Poland is favored heading into its upcoming match against Latvia, building on a dominant performance in their previous encounters during the 2024 European Championship qualifiers. Poland secured decisive victories in both games – 31:14 on their home court and 37:19 in Valmiera – and also won both matches during the 1994 European Championship qualification process (26:19 in Bauska and 27:12 at home). While Latvia has improved and gained experience since those previous meetings, Poland remains the clear favorite.
Despite no longer boasting the same level of dominance after the retirement of several key players – their last major medal was a bronze at the 2015 World Championship – Poland still possesses a formidable squad. Kamil Syprzak, a veteran of the 2015 World Championship team, remains a key figure, though he has faced challenges with previous coaching staff and missed the recent European Championship due to injury.
New head coach Žotas Gonzales, who will dedicate himself fully to the Polish national team after concluding his season with Lisbon’s Benfica, is hoping to revitalize the program. Gonzales previously enjoyed success in Spain, leading Logrono la Rioja to three second-place finishes and reaching the EHF Cup semi-finals twice, earning ASOBAL League Coach of the Year honors on two occasions.
Syprzak’s impressive resume includes four Spanish League titles with FC Barcelona and six French League titles with Paris Saint-Germain, where he played alongside Dainis Kristopāns for three seasons, forming a strong partnership. He was named EHF Champions League Line Player of the Year in 2022 and top scorer in 2024, solidifying his status as Poland’s most prominent player.
The Polish roster features seven players from Champions League clubs, including four from KS Iskra Kielce: playmakers Piotr Jendraszczak and Michał Olejniczak, left winger Piotr Jarosiewicz (who has scored 90 goals in the Polish Super League this season), and experienced right winger Arkadiusz Morito (a member of the national team since 2017 and a four-time Super League top scorer). Syprzak represents PSG, while Andžejs Widomski (North Macedonia’s Eurofarm Pelister) and Damjan Pžitul (Croatia’s RK Zagreb) complete the Champions League contingent.
Miloš Valah, goalkeeper from Skopje’s Vardar (North Macedonia), is considered one of the top players in the EHF European League, and another goalkeeper, from Swiss champion Kadetten Schaffhausen, has scored 51 goals in the European League this season. Macej Gambala, a line player from Germany’s HC Erlangen, and 20-year-old Piotr Mielczarski, from Spanish ASOBAL League club Bidasoa Irun, also feature in the squad.
Interestingly, the Polish team does not include any players from the current Polish champion or the other Polish team competing in the Champions League, Plock’s Orlen Wisla. However, the roster does include Mikołaj Czapliński, the Super League’s leading scorer with 139 goals (82% shooting accuracy), and Mateusz Zembrzycki, the league’s top goalkeeper (30% save rate), both from Gdańsk’s Wybrzeże.
Injuries will sideline 212 cm tall left back Tomasz Gembala from Wybrzeże (younger brother of Macej) and goalkeeper Marcel Jastrzębski from Croatian club RK Nexe (Zembrzycki will take his place). Left back Szymon Sićko from Kielce, who has scored 66 goals in the Champions League this season, and Kielce’s goalkeeper Adam Morawski, one of Poland’s top goalkeepers, were also not called up.
