Blind Football: Warsaw conquered! The cup is ours!
Aleksandra Sułek
White Star BF wrapped up its club campaign for the 2026 season last weekend, putting the golden dot over the “i” by winning the Polish Cup for the seventh time in the club’s history and the fourth time in a row! Coach Rafał Kurlit’s players stormed through the group stage and then beat Śląsk Wrocław BF 4-0 in the final.
The national cup tournament, held in Warsaw, brought the club competition under the Blind Football Poland banner to a close. The first half of the year had been devoted to league fixtures, while the second focused on the ninth edition of Poland’s oldest cup competition.
The group-stage draw, held around the turn of September and October, placed our team in Group A. Their opponents were BFC Silesia, made up largely of former Niezłomni Zabrze BF players; Motor Lublin BF, last year’s Polish Cup bronze medalists; and ARTS Warszawa BF, whom our team faced in the 2025 season final.
There was one goal, but achieving it wasn’t as easy as the results might suggest. The group stage and final looked so good only because we’ve been working hard in training for many months, and that simply has to pay off. Of course, the guys’ talent and ability were among the main factors behind this success, but the whole team’s hard work is the key,” says Rafał Kurlit, coach of White Star BF.
After nearly a year, the coaching staff could once again call on Paweł Zinkow, who returned to the starting lineup after completing rehabilitation for a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Mateusz Krzyszkowski was also available to the coach, having recovered from Achilles tendinitis a few weeks earlier. Unfortunately, Gabriel Olech and Krzysztof Bednarkiewicz, who have been sidelined for some time for health reasons, could not support the team on the pitch. Nor could Krzysztof Suchocki, who was recovering from an ankle sprain sustained three weeks earlier.
The tournament opened with Wisła BF taking on BFC Silesia. The match was played in rather challenging weather, but that didn’t stop our players from getting the job done. Our team dominated in attack, putting the ball in the net ten times. Jung scored five, Zinkow found the net four times, and Ryszka also got his name on the scoresheet with a successful penalty.
Motor Lublin BF were the opponents in the second match. Wisła won 3-0, although the score could have been considerably higher if not for the outstanding performance of Lublin’s goalkeeper. Zinkow, Jung and Krzyszkowski scored in that order.
Although the first match produced ten goals, it was only against Motor BF that we felt everything was working as it should. You could see our confidence, our desire to play as a team, and our drive to attack. Those qualities only grew stronger in the next two matches,” notes Kacper Domagała, the number 11 midfielder.
Our opponents in the final group-stage match were the tournament hosts, who were in no hurry to play football. Their players focused on defending throughout the match, and if it hadn’t been for
the performance of the ARTS Warszawa BF goalkeeper, the score would have been much higher than 1-0. The goal for White Star BF came from the reliable Martin Jung, securing our team’s place in the final.
I really don’t like matches like that. From the outset, you can feel and see that the opponent doesn’t want to play football; all they care about is keeping a clean sheet and going after your players’ legs. Martin’s goal was probably one of the most satisfying goals I’ve had the chance to guide,” says White Star BF assistant coach Radosław Wójcik.
In Group B, Śląsk BF and Rekord Bielsko-Biała BF were competing for a place in the final. A draw or a win would have sent the Bielsko-Biała team through, but the side from Wrocław managed to tip the balance in its favor, winning 1-0. That result meant the team from Lower Silesia would face our team in the battle for gold for the eighth time.
The final is a match you simply want to win. The colors of the opponent standing in your way don’t matter. From the first minute of the tournament, we gave everything, sending a signal that we wouldn’t hold back in any match. The final game of the season was no different,” says team captain Marcin Ryszka.
The match against Śląsk BF was largely dictated by our team. The Wrocław side tried to launch counterattacks, but our defense broke them up effectively, while Krzysztof Spytkowski saved their few shots on goal.
We put the first stamp on our dominance after a corner. The ball was played over the wall, bounced off the boards and was then picked up by Paweł Zinkow, who opened the scoring with a powerful shot. It was the first of four goals for the striker, back from injury, and one of three goals scored from corners.
The 2-0 goal came from a very similar set piece, although this time the scorer, wearing number 4, had to drop back further to meet the ball. The score remained unchanged at halftime, though there were plenty of chances to extend the lead. One of the best was a penalty, but Ryszka’s shot was saved by the Śląsk BF goalkeeper.
The pattern of play didn’t change in the second half, but the score did. The 3-0 goal came after Jung played the ball to Zinkow, moving from the right toward the inside boards. The scorer controlled the ball and unleashed a shot from twelve meters, catching the opposing defense off guard.
Zinkow scored his fourth just before the end of the match. Paweł set off in an arc from the corner of the pitch, outmaneuvered the Wrocław defenders and, after a nimble turn, fired an accurate shot from nine meters.
I celebrated the 1-0 goal the most. It’s not that the others didn’t make me happy—in fact, they made me very happy. I was just experiencing it more inwardly by then. After such a long break from playing, every minute on the pitch is satisfying, let alone scoring in a final. I can’t describe how I feel, just as I can’t describe the individual work and determination it took during rehabilitation. This may sound a little selfish, but what I did in this tournament, especially in this match, is a reward I’ve been preparing for myself over the past few months,” says Paweł Zinkow, who scored nine goals in this year’s Polish Cup.
Coach Kurlit’s players scored eighteen goals across four matches. Paweł Zinkow was the tournament’s top scorer and also received the MVP award for the competition.
For Wisła Kraków BF, the final whistle also marked the end of the club’s campaign for the season. However, some members of the staff and players still have plenty of work ahead, as the national-team calendar includes several more training camps and tournaments.
All that remains is to congratulate the whole team on another fantastic season, in which league and cup trophies have added to an already impressive collection. See you next season
Blind Football: Warsaw conquered! The cup is ours!