We’re soccer crazy here in Wroclaw, where our city government has done nothing but “get ready for the Euro Cup” for years. Even the colleges let out a month early this year so that their dorms could house fans on a budget. Almost anything you can buy is tied to the tournament, though it’s admittedly weird to be in a supermarket and see meat loaves packed into glass jars labeled “Snack for a football fan!” Ugly buildings on the way to the stadium are covered with colorful “Euro 2012” banners.

Hosting the Euro Cup 2012 tournament–one of the most entertaining and biggest sporting events in the world, which brings hundreds of thousands of people to our host cities, and millions more via TV screens–is a huge honor for us Poles.

Europe is the mother of soccer, after all, though at times it seems as if soccer might be the mother of Europe. And so beyond all the fun, it is worth celebrating that Europe is entrusting its prized tournament to Poland and Ukraine, countries that for a long time lived in historic isolation.

It wasn’t that long ago–only 23 years–that the wall came down, allowing Poland to rejoin Europe. Back then our economically ruined post-Communist land had little understanding of what it meant to be a part of the Western, capitalist world. We were a nation-in-training.

During these last two decades we’ve managed to reset the country’s economy, build an educated society, and become a member of NATO and the European Union. We haven’t yet adopted the euro as our currency, but that may not be such a bad thing! Our nation’s economic performance in recent years has been among the continent’s strongest. These are the best of times for Poland.

And yet, hosting the Euro Cup (along with Ukraine) does create some anxiety, bringing out our “second league country” complex. Will all those visitors like us? Will we prove worthy of this stage? It seems like we are being tested. If we succeed, we enter the first league. But if all doesn’t go well, we’ll be ashamed. Would Holland feel this way about hosting such a tournament? Somehow I don’t think so.

To pass this test, Poland drew up grand visions of new stadiums, a new grid of highways and railways, new airports, and more new infrastructure. A giant civilization leap! A lot was accomplished, though maybe less than what was initially envisioned when we were awarded the tournament in 2007. And even some of the triumphs have been accompanied by a touch of shame. Take my city of Wroclaw’s new stadium. The Polish company chosen to build the arena ultimately had to cede the project to a German firm after delays and other construction problems. The Polish concern’s lack of experience was crippling–it was like asking a car manufacturer to build a spaceship.

The whole preparation process exposed many national flaws like poor time management, illogical construction laws, a lack of long-term planning, and a tendency to rush into projects. You can see the effects of these flaws all over the country in unfinished investments, pieces of highways that lead to nowhere, and trains as slow as they were 50 years ago. Language will also prove another challenge for Euro 2012 visitors: English is spoken by a large number of young Poles, but not by many of the older generations, who operate our public service institutions. Foreigners may find it hard to communicate with them in basic, everyday situations like buying train tickets.

But the games are on, and the euphoria has a way of erasing most problems. The stadiums are shiny now that the dust is off. The fans pouring through our cities from around the world are watching world-class soccer in world-class facilities, eating Polish kielbasa during the breaks. That’s hard to beat, and between games they walk through our historic squares staring at some of the most beautiful girls they have ever seen. They will meet locals and join them for a shot of the best vodka. Because, as we say, “Gosc w dom–Bog w dom!”

Which translates roughly as, “A guest at home is like God’s presence at home.”

Mateusz Kornacki is the founder of the “What’s Up Wroclaw” tour company.

*Photo courtesy of PolandMFA.