Szymon Marciniak starts the World Cup! Will the Pole repeat his great success?

It is worth recalling that Szymon Marciniak was not the first Polish referee present in the grand final of the World Cup. Michał Listkiewicz had previously achieved this feat when he was a linesman in the final battle of the 1990 World Cup. The Pole was one of the three judges at the stadium in Rome, where West Germany won against Argentina 1-0.

Szymon Marciniak in the final again? An important debut with Lionel Messi

However, being a line referee and the team leader are different – as was the case with Marciniak at the last World Championships. In 2022, one of the best finals was played – maybe even the best in the history of the World Cup. Argentina won against France only in a penalty shootout. The referee from Płock was great, making a performance that was praised in virtually every corner of the world.

Can Marciniak repeat his 2022 success four years later? There has never been anything like this in history. The Pole is appreciated and liked by the head of the FIFA Referees Committee. But even Pierluigi Collina himself did not have the honor of leading the World Cup finals twice in a row. The Italian whistled in the World Cup final in 2002, when Brazil won against Germany 2-0.

When will you be able to see the Polish referee in action for the first time? Already on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday (i.e. June 16-17). Marciniak will officiate the match with world champions, Argentines, who will face Algeria.

– I am a Pole first and foremost, and only then a judge. I am very sorry that the Polish national team will not play in this world championship. In 2018 in Russia and in 2022 in Qatar, I was there and refereed, but I also had a team there that I supported. Now, together with Tomek Kwiatkowski, Tomek Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik, we will have no one to keep our fingers crossed for, we will only keep our fingers crossed for ourselves. No white and red team… we will try to compensate Polish fans to some extent. We would like to do so that our compatriots can be proud of us. We hope for really good matches in America, admitted Marciniak in an interview for TVP Sport.

The Argentina-Algeria match starts at 3:00 Polish time. Before the start, it is also worth familiarizing yourself with the changes to the regulations that FIFA introduced for the 2026 World Cup.

World Cup 2026. Where and when to watch the greatest football World Cup in history?

From June 11 to July 19, the 23rd FIFA World Cup will be held on pitches in three countries – the United States, Mexico and Canada. An event that will certainly be unique, if only because of its format. For the first time in history, as many as 48 teams will take part in the main tournament.

The title from four years ago is defended by the Argentines. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Lionel Messi and company defeated the French in the final, winning after a series of penalties (4:2). In the history of football World Cups, Brazil has the most titles – as many as five. Four victories in the history of the World Championships belong to the Italians and Germans. The Argentines won three times. More than once, the trophy for winning the World Cup was raised – twice – by the players of France and Uruguay.

The Polish national team was third twice at the World Championships, but those were the old days – we are talking about the events in 1974 and 1982. At the last World Cup, Poles managed to advance to the knockout phase, but were eliminated in the 1/8 finals by the French (1:3).

Matches of the 2026 World Cup can only be watched on Polish Television – on TVP Sport, TVP 1 and TVP 2 and on tvpsport.pl. Additionally, broadcasts will be available in the TVP Sport mobile application and smart TV.