty at stake beyond the individual storylines. Sweden and Romania complete a competitive League B Group 4, and both Poland and Bosnia will regard promotion as a realistic objective.

Poland need to rediscover their momentum

Poland were not far away from arriving at this Nations League campaign in a very different mood. Jan Urban’s side had gone seven matches unbeaten heading into their World Cup playoff against Sweden in March, winning five and drawing twice with the Netherlands during that sequence.

The playoff proved considerably more painful. Poland twice recovered from falling behind, only for Viktor Gyökeres to score an 88th-minute winner in a 3-2 Swedish victory. After reaching four consecutive major tournaments between Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup, Poland were absent from the global stage this summer.

Their response has so far been underwhelming. Ukraine beat Poland 2-0 in a May friendly before Urban’s team drew 2-2 with Nigeria three days later. That means the White-Reds enter Friday’s game without a victory in three matches.

There is therefore some pressure to change the atmosphere in Warsaw. The Nations League also provides Poland with an opportunity to rebuild after a difficult previous edition. Four defeats from six matches resulted in relegation from League A, ending their uninterrupted stay in the competition’s top division since its introduction in 2018.

Their objective now is straightforward: get back there. Urban has retained plenty of familiar figures but has also continued refreshing the squad. Wojciech Mońka, Kacper Potulski, Norbert Wojtuszek and Wiktor Nowak were among the less experienced names included in his initial selection, although Wojtuszek and Mateusz Żukowski were subsequently omitted from the final squad for Friday’s match.

What has not changed is Poland’s reliance on Lewandowski. Now 38, the country’s record goalscorer is playing his club football in MLS with Chicago Fire, but remains the obvious reference point in Urban’s attack. His presence should allow Karol Świderski to operate alongside or around him, while Piotr Zieliński and Sebastian Szymański offer creativity from deeper positions.

Nicola Zalewski and Matty Cash provide width, although Urban does have attacking absences to negotiate. Adrian Benedyczak is unavailable with a broken wrist, while Filip Rózga misses out because of a muscular problem.

That makes Poland’s experienced core particularly important. Lewandowski may no longer be at the peak of his powers, but the quality of service around him remains substantial. If Zieliński and Szymański can establish control in central areas and Cash can advance from the right, Bosnia’s defence will spend much of the evening dealing with deliveries towards one of the finest penalty-box strikers of his generation.

The concern lies at the opposite end. Poland have conceded seven goals across their last three matches, and Bosnia arrive with forwards capable of exploiting any uncertainty.

Dzeko’s farewell adds another dimension for Bosnia

Bosnia-Herzegovina enter the Nations League from a position of considerably greater optimism. Their appearance at the 2026 World Cup was only the second in the country’s history, following their debut in Brazil 12 years earlier. This time they went a step further, reaching the knockout stage for the first time before their campaign came to an end.

For Sergej Barbarez, the challenge is now to prove that the summer was the beginning of something rather than an isolated success. The Bosnia coach said when announcing his Nations League squad that the World Cup had put the country back on the football map, but also acknowledged that maintaining that level would be an even more demanding task.

His side begin with consecutive away matches against Poland and Romania before returning to Zenica to face Sweden and Poland. It is a demanding schedule, and Barbarez has acknowledged that injuries, limited playing time and recent club moves complicated his squad selection.

One player remains reassuringly familiar. Dzeko is expected to lead the attack in Warsaw as his international career enters its final weeks. The veteran striker has announced that he intends to step away from the national team after this window, bringing down the curtain on a career in which he has become both Bosnia’s record appearance-maker and record goalscorer.

There is a neat symmetry to Friday’s fixture as a result. Lewandowski and Dzeko have spent much of the last two decades among Europe’s most prolific centre-forwards, and both remain hugely important to their countries as they approach the end of their careers.

Bosnia are not simply dependent on Dzeko, though. Ermedin Demirović offers mobility alongside him, while Kerim Alajbegović can provide creativity behind the forwards. At the back, Nikola Katić, Stjepan Radeljić and Tarik Muharemović are among Barbarez’s central defensive options, with Nikola Vasilj expected in goal.

Their biggest concern is their away record. Bosnia have found victories difficult to come by on the road, and their recent World Cup playoff success against Wales required penalties after a 1-1 draw. Facing Poland at a packed national stadium represents another significant test.

Yet the visitors should not lack belief. While Poland spent the summer watching the World Cup from home, Bosnia experienced the confidence that comes from competing successfully on the biggest stage. Against a Polish side that has not won since before the March playoffs, Barbarez will see an opportunity.

There is also relatively little mystery between these nations. They last shared a Nations League group in 2020, when Poland won both meetings, including a 3-0 victory in Warsaw.

The teams have changed substantially since then, but Bosnia will need a better answer to Poland’s physical and technical quality this time around.

Verdict

This feels considerably less straightforward for Poland than home advantage might suggest. Urban still has an experienced spine and, with Lewandowski supported by Zieliński, Szymański and Świderski, there should be enough attacking quality to create chances against Bosnia. The PGE Narodowy also gives Poland an ideal setting in which to reset after a difficult few months.

Bosnia, however, should arrive with confidence from their World Cup campaign. Dzeko and Demirović give them a genuine threat up front, while Poland’s recent defensive record offers encouragement that opportunities will come.

The hosts’ greater depth and home advantage may eventually tell, but Bosnia look capable of making this a difficult evening.

Tip: Poland to win