Ekstraklasa

Ekstraklasa, officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish football league system.
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 was officially formed as Liga Polska on 4–5 December 1926 in Warsaw, since 1 March 1927 as Liga Piłki Nożnej, but the Polish Football Association 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.

History

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, 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 took part in it. This is the list of the teams :
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 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, this was changed to 3–0 in favor of Poznań's side. As a result of the decision, Warta became the champion, Garbarnia finished second with 32 points and Klub Turystow was relegated.
In 1930, Cracovia regained the championship, 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 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 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 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.
File:Pogoń Lwów – Ruch Hajduki Wielkie 1939.jpg|thumb|Match between Pogoń Lwów and Ruch Chorzów in the 1939 season
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 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. Another important center, Wilno, was also annexed by the Soviets. In exchange, Poland gained a large swath of formerly German territory in particular in Silesia, with its capital Wrocław and cities such as Zabrze, Bytom and 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.

Clubs

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' and 'relegation' groups. Each team played seven more games. The 2016–17 season was the last when teams started an extra round with half the points achieved during the first phase of 30 matches. The changes extended the season to a total of 296 matches played. The 2021–22 season started with 18 teams, instead of 16.
Clubs as of the 2025–26 season.

Team	Location	Venue	Capacity
Arka Gdynia	Gdynia	GOSiR Stadium	15,139
Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza	Nieciecza	Bruk-Bet Stadium	4,666
Cracovia	Kraków	Józef Piłsudski Stadium	15,016
GKS Katowice	Katowice	Arena Katowice	15,048
Górnik Zabrze	Zabrze	Arena Zabrze	28,236
Jagiellonia Białystok	Białystok	Chorten Arena	22,372
Korona Kielce	Kielce	EXBUD Arena	15,700
Lech Poznań	Poznań	Enea Stadion	42,837
Lechia Gdańsk	Gdańsk	Polsat Plus Arena Gdańsk	41,620
Legia Warsaw	Warsaw	Polish Army Stadium	31,103
Motor Lublin	Lublin	Motor Lublin Arena	15,247
Piast Gliwice	Gliwice	Piotr Wieczorek Stadium	9,913
Pogoń Szczecin	Szczecin	Florian Krygier Stadium	21,163
Radomiak Radom	Radom	Czachor Brothers Stadium	8,840
Raków Częstochowa	Częstochowa	zondacrypto Arena	5,500
Widzew Łódź	Łódź	Widzew Łódź Stadium	18,018
Wisła Płock	Płock		15,004
Zagłębie Lubin	Lubin	KGHM Zagłebie Arena	16,086

Upgrading to 31,871.

List of champions

°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.''

Performance by club

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.

Titles	Team	Year
15	Legia Warsaw	1955, 1956, 1969, 1970, 1994, 1995, 2002, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021
14	-	-
14	Górnik Zabrze	1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
14	Wisła Kraków	1927, 1928, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1978, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011
13	Ruch Chorzów	1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1952, 1953, 1960, 1968, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1989
9	Lech Poznań	1983, 1984, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2010, 2015, 2022, 2025
5	Cracovia	1921, 1930, 1932, 1937, 1948
4	Pogoń Lwów	1922, 1923, 1925, 1926
4	Widzew Łódź	1981, 1982, 1996, 1997
2	ŁKS Łódź	1958, 1998
2	Polonia Bytom	1954, 1962
2	Polonia Warsaw	1946, 2000
2	Stal Mielec	1973, 1976
2	Śląsk Wrocław	1977, 2012
2	Warta Poznań	1929, 1947
2	Zagłębie Lubin	1991, 2007
1	Garbarnia Kraków	1931
1	Jagiellonia Białystok	2024
1	Piast Gliwice	2019
1	Raków Częstochowa	2023
1	Szombierki Bytom	1980

The following table lists the league champions by the Polish voivodeship regions.

Region	Titles	Winning clubs
Silesia	32	Górnik Zabrze, Ruch Chorzów, Polonia Bytom, Szombierki Bytom, Piast Gliwice, Raków Częstochowa
Lesser Poland	20	Wisła Kraków, Cracovia, Garbarnia Kraków
Masovia	17	Legia Warsaw, Polonia Warsaw
Greater Poland	11	Lech Poznań, Warta Poznań
Łódź	6	Widzew Łódź, ŁKS Łódź
Lower Silesia	4	Zagłębie Lubin, Śląsk Wrocław
Subcarpathian	2	Stal Mielec
Podlaskie	1	Jagiellonia Białystok

The following table lists the league champions by city.

City	Titles	Winning clubs
Kraków	20	Wisła Kraków, Cracovia, Garbarnia Kraków
Warsaw	17	Legia Warsaw, Polonia Warsaw
Zabrze	14	Górnik Zabrze
Chorzów	13	Ruch Chorzów
Poznań	11	Lech Poznań, Warta Poznań
Łódź	6	Widzew Łódź, ŁKS Łódź
Lwów	4	Pogoń Lwów
Bytom	3	Polonia Bytom, Szombierki Bytom
Lubin	2	Zagłębie Lubin
Mielec	2	Stal Mielec
Wrocław	2	Śląsk Wrocław
Białystok	1	Jagiellonia Białystok
Częstochowa	1	Raków Częstochowa
Gliwice	1	Piast Gliwice

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 officially sanctioned championship stars are:

Golden star: 10 or more Polish championship titles:
* Górnik Zabrze
* Legia Warsaw
* Ruch Chorzów
* Wisła Kraków
Silver star: 5–9 Polish championship titles:
* Cracovia
* Lech Poznań
White star: 1–4 Polish championship titles:
*Jagiellonia Białystok
*ŁKS Łódź
*Piast Gliwice
*Polonia Bytom
*Polonia Warsaw
*Raków Częstochowa
*Stal Mielec
*Śląsk Wrocław
*Warta Poznań
*Widzew Łódź
*Zagłębie Lubin

All-time league table

The all-time league table consists of all the teams that once participated in the Ekstraklasa. Data from the 1927 – 2024–25 seasons.
Source: 90minut.pl

Pos.	Club	Seasons	Current level	Matches played	Points	Total wins	Wins for 3 pts	Draws	Losses	Losses for −1 pts	Goals scored	Goals conceded	Goal difference
1	Legia Warsaw	88	1st	2468	3595	1217	547	611	640	3	4110	2607	+1503
2	Wisła Kraków	82	2nd	2231	2927	984	404	559	688	6	3585	2685	+900
3	Górnik Zabrze	67	1st	1982	2553	837	300	561	584	1	2941	2245	+696
4	Lech Poznań	64	1st	1886	2489	779	412	515	592	8	2656	2159	+497
5	Ruch Chorzów	78	2nd	2101	2460	847	198	569	685	6	3147	2713	+434
6	ŁKS Łódź	67	2nd	1790	1809	610	104	486	694	6	2297	2504	-207
7	Pogoń Szczecin	52	1st	1583	1790	542	262	444	597	7	1927	2103	-176
8	Śląsk Wrocław	46	2nd	1439	1684	509	234	428	502	5	1707	1754	-47
9	Widzew Łódź	38	1st	1177	1489	460	214	358	359	6	1522	1386	+136
10	Zagłębie Lubin	36	1st	1159	1484	423	320	320	416	1	1447	1424	+23
11	Cracovia	46	1st	1231	1421	449	226	302	480		1735	1729	+6
12	GKS Katowice	31	1st	928	1079	335	101	293	300	2	1072	1024	+48
13	Lechia Gdańsk	32	1st	913	1039	303	196	243	367	1	1033	1211	-178
14	Polonia Warsaw	31	2nd	800	966	304	180	178	318		1165	1251	-86
15	Jagiellonia Białystok	22	1st	729	946	263	238	199	267	7	926	1009	-83
16	Zagłębie Sosnowiec	36	3rd	987	918	322	11	267	398	4	1180	1330	-150
17	Stal Mielec	30	2nd	903	909	291	52	272	334	6	1021	1087	-66
18	Polonia Bytom	35	2nd	889	879	289	32	272	328	4	1097	1139	-42
19	Korona Kielce	17	1st	571	741	191	191	168	212		673	768	-95
20	Piast Gliwice	15	1st	515	720	193	193	141	181		623	612	+11
21	Szombierki Bytom	25	5th	702	645	235		180	287	5	875	999	-124
22	Wisła Płock	16	1st	516	620	168	160	124	224		613	759	-146
23	Warta Poznań	22	3rd	542	590	222	45	101	219		979	881	+98
24	Gwardia Warsaw	23	not existing	572	539	195		149	228		682	764	-82
25	Odra Wodzisław Śląski	14	9th	418	529	145	145	94	179		487	570	-83
26	Odra Opole	22	2nd	564	523	182		159	223		645	740	-95
27	Raków Częstochowa	10	1st	339	513	146	137	84	109		445	383	+62
28	Arka Gdynia	16	1st	508	510	144	75	147	217		522	667	-145
29	Amica Wronki	11	not existing	332	498	135	135	93	104		452	370	+82
30	GKS Bełchatów	12	4th	375	486	130	130	96	149		422	463	-41
31	Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski	10	not existing	294	441	124	124	69	101		420	357	+63
32	Zawisza Bydgoszcz	14	4th	430	376	126	22	98	206		461	651	-190
33	Garbarnia Kraków	15	6th	315	306	121		64	130		563	561	+2
34	Pogoń Lwów	13	abroad	273	304	130		44	99		537	439	+98
35	Stomil Olsztyn	8	5th	254	296	76	69	75	103		255	339	-84
36	Górnik Łęczna	8	2nd	257	276	70	70	66	121		260	391	-131
37	Motor Lublin	10	1st	308	269	84	14	99	125	12	307	431	-124
38	Stal Rzeszów	11	2nd	290	255	79		97	114		297	377	-80
39	Hutnik Kraków	7	3rd	234	254	75	23	81	78		299	284	+15
40	KS Warszawianka	13	not existing	271	227	90		47	134		427	612	-185
41	Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała	6	3rd	201	222	54	54	60	87		225	310	-85
42	Olimpia Poznań	8	not existing	250	220	67	5	91	92	10	269	317	-48
43	AKS Chorzów	10	not existing	192	196	80		36	76		336	307	+29
44	Radomiak Radom	5	1st	166	196	52	44	48	66		194	223	-29
45	Bałtyk Gdynia	7	6th	210	186	64		61	85	4	184	247	-63
46	1964 Rybnik\|ROW Rybnik]	7	5th	198	165	50		65	83		165	233	-78
47	Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza	4	1st	145	156	39	39	39	67		149	227	-78
48	Górnik Wałbrzych	6	5th	180	154	52	2	55	73	7	190	243	-53
49	Zagłębie Wałbrzych	6	7th	160	142	50		42	68		131	166	-35
50	Czarni Lwów	7	not existing	164	141	56		29	79		265	326	-61
51	Górnik Radlin	8	7th	162	136	50		36	76		193	280	-87
52	Sokół Pniewy	4	not existing	136	130	36	16	42	58		128	190	-62
53	Polonia Bydgoszcz	7	6th	156	129	47		35	74		186	296	-110
54	Ruch Radzionków	3	5th	90	109	30	30	19	41		105	135	-30
55	Stal Stalowa Wola	4	3rd	132	103	32		44	56		113	173	-60
56	1. FC Katowice	3	9th	78	88	39		10	29		164	143	+21
57	GKS Tychy	3	2nd	90	86	28		30	32		105	113	-8
58	Klub Turystów Łódź	3	not existing	78	73	31		11	36		134	161	-27
59	KSZO Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski	3	4th	92	71	18	18	17	57		73	147	-74
60	Puszcza Niepołomice	2	2nd	68	68	15	15	23	30		76	112	-36
61	Siarka Tarnobrzeg	3	4th	102	65	19	3	24	59		88	169	-81
62	Arkonia Szczecin	4	6th	88	64	20		24	44		100	166	-66
63	Miedź Legnica	2	2nd	71	63	14	14	21	36		73	120	-47
64	Śląsk Świętochłowice	3	6th	66	45	19		7	40		84	166	-82
65	Lechia/Olimpia Gdańsk	1	not existing	34	40	11	11	7	16		39	59	-20
66	Unia Racibórz	2	7th	52	38	14		10	28		77	126	-49
67	Hasmonea Lwów	2	not existing	54	38	14		10	30		98	149	-51
68	Wawel Kraków	2	8th	32	37	13		11	8		50	36	+14
69	Igloopol Dębica	2	5th	64	37	9		19	36		43	121	-78
70	Strzelec 22 Siedlce	3	not existing	64	36	14		8	42		84	169	-85
71	Sandecja Nowy Sącz	1	3rd	37	33	6	6	15	16		34	54	-20
72	Szczakowianka Jaworzno	1	5th	30	32	8	8	8	14		40	54	-14
73	RKS Radomsko	1	5th	28	31	7	7	10	11		23	34	-11
74	TKS Toruń	2	not existing	54	30	13		4	37		84	185	-101
75		2	8th	42	27	11		5	26		56	105	-49
76	Górnik Polkowice	1	4th	26	23	6	6	5	15		17	37	-20
77	Tarnovia Tarnów	1	6th	26	22	10		2	14		42	48	-6
78	Świt Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki	1	4th	26	22	5	5	7	14		21	42	-21
79	Rymer Rybnik	1	8th	26	19	8		3	15		45	64	-19
80	GKS Jastrzębie	1	3rd	30	19	8		8	14	5	24	43	-19
81	Dąb Katowice	2	not existing	36	14	7			29		29	97	-68
82	ŁTS-G Łódź	1	not existing	22	12	3		6	13		25	67	-42
83	Śmigły Wilno	1	not existing	18	11	5		1	12		29	50	-21
84	Jutrzenka Kraków	1	not existing	26	11	3		5	18		41	82	-41
85	Lechia Lwów	1	not existing	22	11	5		1	16		23	66	-43
86	Union Touring Łódź	1	not existing	12	3	1		1	10		15	51	-36

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, 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.
Results of the following matches from the 1986–87 season and the 1992–93 season were invalidated due to suspicion of match-fixing. While the games were recognized as having taken place, the points and goals were nullified. 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.

Records

Transfer records

Outgoing transfers

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.
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.

Statistics

UEFA coefficients

The following data indicates Polish coefficient rankings between European football leagues.
;Country ranking:
UEFA League Ranking for the 2020–2025 period:

;Club ranking:
UEFA 5-year Club Ranking for the 2020–2025 period:

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. 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.