Poland Volleyball Squad: Last-Minute Changes and Key Absences

Polish national volleyball team head coach Nikola Grbić has implemented significant roster changes for the 2025 season, including the announcement of a wide squad for the Volleyball Nations League and a finalized 14-man roster for the FIVB Men’s World Championship in the Philippines.

On March 25, the Polish Volleyball Federation published a wide composition of the team intended for the 2025 League of Nations. This selection saw several Olympic runners-up from the Paris Games excluded from the representative colors, specifically Paweł Zatorski, Mateusz Bieńek, Łukasz Kaczmarek, and Marcin Janusz.

Health and Regeneration Factors

Coach Nikola Grbić attributed the absence of key players to personal and medical circumstances, stating that You’ll see some private situations, there are health issues.

Regarding Mateusz Bieńek, Grbić noted that the player had failed to finish the season with the staff twice in the last three years due to health reasons. Although Bieńek continued to play in the Champions League, the coach decided to grant him a free summer to prioritize his health.

A similar situation was cited for Marcin Janusz, with Grbić explaining that the previous three seasons had been very hard for him and it affected his health, necessitating a break for regeneration.

New Additions to the Wide Squad

The wide roster for the 2025 League of Nations introduced several new names to the national team setup. The additions include:

• Attackers: Aleksiej Nazewicz and Kewin Sasak
• Returning player: Rafał Szymura
• Players: Łukasz Kozub and Kajetan Kubicki
• Middles: Jakub Nowak, Mateusz Nowak, and Jordan Zaleszczyk
• Liberos: Mateusz Czunkiewicz and Maksymilian Granieczny

Captain Bartosz Kurek was also confirmed as present on this initial wide list.

World Championship Final Squad

On August 28, 2025, head coach Nikola Grbić finalized the 14-man squad for the FIVB Men’s World Championship. The veteran opposite Bartosz Kurek returned to lead the team alongside middle blocker Norbert Huber.

The official roster for the tournament in the Philippines consists of the following players:

• Norbert Huber
• Jan Firlej
• Tomasz Fornal
• Maksymilian Granieczny
• Szymon Jakubiszak
• Jakub Kochanowski
• Marcin Komenda
• Bartosz Kurek
• Wilfredo Leon
• Jakub Nowak
• Jakub Popiwczak
• Kewin Sasak
• Kamil Semeniuk
• Artur Szalpuk

The Polish team is scheduled to compete in the World Championship from September 12 to September 28, 2025. Before the tournament begins, the squad will participate in a final tune-up at the 22nd Hubert Wagner Memorial.

Poland has been drawn into Group B for the opening round, where they will face Romania, Qatar, and the Netherlands. The tournament format dictates that only the top two teams from the group will advance to the next stage, where Poland could potentially face Japan, Canada, Turkey, or Libya.