How the U-20 World Cup was positioned to propel women’s football forward

This is an installment of our monthly series, “Soccer in ___.” Each article takes you inside the women’s game in a different part of the world. Whether through players’ stories, a standout moment or a snapshot of the history of the sport in a particular nation, the purpose of this series is to bring the world of women’s soccer closer together as we prepare for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil — the first Women’s World Cup to be played in South America.

We previously took you toCanada,Mexico,Paraguay,ColombiaandMalawi. This month, we’re going to Poland.

Poland were inches from extending their hopeful run at the 2026 Under-20 Women’s World Cup. As the match clock ticked away, the tournament hosts’ goal attempts against Colombia kept coming.

With seven minutes left in a then goalless round of 16 match last Thursday, striker Oliwia Związek jabbed at a loose ball in front of the net, narrowly failing to get it past two defenders and the goalkeeper. Moments later, another valiant attempt came from defender Jagoda Cyraniak, who sprinted down the left flank and delivered a cross that floated dangerously close to Colombia’s net.

But heartbreak came in the final minute of regular time. As defender Martyna Bartczak slid to block Mariana Silva’s cross for Colombia, she inadvertently deflected it into her own goal. Despite nearly twice as many attempts, Poland’s run came to an agonizing end.

While this loss “hurts badly,” as Poland goalkeeper Julia Wozniak told FIFA after the game, hosting one of the nation’s first major women’s football tournaments should still be celebrated. It was among one of the best performances of any Polish women’s team, following the under-17s’ quarterfinal run in their age group’s World Cup in 2024, where they lost 1-0 to eventual champions North Korea, and the Under-17 European Championship won in 2013.

“This is a big thing for Polish women’s football,” Wozniak said. “This shows how much we have developed and how much potential there is. We have beautiful things waiting for us. This is a big step for women’s football, and we can be proud of it.”

For Poland, debutants in the competition, this tournament will be remembered as an important milestone in the nation’s aggressive push to help grow the women’s game.

The country has spent several years spearheading a series of initiatives to help grow the sport there, kickstarted by establishing a women’s football department in 2022.

The Polish Football Association (PZPN) proceeded to launch its first women’s football strategy, called “Time for Us,” which was meticulously outlined in a 48-page paper painting a vibrant picture for the future of women’s football.

Some of its lofty ambitions have already been met, including finding a title sponsor for the game’s top domestic professional league, the Ekstraliga, qualifying for the 2025 European Championship in Switzerland and organizing women’s football events with international reach, such as this Under-20 World Cup.

The scheme was the result of an 11-month process that spanned research, workshops and consultations with stakeholders across the football community, both on the men’s and women’s sides. It involved more than interviews and surveys, sampling more than 1,300 people. UEFA and FIFA also provided significant support Poland’s national women’s team captain and three-time Ballon d’Or Feminin nominee Ewa Pajor was also involved

“Since I made my first football steps, a lot has changed in Poland in women’s football,” Pajor wrote in the document. “Today, a girl playing football no longer causes such a sensation as she once did. We are appearing more frequently in the media, and broadcasts of the Polish national team and Ekstraliga matches are standard. We have made progress in recent years, but we cannot rest on our laurels, because there is still much to be done.

“We need support and a long-term plan to accelerate the development of women’s football and strengthen our position in a country where, after all, the sport we practice is the most popular. … Just like on the pitch, a well-thought-out strategy is crucial if you want to succeed.”

The 29-year-old Barcelona striker debuted professionally at 15 and did so in style, with two goals for Medyk Konin in an Ekstraliga game. She then led Poland to win that U-17 Euros title in 2013, before making her senior international appearance that same year. In 2015, she signed with Wolfsburg in Germany, where she scored 135 times in 196 appearances across nine seasons. She moved to then reigning European champions Barca in 2024, winning her first Champions League in May this year at her sixth attempt.

“Pajor is an incredible role model for young players in Poland,” women’s national team head coach Nina Patalon said in a 2025 interview with ESPN. “Her journey from grassroots football to becoming a top striker at Barcelona is an inspiration for many.

“Many young girls who once hesitated to take up football now see it as a real career path.”

Pajor is the Poland women’s team’s record goalscorer with 71, a milestone she surpassed in 2022. She remains one of the team’s biggest strengths and was key in their transformative Euros campaign last year. It was the team’s first major tournament, and they drew more than two million viewers back home for their opening match against Germany — a significant spike from their previous record of roughly 600,000.

The hope remains that Poland can continue this historic momentum by qualifying for a first Women’s World Cup in 2027 — which is, arguably, the most important goal set by the association in its ambitious four-year plan.

The team must first advance past Belgium over two legs in the first round of UEFA playoff matches next month to continue their route toward the finals in Brazil, with a further home-and-away tie against Kazakhstan or the Republic of Ireland to potentially follow in November and December.

The PZPN is betting on this interest, hoping to fuel the present attention on women’s football through its four-pronged approach.

The strategy specifically targets participation, professionalization of women’s football, increasing the sport’s visibility and image and investing in education and awareness. The hope is that by taking practical steps, including investing in free football festivals for girls in each region of the country, it can increase participation at the youth level.

Hosting the Under-20 Women’s World Cup also fuels visibility, which is why the PZPN earmarked hosting such competitions as a priority.

Last year, Poland also staged the Under-19 Women’s European Championship and next May, the 2027 UEFA Women’s Champions League final will be played in Warsaw’s Narodowy stadium. Essentially, Poland went from never hosting a major women’s competition to being the venue for three in a row.

“The Women’s Champions League final will be … an important opportunity to promote Poland’s image across Europe and around the world,” PZPN’s general secretary Lukasz Wachowski said at the time of the announcement. “On that day, the heart of the footballing world will once again beat in Warsaw.”

This weekend, in the city of Lodz, Spain and North Korea will meet to decide this U-20 World Cup’s winner. Though it can no longer be Poland, the hope remains that, after the final whistle on Sunday, the tournament’s legacy will be the new generation of Polish women’s footballers it inspired.

Poland, Women’s Soccer, FIFA Women’s World Cup

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