Poland were hugely disappointing when finishing bottom of the group at Euro 2020 but ran England close twice in qualifying, losing 2-1 at Wembley and scoring a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at home.
Russia’s ban set up a play-off against Sweden to reach Qatar, which they won 2-0.
Here’s everything you need to know about Poland…
Coach: CzesÅaw Michniewicz. Former Under-21 coach was only drafted in in January ahead of crucial Sweden play-off.
Captain: Robert Lewandowski. Lethal Barcelona forward still yet to truly stamp his mark on an international tournament.
Star player: Beyond Lewandowski, Piotr Zielinski is another in superb form at Napoli.
One to watch: Nicola Zalewski. Born and raised in Italy, 20-year-old has become a regular for Jose Mourinho’s Roma this season.
Odds to win: 200/1
World ranking: 26th
Best thing about them: Opener against Mexico could define their tournament and comes on just third day.
Worst thing about them: Seem to have lost some defensive solidity and recent World Cup record is poor.
Their prospects in three words: Last-16, at best.
Fixtures (all times GMT)
November 22 vs Mexico (10am)
November 26 vs Saudi Arabia (1pm)
November 30 vs Argentina (7pm)
Squad in full
Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczesny, Bartlomiej Dragowski, Lukasz Skorupski
Defenders: Jan Bednarek, Kamil Glik, Robert Gumny, Artur Jedrzejczyk, Jakub Kiwior, Mateusz Wieteska, Bartosz Bereszynski, Matty Cash, Nicola Zalewski
Midfielders: Krystian Bielik, Przemyslaw Frankowski, Kamil Grosicki, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Jakub Kaminski, Michal Skoras, Damian Szymanski, Sebastian Szymanski, Piotr Zielinski, Szymon Zurkowski
Forwards: Krystian Bielik, Przemyslaw Frankowski, Kamil Grosicki, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Jakub Kaminski, Michal Skoras, Damian Szymanski, Sebastian Szymanski, Piotr Zielinski, Szymon Zurkowski