TICKETS | MATCHES
‘Ground’ is a word that seems to follow Klaudia Kubaszek. She covers it like a pronghorn. She broke it by becoming the first Pole to play in Italy and the first player to win two Futsal Week MVP awards. She hit it running in Metropolitan Manila. Late last week, indeed, the 27-year-old fixo registered three assists in 20 minutes to set Poland en route to a 5-1 defeat of Canada in their first fixture in the Philippines.
If that was a friendly, the real action starts on Friday. Wojciech Weiss’s side will have the privilege of playing the hosts on the opening day of the first FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup™. ‘Kuba’ speaks to FIFA about her exploits, group-stage opponents Philippines, Argentina and Morocco, and Poland’s tournament target.
Klaudia Kubaszek: It was honestly one of our dreams: to beat such a strong nation. In that moment we felt that with the right work and commitment, we could go even further than we thought. The euphoria we felt was huge. It was almost like winning the EUROs!
First of all, thank you for the kind words. I’m constantly working to become the most complete player I can be – someone who can support the team both defensively and offensively, and bring as much value as possible whenever I’m on the pitch.
I feel extremely grateful for this opportunity, and I want to make the most of it, to open doors for other Polish players and hopefully make similar decisions a little easier for them. As for Falconara, it was a huge honour to experience that environment and especially to meet the amazing people who are part of the club.
Yes, it was an incredible experience. I was genuinely surprised in the best possible way, and I remember it like it happened yesterday.
We went from absolute heartbreak to pure joy in a matter of seconds. In short, it was pure euphoria, an enormous sense of happiness for all of us.”
There was lots of singing and dancing together, and the coaching staff ended up in the pool (laughs).
Absolutely! The closer we get to the match, the more excited we are. There’s a lot of energy and enthusiasm in the team, combined with strong focus on our preparation.
At this level, there are no weak teams. Every nation has standout players. Argentina does and so do we. We’ll approach them with respect, but also with confidence in our own strengths and the qualities that define our Polish team.
Every win helps build confidence and strengthens team spirit, but we must remember that no team is the same after a few months. To put it simply: Morocco are definitely a team with potential.
It’s a huge honour, and without a doubt an experience each of us will carry for the rest of our lives.
To give everything we have, show our full potential, and go as far as possible in the tournament. Firstly, we’re fully focused on taking things match by match and getting out of the group. After the final group game, we’ll see where we stand. Hopefully we’ll be in a position to think about the quarter-finals and the next steps.
