Costly outcome for Poland in Engelberg Continental Cup: extra World Cup spot lost

With the Four Hills Tournament about to start, attention briefly shifted to the Continental Cup in Engelberg, where Poland’s Dawid Kubacki returned to the second-tier circuit for the first time in almost ten years.

Kubacki immediately reached the podium on Saturday with third place and looked poised for another strong result after a good trial jump on Sunday. He sat sixth after the first round but faded to 13th overall in the final, while teammate Klemens Joniak finished fifth after being third at the halfway mark.

The result carried significant quota implications. The Engelberg competitions closed Period 4 of the Continental Cup. After this period, the three nations represented by the highest-ranked athletes in the COC overall earn one additional World Cup start for the next period. Following the Swiss weekend, those bonus spots went to Austria, Japan and Norway. Period 5 covers the January World Cup weekends, including Zakopane (10–11 January) and Sapporo (17–18 January).

There was a second consequence for Poland. To secure an extra Continental Cup starting position, Kubacki needed to be inside the top‑50 of the FIS Continental Ranking List after Engelberg. He sits 54th, so Poland will continue to have five starters in the COC rather than six.

In short, despite promising form, Poland missed the chance to gain additional quota places in both the World Cup and the Continental Cup heading into a crucial January block.