Matty Cash will not play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup as Poland failed to qualify, losing 3-2 to Sweden in the playoff final. Despite the disappointment, the Aston Villa right-back was a crucial figure for his country during the qualifying campaign, scoring two goals.

Short answer

Poland's Qualifying Campaign and Matty Cash's Role

The Poland national team fought hard to secure a spot at the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Matty Cash was a key player for the team throughout the qualifying matches played across 2025 and 2026.

Here are Poland's results and Cash's appearances during the World Cup 2026 qualifiers:

  • 21.03.2025: Poland 1–0 Lithuania
  • 24.03.2025: Poland 2–0 Malta
  • 10.06.2025: Finland 2–1 Poland
  • 04.09.2025: Netherlands 1–1 Poland — 1 goal scored by Matty Cash
  • 07.09.2025: Poland 3–1 Finland — 1 goal scored by Matty Cash
  • 12.10.2025: Lithuania 0–2 Poland
  • 14.11.2025: Poland 1–1 Netherlands

These results placed Poland in the playoffs. In the playoff semi-final on March 26, 2026, Poland beat Albania 2–1 in Warsaw. However, the dream of qualifying for the World Cup ended on March 31, 2026, in Solna, where Poland suffered a heartbreaking 3–2 defeat to Sweden in the playoff final.

Matty Cash's Goals in the 2026 Qualifiers

The Aston Villa right-back enjoyed a productive qualifying campaign on an individual level, scoring two crucial goals for his country:

  1. Vs Netherlands (4 September 2025): Cash scored the crucial equalizer in Rotterdam to secure a hard-fought 1–1 draw against the Dutch.
  2. Vs Finland (7 September 2025): Just three days later, Matty found the back of the net in Chorzów as Poland triumphed 3–1.

Contrast with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Missing out on the 2026 World Cup is a tough blow for Cash, who previously played a starring role at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In that tournament, Matty started and played every single minute of Poland's four matches (against Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, and France in the Round of 16). He was one of only three outfield Polish players to achieve this, alongside Kamil Glik and Robert Lewandowski.

As of late September 2026, Cash's international career statistics stand at 27 caps and 4 goals for the Polish national team.

Sources

  1. 01Matty Cash – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopediapl.wikipedia.org
  2. 02Cash pokazał swoją mamę. Tak zareagował kolega z kadrysportowefakty.wp.pl

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