NewsAssociation
Cezary Kulesza to stand for election to the UEFA Executive Committee
The Polish Football Association will endeavour to retain its position as a Member of the UEFA Executive Committee. On the one hand, it is a highly prestigious function; on the other, it makes it possible to participate in making management decisions which are vital for the development of European football. Today, the UEFA Executive Committee has 20 members (president, 6 vice-presidents, 13 members) from the individual football associations — typically the presidents of these associations. Poland is currently represented by Zbigniew Boniek, appointed as a Committee Member in 2017, when he was President of the Polish Football Association. His term of office is about to end. Following consultations with the vice-presidents of the Association, it was decided to designate the current President, Cezary Kulesza, to run for this position within the UEFA structures.
In the upcoming elections, which will take place in Belgrade as early as April, candidates from national federations (there is unofficial news that there will be a record number of them) will compete for a total of nine seats.
The Polish Football Association has gained considerable recognition from the European football headquarters in recent years. This was particularly true in terms of its efficiency in organising major sporting events, as well as building systemic solutions to support the development of football staff. In 2024, the PGE National Stadium hosted the UEFA Super Cup match between Real Madrid and Atalanta Bergamo. This was a major privilege for the Polish Football Association, which has been recognised by UEFA as a trustworthy partner.
Further, Poland will be the host country for the 2025 UEFA Conference League final and a number of key events related to women's football. Poland will host the 2025 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship, as well as the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. The Association has also applied to host the 2026/27 UEFA Women's Champions League finals and UEFA Women's Euro 2029.
The Polish men's national team won promotion to its fifth major international tournament in a row in 2024. Last year in Germany, it also played at its fifth consecutive EURO. It is vital for teams to regularly participate in championship tournaments.
Youth football has developed significantly in recent years, as evidenced by the success of the Polish junior national teams. In the 2022/23 season as many as three youth teams qualified for the European Championships. This is a better result than those achieved by associations from such countries as England, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. Moreover, October 2024 saw Poland's under-21 national team advance to the European championships. In December, this success was repeated by the Polish senior women's national team — for the first time in history. Earlier, their younger colleagues in the under-17 national team finished third in the European championships and reached the quarterfinals in the world championships, which marked their debut at such high-profile events.
