STOCKHOLM (AP) — Robert Lewandowski signaled he may have played his last game for Poland after narrowly missing out on a World Cup spot.
After Viktor Gyokeres' 88th-minute goal gave Sweden a 3-2 win over Poland in their playoff final, Lewandowski posted a picture to Instagram showing himself holding up his captain's armband, with the song “Time to Say Goodbye” playing.
The Barcelona striker hasn't directly confirmed he won't play for Poland again, and there have been times previously when it looked like he would retire from international soccer.
At the age of 37, he would have been one of the oldest players at the tournament if Poland had qualified. After the 2022 World Cup, he opted to stay on despite what seemed to be a goodbye to the fans at the time.
Lewandowski also threatened to step away from the national team last year in a conflict with the team's then-coach, who eventually resigned. Lewandowski returned as captain in August under a new coach.
Lewandowski has played a record 165 games for Poland, beginning with a goal on his debut against San Marino in 2008, when he was 20. His 89 goals are nearly twice as many as any other Polish player but he's only qualified for the World Cup twice, with a best result of reaching the round of 16 in 2022.
Poland's next scheduled games are in the Nations League in September.
Lewandowski's future at club level is uncertain, too. His contract runs out at the end of the season at Barcelona, where he's scored 16 goals in 37 games in all competitions this season.
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Sweden's Daniel Svensson, left, against Poland's Robert Lewandowski during a World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Sweden and Poland in Stockholm, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Jonas Ekstromer/TT via AP)
Poland's Robert Lewandowski reacts after losing in the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Sweden and Poland in Stockholm, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Pontus Lundahl/TT via AP)
ATLANTA (AP) — As the World Cup nears, Christian Pulisic's scoreless streak for the United States stretched to a career-high eight games.
“Of course it's frustrating, but I’m just going to stay positive,” he said after Tuesday night's 2-0 loss to Portugal in a friendly. “A lot of big things ahead, and I know I’m going to get to the other side and things are going to click.”
Pulisic hasn't scored an international goal since a CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Jamaica on Nov. 18, 2024, and he's scoreless in 12 games with AC Milan since Dec. 28.
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino moved the 27-year-old from a wing to striker for the first time since taking over in October 2024 in an effort to get him more chances closer to goal. Pulisic had 28 touches, up from 24 in the first half of Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Belgium.
Pulisic missed the ball on an open volley from a Tim Weah cross in the 22nd minute and was just wide from outside the penalty area in the 36th. Pulisic got a yellow card for dissent in first-half stoppage time for kicking Samú Costa after he was pushed off the ball.
“He was very active and I think he made a good job,” Pochettino said. “Unlucky or ashamed a little bit that he didn’t score with the opportunity that he (had). It’s normal."
With 32 goals in 84 international appearances over a decade, Pulisic is the top American player. He scored 10 goals in his first 15 appearances for AC Milan this season.
“Yes, he feels frustrated, but that is what we want, what we expect. He was fighting,” Pochettino said. “He’s going to score because he has the quality. I am sure that he’s going to come back to his club. ... He's going to start to score again.”
Preparing to co-host the World Cup in June, the U.S. has lost eight straight games to European opponents while getting outscored 22-6. It is winless against the continent in 10 matches since 2021.
“Both first halves, and we caused the teams a lot problems. We put a lot pressure on them. We did a lot great things," Pulisic said. “Just little moments or just being a little bit more clinical and it’s just the same story but I feel really close and I feel like we’re in a good place.”
Pochettino announces his World Cup roster on May 26, and the Americans play their last warmups against Senegal five days later and Germany on June 6. They open the World Cup on June 12 against Australia, face Paraguay a week later and close the first round against Turkey on June 25.
Pulisic thought back to the last two games before the 2022 World Cup, a 2-0 loss to Japan and a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia. At the tournament, the U.S. tied Wales and England, then beat Iran 1-0 on a goal from Pulisic to advance before a round of 16 loss to the Netherlands.
“I remember people were doubting us after that camp,” he said of the September 2022 friendlies. “Maybe we didn’t have a great camp, and at the end of the day, we go in, we have a great World Cup. It’s all behind us. So like I said, better now, and we’re going to figure it out. We’re going to figure it out when it really counts.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Unites States' Christian Pulisic listens during a news conference before the men's national soccer team training, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Marietta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ronald Blum
USA's Christian Pulisic (10) and Portugal's Francisco Trincao work during the first half of an international friendly soccer match, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
USA's Christian Pulisic (10) moves against Portugal's Joao Cancelo during the first half of an international friendly soccer match, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
