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Ekstraklasa
Professional association football league in Poland From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ekstraklasa (Polish pronunciation: [ˌɛkstraˈklasa]; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski,[2][3] is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish football league system.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2023) |
Contested by 18 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the I liga, seasons start in July, and end in May or June the following year. Teams play a total of 34 games each. Games are played on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. The winner of the Ekstraklasa qualifies for the Polish Super Cup. Since 2005, the league is operated by the Ekstraklasa Spółka Akcyjna.
The Ekstraklasa (former I liga) was officially formed as Liga Polska on 4–5 December 1926 in Warsaw, since 1 March 1927 as Liga Piłki Nożnej (Polish pronunciation: [ˈliɡa ˈpiwkʲi ˈnɔʐnɛj]), but the Polish Football Association (Polish: Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej, PZPN) had been in existence since 20 December 1919, a year after the independence of Poland in 1918. The first games of the freshly created league took place on 3 April 1927, while the first national non-league football championship took place in 1920.
A total of 86 teams have played in the top division of Polish football since the founding of the league, 20 of which have won the title. The current champions are Lech Poznań, who won their 9th title in the 2024–25 season.
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History
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Naming
- 1927–1948: Liga
- 1949–2004: I liga
- 2004–2005: Idea Ekstraklasa
- 2005–2008: Orange Ekstraklasa
- 2011–2015: T-Mobile Ekstraklasa
- 2016–2019: Lotto Ekstraklasa
- 2019–: PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa
Creation of the Polish Football League
On 4–5 December 1926 in Warsaw, representatives from several Polish clubs met to discuss the creation of a league. It is unknown where the idea of a Polish league originated from, however a national league was thought to be a much more practical solution than hitherto practiced two-stage system of regional matches followed by a national match.
To the dismay of clubs' officials, the PZPN was not receptive to the idea of a national league and therefore sought to thwart it. However, it turned out that virtually all but one of the Polish clubs supported the idea. The decision to create it was made regardless what PZPN's representatives thought of it. In late February 1927, at the PZPN's meeting in Warsaw, its officials openly opposed the formation of a league, but the clubs, allegedly egged on by some generals from the Polish Army (which, after May Coup of 1926, played a key role in all aspects of public life), proceeded anyway. The creation of the League was announced on 1 March 1927.
Cracovia
The only opponent of the league's formation was Cracovia – a very influential and strong organization in Polish football of the 1920s. Cracovia's boycott was because its chairman, Dr. Edward Cetnarowski, at the same time held the post of the director of the PZPN. Cetnarowski was a personality known not only in Poland, but also in other countries. It was due to his efforts that in September 1923, Cracovia toured Spain, drawing 1–1 with Barcelona and losing 0–1 to Real Madrid. In October, also thanks to Cetnarowski, Sevilla travelled to Kraków, losing 2–3 to Cracovia.
Early years of the league
Games of the first league championships started on 3 April 1927. All major teams (except for Cracovia) took part in it. This is the list of the teams (in the order they finished in November 1927):
In this first season of the league, fight for championship was decided between two powerful teams – Wisła Kraków and 1.FC Katowice. This rivalry was treated very seriously, not only by the two sides involved, but also by the whole nation. 1.FC was regarded as the team supported by German minority, while Wisła, at the end of this historic season, represented ambitions of all Poles.
Some time in the fall of 1927 in Katowice, an ill-fated game between 1.FC and Wisła took place. Stakes were very high – the winner would become the champion. Kraków's side won 2–0 and became the champion. 1.FC finished second, third was Warta Poznań.
1920s
In 1928, Cracovia finally decided to enter the league, which was gladly accepted by all fans of football. However, championships were once again won by Wisła, with such excellent players as Henryk Reyman, Mieczysław Balcer and Jan Kotlarczyk. Warta Poznań was second and Legia Warsaw third. This was also the last year of 1.FC's glory. The team finished fifth, to be relegated forever at the end of 1929 season.
In 1929, another team (after Cracovia, Pogoń Lwów and Wisła) was added to the list of champions of Poland. This time it was Warta Poznań, which finished one point ahead of Garbarnia Kraków.
However, after the last game, on 1 December 1929, it was Garbarnia Kraków that was celebrating the championship. Two weeks later, in mid-December, PZPN's officials changed the result of the Warta – Klub Turystow Łódź game. Originally, Warta lost 1–2, but due to walkover (it was decided that one of Łódź's players did not have all necessary documents), this was changed to 3–0 in favor of Poznań's side. As a result of the decision, Warta (with 33 points) became the champion, Garbarnia finished second with 32 points and Klub Turystow was relegated.
In 1930, Cracovia regained the championship, (to repeat this success in 1932) and a year later another Kraków's side, Garbarnia, won the league. It is clear that the 1927–1932 period was marked by dominance of teams from Kraków. During this time, only once (Warta Poznań, 1929) the championship was won by a side from a different city. The 1931 champion, Garbarnia, was unique as this was the first time that the league had been won by a side whose all players had been bought from other teams.
1930s
As has been said, the early 1930s marked a decline of the dominance of Kraków and Lwów as centers of Polish football. The point of gravity slowly moved towards west – to Upper Silesia. In 1932 the champion was Cracovia, but starting in 1933, Ruch Chorzów (then: Ruch Wielkie Hajduki) completely dominated the league, being the champion for four times in a row.
Ruch, with such excellent players as Teodor Peterek, Ernest Wilimowski and Gerard Wodarz was by far the best team in those years. For example, in 1934 it finished seven points ahead of second Cracovia. Other important teams of these years were: Cracovia, Wisła Kraków, Pogoń Lwów and Warta Poznań.
In 1933 and 1934 there were 12 teams in the League. In 1935 this number was cut to 11 and in 1936 – to 10. Football officials did it on purpose – with fewer teams, the competition was supposed to be harder, which would attract fans to the stadiums. However, supporters' turnout was not impressive, with Ruch Chorzów as the most popular team, both at home and away.
In late 1935 (the league held its games in the spring-summer-fall system) fans were shocked to find that Cracovia, the legend of this sport, was relegated to the A-class. Kraków's side absence lasted for a year – it returned in 1937, to become the champion.
Ruch Chorzów was still the dominant team, winning the Championships in 1936 and 1938. In 1937 Ruch's streak of four consecutive champions was broken by Cracovia, and in 1939 the championships were not finished. By 31 August 1939, after some 12 games, Ruch was the leader of the 10-team League. Last games of this summer occurred on 20 August. Then, a break was planned, because the National Team was going to play a few international friendlies. Games were to be re-introduced on 10 September.
This is the list of the ten teams that participated in last, historic games for championships of interwar Poland. Teams are presented according to their position on the table, as of 31 August 1939:
After World War II
As a result of the Second World War, the borders of Poland changed significantly. Lwów, one of the centers of Polish football (with such teams as Pogoń Lwów, Czarni Lwów and Lechia Lwów) was annexed by Soviet Union and all these teams ceased to exist. Lwów's football officials and players moved westwards, creating such clubs as Odra Opole and Pogoń Szczecin, and reviving Polonia Bytom (see: Recovered Territories). Another important center, Wilno (with the team Śmigły Wilno), was also annexed by the Soviets (see: Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union). In exchange, Poland gained a large swath of formerly German territory in particular in Silesia (which also formed part of Poland centuries prior), with its capital Wrocław (home of double champion Śląsk Wrocław) and cities such as Zabrze (home of 14-times champion Górnik Zabrze), Bytom (home of champions Polonia Bytom and Szombierki Bytom) and Lubin (home of double champion Zagłębie Lubin). 18 teams played in the league between seasons of 1992 and 1998.
The 2020s was marked by the league's rise in the UEFA coefficient, boosted by the good results of Polish clubs in European competitions with Lech Poznań reaching the quarterfinals of the UEFA Conference League in the 2022–23 season.[4]
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Clubs
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There are 18 clubs in the Ekstraklasa. During the course of the season each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 34 games. From the 2013–14 till the 2019–20 season, after the 30th round the table was divided into 'champion' (top eight teams) and 'relegation' (bottom eight teams) groups. Each team played seven more games (teams ranked 1–4 and 9–12 would host four games at home). The 2016–17 season was the last when teams started an extra round with half the points (rounded up) achieved during the first phase of 30 matches. The changes extended the season to a total of 296 matches played.[5] The 2021–22 season started with 18 teams, instead of 16.
Clubs as of the 2025–26 season.
- ^ Upgrading to 31,871.
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List of champions
- 1921: Cracovia (1)
- 1922: Pogoń Lwów (1)
- 1923: Pogoń Lwów (2)
- 1924: Abandoned°
- 1925: Pogoń Lwów (3)
- 1926: Pogoń Lwów (4)
- 1927: Wisła Kraków (1)
- 1928: Wisła Kraków (2)
- 1929: Warta Poznań (1)
- 1930: Cracovia (2)
- 1931: Garbarnia Kraków (1)
- 1932: Cracovia (3)
- 1933: Ruch Chorzów (1)
- 1934: Ruch Chorzów (2)
- 1935: Ruch Chorzów (3)
- 1936: Ruch Chorzów (4)
- 1937: Cracovia (4)
- 1938: Ruch Chorzów (5)
- 1939: Abandoned°°
- 1946: Polonia Warsaw (1)
- 1947: Warta Poznań (2)
- 1948: Cracovia (5)
- 1949: Wisła Kraków (3)
- 1950: Wisła Kraków (4)
- 1951: Wisła Kraków°°° (5)
- 1952: Ruch Chorzów (6)
- 1953: Ruch Chorzów (7)
- 1954: Polonia Bytom (1)
- 1955: Legia Warsaw (1)
- 1956: Legia Warsaw (2)
- 1957: Górnik Zabrze (1)
- 1958: ŁKS Łódź (1)
- 1959: Górnik Zabrze (2)
- 1960: Ruch Chorzów (8)
- 1961: Górnik Zabrze (3)
- 1962: Polonia Bytom (2)
- 1962–63: Górnik Zabrze (4)
- 1963–64: Górnik Zabrze (5)
- 1964–65: Górnik Zabrze (6)
- 1965–66: Górnik Zabrze (7)
- 1966–67: Górnik Zabrze (8)
- 1967–68: Ruch Chorzów (9)
- 1968–69: Legia Warsaw (3)
- 1969–70: Legia Warsaw (4)
- 1970–71: Górnik Zabrze (9)
- 1971–72: Górnik Zabrze (10)
- 1972–73: Stal Mielec (1)
- 1973–74: Ruch Chorzów (10)
- 1974–75: Ruch Chorzów (11)
- 1975–76: Stal Mielec (2)
- 1976–77: Śląsk Wrocław (1)
- 1977–78: Wisła Kraków (6)
- 1978–79: Ruch Chorzów (12)
- 1979–80: Szombierki Bytom (1)
- 1980–81: Widzew Łódź (1)
- 1981–82: Widzew Łódź (2)
- 1982–83: Lech Poznań (1)
- 1983–84: Lech Poznań (2)
- 1984–85: Górnik Zabrze (11)
- 1985–86: Górnik Zabrze (12)
- 1986–87: Górnik Zabrze (13)
- 1987–88: Górnik Zabrze (14)
- 1988–89: Ruch Chorzów (13)
- 1989–90: Lech Poznań (3)
- 1990–91: Zagłębie Lubin (1)
- 1991–92: Lech Poznań (4)
- 1992–93: Lech Poznań (5)
- 1993–94: Legia Warsaw (5)
- 1994–95: Legia Warsaw (6)
- 1995–96: Widzew Łódź (3)
- 1996–97: Widzew Łódź (4)
- 1997–98: ŁKS Łódź (2)
- 1998–99: Wisła Kraków (7)
- 1999–2000: Polonia Warsaw (2)
- 2000–01: Wisła Kraków (8)
- 2001–02: Legia Warsaw (7)
- 2002–03: Wisła Kraków (9)
- 2003–04: Wisła Kraków (10)
- 2004–05: Wisła Kraków (11)
- 2005–06: Legia Warsaw (8)
- 2006–07: Zagłębie Lubin (2)
- 2007–08: Wisła Kraków (12)
- 2008–09: Wisła Kraków (13)
- 2009–10: Lech Poznań (6)
- 2010–11: Wisła Kraków (14)
- 2011–12: Śląsk Wrocław (2)
- 2012–13: Legia Warsaw (9)
- 2013–14: Legia Warsaw (10)
- 2014–15: Lech Poznań (7)
- 2015–16: Legia Warsaw (11)
- 2016–17: Legia Warsaw (12)
- 2017–18: Legia Warsaw (13)
- 2018–19: Piast Gliwice (1)
- 2019–20: Legia Warsaw (14)
- 2020–21: Legia Warsaw (15)
- 2021–22: Lech Poznań (8)
- 2022–23: Raków Częstochowa (1)
- 2023–24: Jagiellonia Białystok (1)
- 2024–25: Lech Poznań (9)
°Abandoned due to the preparations of the Poland national team to participate in the 1924 Olympic Football Tournament.
°°Abandoned due to the outbreak of World War II. By 31 August 1939, Ruch Chorzów was the leader.
°°°In 1951, the Polish Football Association decided to give the Polish championship title to the winner of the Polish Cup, in order to increase the importance of the re-activated cup competition. Ruch Chorzów finished the league in 6th , but won the cup, beating 2–0 Wisła Kraków in the final game. Wisła Kraków were declated the league champion.[6]
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Performance by club
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Note: This list is not synonymous with a list of Polish football champions.
Bold indicates clubs playing in the top division in the 2024–25 season.
The following table lists the league champions by the Polish voivodeship regions (current, valid since 1999).
The following table lists the league champions by city.
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Honored teams
After winning a Polish championship titles, a representative star is placed above the team's badge to indicate achieving the feat.
The current (as of May 2024) officially sanctioned championship stars are:
- Golden star: 10 or more Polish championship titles:
- Silver star: 5–9 Polish championship titles:
- White star: 1–4 Polish championship titles:
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All-time league table
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The all-time league table consists of all the teams that once participated in the Ekstraklasa. Data from the 1927 – 2024–25 seasons.
Source: Tabela wszech czasów 90minut.pl
From 1927 to 2025, a total of 86 teams contested in the Ekstraklasa.
Bold- indicates teams currently playing in the 2025–26 season.
Explanation
- In case of an equal amount of points between teams, positions are decided on the basis of goal difference, then a greater number of goals scored.
- From the 1927 to the 1994–95 season, two points were awarded for a win and one point for a draw. From the 1986–87 to the 1989–90 season, a win by at least three goals additionally awarded one point, while one point was deducted for a loss by at least three goals. Since the 1995–96 season, three points are awarded for a win, and one point for a draw.
- Includes championship and relegation play-off games (including 11 games in 1948, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89), but does not include promotion/relegation play-offs between teams from different divisions.
- Included matches from the unfinished 1939 season.
Penalty points
Includes penalties imposed by the Polish Football Association:
- In the 1934 season, the match between Garbarnia Kraków and ŁKS Łódź was declared a bilateral forfeit 3–3 (match did not take place due to the fault of both teams).
- Results of the following matches from the 1986–87 season (Lech Poznań – Polonia Bytom 1–1, Olimpia Poznań – Stal Mielec 1–3, Zagłębie Lubin – Ruch Chorzów 0–2) and the 1992–93 season (Wisła Kraków – Legia Warsaw 0–6, ŁKS Łódź – Olimpia Poznań 7–1) were invalidated due to suspicion of match-fixing. While the games were recognized as having taken place, the points and goals were nullified (which is reflected in the table). More: Sunday of Miracles.
- In the 1993–94 season, Legia Warsaw, Wisła Kraków and ŁKS Łódź were deducted three points for the events of the final round of the 1992–93 season.
- In the 2009–10 season, Jagiellonia Białystok were deducted 10 points for participating in the match-fixing scandal.
- In the 2012–13 season, Zagłębie Lubin were deducted three points for participating in the match-fixing scandal.
- In the 2015–16 season, Wisła Kraków, Górnik Zabrze, Lechia Gdańsk and Ruch Chorzów were deducted one point each for failing to meet the licensing requirements.
- In the 2016–17 season, Ruch Chorzów were deducted four points for failing to meet the licensing requirements.
- In the 2020–21 season, Cracovia were deducted five points for participating in the match-fixing scandal during the 2003–04 II liga season.[8]
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Top goalscorers
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Records
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All-time most appearances
All-time top goalscorers
All-time most appearances by foreign players
All-time top foreign goalscorers
Transfer records
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League presidents
2003–2005 match-fixing scandal
Despite match-fixing becoming punishable by law in mid-2003, several clubs were still involved in the process in the following months. They were later penalized:
- Arka Gdynia – a one-tier relegation, a five-point deduction at the start of the 2007–08 season.
- Cracovia – a five-point deduction at the start of the 2020–21 season and a 1,000,000 PLN fine.[56]
- Górnik Łęczna – a two-tier relegation, a six-point deduction at the start of the 2007–08 season.
- Górnik Polkowice – a two-tier relegation, a six-point deduction at the start of the 2007–08 season and a 70,000 PLN fine.
- Korona Kielce – a one-tier relegation.
- Jagiellonia Białystok – a ten-point deduction at the start of 2009–10 season and a 300,000 PLN fine.
- KSZO Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski – a one-tier relegation, a six-point deduction at the start of the 2007–08 season.
- Zagłębie Lubin – a one-tier relegation.
- Zagłębie Sosnowiec – a one-tier relegation.
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Statistics
UEFA coefficients
The following data indicates Polish coefficient rankings between European football leagues.[57]
 | This graph was using the legacy Graph extension, which is no longer supported. It needs to be converted to the new Chart extension. |
UEFA League Ranking for the 2020–2025 period:[58][59]
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UEFA 5-year Club Ranking for the 2020–2025 period:[60][61]
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Media coverage
Since 1994, Ekstraklasa broadcast rights have been held by Canal+ Poland, with several other broadcasters presenting select games over the years. In 2022, Canal+ renewed their rights through 2027 in a deal worth 1.4 billion PLN.[62] On 17 July 2024, TVP Sport announced they have acquired a sublicense to show one game per week until the end of the 2026–27 season.
See also
Notes
References
External links
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