How Poland’s penalty stopping goalkeeper was saved by football
| Polish Men’s Captain Robert Baczewski led his team to 3rd place finish at the Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup Image: Anita Milas
The Polish Men’s team powered to their highest place in more than ten years at the 2025 Oslo Homeless World Cup. They finished third after a 4-4 full time draw went to penalties against former hosts and consistent top-tier team South Africa.
Goalkeeper and captain of the Men’s team Robert Baczewski, 35, led the team with pride. We caught up with him eight months after the tournament to reflect on his time in the Norwegian capital and how the Homeless World Cup changed his life.
Travelling to Norway, Robert was prepared, he’d trained hard, keeping up with the Polish team’s rigorous training schedule - the national team meets for weekend training camps in the run up and each player is given their own individual training programme to follow when they’re away from the team. They need to report into the coaches to show they are putting in the time.
Every day Robert would wake up and his focus was Oslo, even after long 12 hour days at work, he would still make sure he completed his training and was in the best shape he could be.
The long hours of training paid off and going into the Homeless World Cup, Robert and the Polish team were in the shape of their lives and ready to compete.
| Robert in action against Portugal at the Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup Image: Donnie Nicholson
“Everything felt like a scene from the best film”
“From the very start of our adventure in Oslo, everything felt like a scene from the best film. I felt that the team was 120% ready and we proved that from the very first match.”
The team had a tough start, meeting two-time Men’s Homeless World Cup Champions Chile in their opening match, but with Robert’s convincing saves they came out on top winning 7-4. This gave them the belief that they could compete at the top level.
After the match Robert remembered the team speaking and saying: “We are in Oslo not to finish in 16th place, but to make the top 4.”
They would meet Chile again in the quarter final – a closer fought contest – but finishing 6-4 they came out on top again, leading them to their semi-final with Portugal. They narrowly lost to Portugal and felt deflated – as well as physically and mentally exhausted after a long week of tough matches.
Ahead of their 3rd place match against South Africa, the coaches gave each of the players a letter – it was a letter the players had written to themselves in the final training camp ahead of coming to the tournament.
“After reading the message I was crying, the whole team was crying. I had written about my childhood dream of representing Poland, about my fight, about my whole life. It was an emotional moment.
| The moment after Poland beat South Africa in a penalty shoot out to finish third at the Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup Image: Donnie Nicholson
“I was the hero, it wAs amazing”
“All of the team grew up and came out fighting. I was very, very tired but that last match was my best match in the tournament. I saved a penalty – I was the hero. It was amazing.”
| In the centre of it all - Robert celebrates with the team after Poland’s final match against South Africa
Image: Anita Milas
It was a long journey to that moment, one that had taken Robert from a happy family life into a dark place of addiction. His addiction started slowly as a bit of fun at parties before it became a dangerous weekend habit that quickly robbed him of everything – his job, his family, his life as he knew it. Cocaine defined everything. He hit rock bottom and committed to changing his life – both for him but more importantly for his daughters.
“I spent one year in therapy, this time was hard, but it was good, it was the best for me. Now I have a new life. I am happy. When it’s bad weather in Poland I don’t say, ‘Oh it’s a bad day’ because I am happy because I remember when my life was [he points to the floor] down there.”
After therapy, he rebuilt his relationships with his daughters, now 8 and 11, and they supported him while he was in Oslo, watching all his games at the Homeless World Cup from Poland. Although he jokes, they still prefer gymnastics.
| Poland men’s team powered their way to their highest finish in 10 years at the Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup Image: Donnie Nicholson
A bright future
Robert and Yvonne in Oslo. Image: Robert Baczewski
Since returning from the Homeless World Cup, Robert has expanded his focus from football to include Hyrox and in April he competed as a professional in Warsaw for the first time. He’s still regularly playing street soccer with his local team, who he hopes will challenge for the title at the annual Wroclaw Cup in July. Robert is now the athlete he dreamed of becoming as a teenager. He’s also found love again too.
While being prepared for most things, Robert wasn’t prepared to meet his match in net – not on the pitch - but off the pitch when he met Kenyan goalkeeper Yvonne.
Since the tournament he’s spent Christmas and New Year in Kenya and she’s coming to visit him in Poland in the summer. Their cross-continental relationship is cemented in an unforgettable shared experience and shared love of the beautiful game.
When I jokingly ask, who is the better goalkeeper? Robert smiles and explains, “Yvonne is a professional footballer in Kenya,” and concedes “maybe Yvonne!”
“The Homeless World Cup was big for me – my whole life was leading to this moment because it shows me hard work is good and helps you achieve your goals. Now hard work is my life every day.”
Who knows where the hard work will lead Robert next, but one thing is for certain, nothing will stop him achieving his goals.
Poland are represented at the Homeless World Cup by Stowarzyszenie Reprezentacja Polski Bezdomnych (Polish Homeless National Streetsoccer Team Association) who have brought teams to the Homeless World Cup since the tournament began in Graz, Austria in 2003.