Qatar 2022: Why did Poland exclude veteran defender Maciej Rybus from World Cup squad?

In the 2022 World Cup Group C, Argentina is a major favorite to win because of Lionel Messi, Paulo Dybala, Angel Di Maria, and Lautaro Martinez's abundance of quality. Although the squad had a second-place finish in the 2014 World Cup, they were knocked out in the Round of 16 at the 2018 tournament.

Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Poland are in a dead heat for the last playoff position in the group. Eli Tri, on the other hand, have won the Gold Cup four times in the previous seven tournaments and finished second in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifyiers, despite lacking top star power.

In spite of the fact that Messi is a household name throughout the world, Poland's Robert Lewandowski is a world-class striker. The Polish veteran has netted 75 goals in 130 appearances for his country and leading the Bundesliga in goals for Bayern for five straight seasons.

Why was Maciej Rybus dropped from Poland for World Cup?

While one Polish veteran will try to lead his country as far as possible in this winter's tournament, another experienced player will be forced to sit at home, not being able to help Lewandowski and his teammates in Qatar.

It has been announced that Poland's Maciej Rybus would not be considered for selection at this year's World Cup after signing for a Russian club. Most international players have fled Russia since the country's invasion of Ukraine but Rybus, a 32-year-old left-back who has appeared in 66 games for the White and Reds, joined Spartak Moscow earlier this month.

“The coach of the Polish national team, Czeslaw Michniewicz, talked to Maciej Rybus… after the training camp of the national team ended last week, he coach informed the player that due to his current club situation, he would not be called up for the September training camp of the national team and would not be considered for the team that would go to the World Cup in Qatar," the Polish FA said in a statement.

When asked about Rybus's decision to stay in Russia, the Polish FA informed The Athletic that he is the only one who is unwilling to leave the country, in contrast to his international teammates Grzegorz Krychowiak and Sebastian Szymanski. With the help of FIFA laws permitting Russian league players to terminate their contracts, Krychowiak was able to do so. For the remainder of the season alone, he was loaned to AEK Athens.