NewsAssociation
Jan Urban Appointed Poland National Team Head Coach
The Polish Football Association has announced that Jan Urban has been appointed as the new head coach of the Poland national team. The 63-year-old signed a contract with the association and officially takes charge of the national side. “We believe that this choice will allow the national team to develop its full potential. Our goal is to qualify for the World Cup finals in 2026. I wish the head coach good luck and assure him that he can expect full support from me, the Management Board and all PZPN employees” said Cezary Kulesza, President of the Polish Football Association. The first press conference with the new head coach will take place on Thursday, 17 July at 12:00 at the home of the Poland national team – PGE Narodowy in Warsaw.
Jan Urban was born on 14 May 1962 in Jaworzno. He began his career at local club Victoria Jaworzno before moving on to play for Zagłębie Sosnowiec and then Górnik Zabrze, where he won three Polish league titles and one Polish Super Cup. In 124 league appearances for Górnik, he scored 54 goals.
Urban made his international debut for Poland on 6 February 1985 in a friendly against Bulgaria (2–2). Between 1985 and 1991, he played 57 matches and scored 7 goals for the national team, and was part of the squad at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.
In 1989, he joined Spanish side CA Osasuna, with whom he qualified for the UEFA Cup and left a lasting mark in the club’s history – notably by scoring a hat-trick against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. He played for Osasuna until 1995, later playing for Real Valladolid, CD Toledo, and Germany’s VfB Oldenburg, before returning to Górnik Zabrze in 1998, where he ended his playing career after 1997/1998 season.
Jan Urban began his coaching career with Osasuna’s youth teams before taking charge of Polideportivo Ejido, Osasuna B, Legia Warsaw (twice), Polonia Bytom, Zagłębie Lubin, Osasuna’s senior side, Lech Poznań, Śląsk Wrocław and Górnik Zabrze (twice). With Legia Warsaw, he won two Polish league titles (2012/13, 2013/14), two Polish Cups (2007/08, 2012/13) and the Polish Super Cup (2008). He also won the Polish Super Cup with Lech Poznań in 2016.
From 2008 to 2009, Urban was a member of the Poland national team coaching staff as assistant to head coach Leo Beenhakker, including at UEFA EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.
On 16 July 2025, Jan Urban was officially unveiled as the new head coach of the Poland national team.
