Contested by 18 clubs, operating a system ofpromotion and relegation with theI 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 theEkstraklasa qualifies for thePolish Super Cup. Since 2005, the league is operated by theEkstraklasaSpółka Akcyjna.
TheEkstraklasa (former I liga) was officially formed asLiga Polska on 4–5 December 1926 inWarsaw, since 1 March 1927 asLiga Piłki Nożnej (Polish pronunciation:[ˈliɡaˈpiwkʲiˈnɔʐnɛj]), but thePolish 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 areLech Poznań, who won their 9th title in the2024–25 season.
On 4–5 December 1926 inWarsaw, 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 thePolish 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.
The only opponent of the league's formation wasCracovia – 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 withBarcelona and losing 0–1 toReal Madrid. In October, also thanks to Cetnarowski,Sevilla travelled to Kraków, losing 2–3 to Cracovia.
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 inKatowice, 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.
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 asHenryk Reyman,Mieczysław Balcer andJan 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 wasWarta Poznań, which finished one point ahead ofGarbarnia 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 fromKraków. 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.
As has been said, the early 1930s marked a decline of the dominance of Kraków andLwów as centers of Polish football. The point of gravity slowly moved towards west – toUpper Silesia. In 1932 the champion wasCracovia, but starting in 1933,Ruch Chorzów (then:Ruch Wielkie Hajduki) completely dominated the league, being the champion for four times in a row.
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.
1938 winning Ruch Chorzów side
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 byCracovia, 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:
The 2020s was marked by the league's rise in theUEFA coefficient, boosted by the good results of Polish clubs in European competitions with Lech Poznań reaching the quarterfinals of theUEFA Conference League in the2022–23 season.[4]
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 the2013–14 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). The2016–17 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] The2021–22 season started with 18 teams, instead of 16.
°Abandoned due to the preparations of the Poland national team to participate in the 1924 Olympic Football Tournament. °°Abandoned due to the outbreak ofWorld War II. By 31 August 1939,Ruch Chorzów was the leader. °°°In 1951, the Polish Football Association decided to give thePolish 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]
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 the1927 to the1994–95 season, two points were awarded for a win and one point for a draw. From the1986–87 to the1989–90 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 the1995–96 season, three points are awarded for a win, and one point for a draw.
Includes championship and relegation play-off games (including 11 games in1948,1986–87,1987–88,1988–89), but does not include promotion/relegation play-offs between teams from different divisions.
Includes penalties imposed by the Polish Football Association:
In the1934 season, the match betweenGarbarnia Kraków andŁKS Łódź was declared a bilateral forfeit 3–3 (match did not take place due to the fault of both teams).
(Bold denotes players still playing in the Ekstraklasa,italics denotes players who later represented Poland internationally) As of 25 May 2025. Source:link.
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 the2020–21 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.
Since 1994, Ekstraklasa broadcast rights have been held byCanal+ 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 billionPLN.[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.
^"History". wisla.krakow.pl. Archived fromthe original on 14 September 2011. Retrieved3 October 2011.
^Wisła is the 1951 Ekstraklasa champion, albeit not thePolish Champion (as the following title was won by Ruch Chorzów). "History". wisla.krakow.pl. Archived fromthe original on 14 September 2011. Retrieved3 October 2011.
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