Robert Lewandowski & Roony Bardghji eyeing World Cup 2026 spots with Poland and Sweden

While most of their Barcelona team-mates are already booked for this summer’s World Cup 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada, Robert Lewandowski and Roony Bardghji still have everything to play for. The two Barca attackers enter this week’s decisive play-off semi-finals knowing that only one of their countries can ultimately squeeze through to the tournament.

On Thursday night in Warsaw, Lewandowski will captain Poland against Albania, hoping to add to the 88 goals he has scored in 163 senior appearances for his country. The 36-year-old is already Poland’s all-time leading scorer and remains the focal point of a side that needs a victory to keep its World Cup dream alive.

Across Europe, 18-year-old Roony Bardghji will pull on the Sweden shirt in a similarly high-stakes encounter against Ukraine. The Stockholm-born midfielder, who has been impressing on international duty, is poised for another influential performance as Sweden look to move one step closer to North America.

Should both Poland and Sweden prevail, the two nations will meet next week in a single-elimination showdown that will determine the final European berth for World Cup 2026. In that scenario, Lewandowski and Bardghji would line up on opposite sides, club friendship briefly set aside with a place at global football’s showpiece event hanging in the balance.

For now, the pair share a common objective: win on Thursday, then prepare for what could be a dramatic winner-takes-all collision days later.