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The Polish national football team was escorted to Qatar yesterday by two F-16 fighter jets on their way to the World Cup.

The show of force comes after two Polish citizens were killed earlier this week by a rocket that hit a village on the Polish-Ukrainian border, sparking an international backlash.

Footage of the fighter jets escorting the plane was released to the official of the Polish team Twitter Account.

“We were escorted by F16 aircraft to the southern border of Poland,” the tweet read. “Thanks and greetings to the pilots!”

The Polish team, led by Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski, was later photographed exiting the vehicle after it landed safely in the capital Doha.

The missile attack on the border town of Przewodów was the first incident of the Russian war in Ukraine to directly affect a NATO member, sparking fears the conflict would widen its scope.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later called the attack “a very significant escalation” and said there was “no doubt” that the missile came from Russia.

Two F-16 fighter jets escorted the Polish national team to the World Cup after two people were killed in a missile attack earlier this week (Photo: Poland national football team)

The team thanked the pilots for their armed escort before landing safely in Qatar later in the day (Photo: Poland national football team)

While the source of the blast has not been officially confirmed, the latest US intelligence suggests the attack may have been launched after a Ukrainian air defense system intercepted a Russian cruise missile.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Wednesday it was most likely a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile that caused the “unfortunate accident”.

His words were backed up by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who also indicated that there was no evidence of a targeted Russian attack on Poland.

After an emergency meeting, NATO finally agreed that regardless of the source of the blast, Russian hostilities were ultimately responsible for the deaths of the two civilians.

But despite the uncertainty, the Polish government seemed unwilling to compromise the safety of their national team and rolled out its impressive defensive escort to ensure the players landed safely in the Middle East.

Poland's national team is escorted by F1 fighter jets on their way to Qatar after a deadly missile attack on the border with Ukraine

The team later posed for photos after landing in Doha ahead of Tuesday’s Group C match against Mexico (Photo: Poland national football team)

In terms of players, the Polish side hopes to advance to the knockout rounds of the tournament for the first time since 1986, having finished easily behind England in the qualifying rounds.

In a strange twist of fate, the team received a play-off boost after Russia was excluded from the World Cup due to Ukraine’s invasion, eventually qualifying after a 2–0 draw at home to Sweden.

The team has since been drawn into Group C along with Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Mexico.

Poland’s first game will take place on November 22 against the Mexican national team, four days later the team will meet the Saudis.

Their final group stage match is against Argentina on November 30, with Lionel Messi looking to lift the trophy in what may be his last World Cup.

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