Football is the most popular
sport in Poland
Poland's sports include almost all sporting disciplines, in particular: football (the most popular sport), volleyball, motorcycle speedway, ski jumping, track and field, American football, handball, basketball, tennis, and combat sport. The firs ...
. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally. The first professional clubs were founded in the early 1900s, and the
Polish national football team
The Poland national football team ( pl, Reprezentacja Polski w piłce nożnej) has represented Poland in men's international tournaments football competitions since their first match in 1921. The team is controlled by the Polish Football Assoc ...
played its first international match in
1921.
There are hundreds of professional and amateur football teams in Poland; which are organized into the
national 1st league,
2nd level,
3rd level, 4 parallel divisions of
4th level, 20 regional parallel divisions of
5th level and a variety of other lower-level leagues. Additionally, there are the Polish Cup and Polish Supercup competitions.
History
The history of football in Poland started in the late 19th century with the rising popularity of the new sport. At the time, the Polish state was
partitioned. The first decades of Polish football are therefore connected with the history of
Football in Austria
Football is the most popular sport in Austria. The Austrian Football Association, the ''ÖFB'' (''Österreichischer Fußball-Bund''), was founded in 1904 and has been a member of FIFA since then.
Despite the sport's popularity, except for a suc ...
and the
Austrian Football Association
The Austrian Football Association (german: Österreichischer Fußball-Bund; ÖFB) is the governing body of football in Austria. It organises the football league, Austrian Bundesliga, the Austrian Cup and the Austria national football team, as well ...
, which was founded in 1904.
The first Polish
football clubs
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...
were
Lechia Lwów (1903),
Czarni Lwów
Czarni Lwów was one of the first Polish professional sports clubs with the well developed football section as well as ice hockey among the several other sports. The football club was started in the late 19th century in Lwów as a school footbal ...
(1903),
Pogoń Lwów
LKS Pogoń Lwów is a former Polish professional sports club which was located in Lwów, Lwów Voivodeship (now Lviv in Ukraine), and existed from 1904 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939. It was the second oldest Polish football club beh ...
(1904),
KS Cracovia (1906) and
Wisła Kraków
Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. It currently competes in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system. ...
(1906). The Polish national federation, called the
Polish Football Union
The Polish Football Association ( pl, Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej; PZPN) is the governing body of association football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues (without the Ekstraklasa), the Polish Cup and the Polish national foo ...
(Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej, PZPN), was founded on 20 December 1919, in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
when 31 delegates elected
Edward Cetnarowski
Edward Cetnarowski (3 October 1877 Rzeszow - 3 September 1933 Krakow) was a Polish sports official, gynaecologist and one of the most famous personalities of the sports club Cracovia.
Even though Cetnarowski was regarded as one of the top Polish ...
as the first president. The PZPN joined
FIFA in 1923 and
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
in 1955.
In a similar fashion to other European states,
football appeared in Poland in the late 19th century. In 1888 Prof.
Henryk Jordan, a court physician of the
Habsburgs and the pioneer of sports in Poland, opened a sports park in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
's ''
Błonia'', a large open space surrounding the demolished city walls of that town. The park, along with the
Sokół
Sokół (, English: Falcon), or in full the Polskie Towarzystwo Gimnastyczne "Sokół" ( en, "Falcon" Polish Gymnastic Society), is the Polish offshoot of the Czech Sokol movement, and the oldest youth movement organization of Poland. Created in ...
society founded in 1867, became the main centres to promote sports and healthy living in Poland. It was Jordan who began promoting football as a healthy sport in the open air; some sources also credit him with bringing the first football to Poland from his travels to
Brunswick in 1890.
Other sources
mention Dr.
Edmund Cenar as the one to bring the first ball and the one to translate
The Cambridge Rules and parts of the
International Football Association Board
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football. IFAB was founded in 1886 to agree standardised Laws for international competition, and has since acted as the "guardia ...
regulations to
Polish language
Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In a ...
.
On 14 July 1894 during the Second Sokół Jamboree in Lwów a short football match was played between the Sokół members of Lwów and those from Kraków. It lasted only six minutes and was seen as a curiosity rather than a potentially popular sport. Nevertheless, it was the first recorded football match in Polish history. It was won by the Lwów team after
Włodzimierz Chomicki scored the only goal - the first known goal in Polish history.
This match precipitated the popularity of the new sport in Poland. Initially the rules and regulations were very simplified, with the size of the field and the ball varying greatly. Despite being discouraged by many educational societies and the state authorities, the new sport gained extreme popularity among pupils of various
gymnasiums in Galicia. The first football teams were formed and in 1903–1904, four Lwów-based gymnasiums formed their own sport clubs: the IV Gymnasium for Boys formed a club later renamed to
Pogoń Lwów
LKS Pogoń Lwów is a former Polish professional sports club which was located in Lwów, Lwów Voivodeship (now Lviv in Ukraine), and existed from 1904 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939. It was the second oldest Polish football club beh ...
, while the pupils of the I and II State Schools formed the ''Sława Lwów'' club, later renamed to
Czarni Lwów
Czarni Lwów was one of the first Polish professional sports clubs with the well developed football section as well as ice hockey among the several other sports. The football club was started in the late 19th century in Lwów as a school footbal ...
. In the same season the
Lechia Lwów was also formed. It is uncertain which of the clubs was created first as they were initially poorly organized; however, the Czarni Lwów are usually credited as being the first Polish professional football team. The following year, the popularity of the sport spread to nearby
Rzeszów
Rzeszów ( , ; la, Resovia; yi, ריישא ''Raisha'')) is the largest city in southeastern Poland. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River in the heartland of the Sandomierz Basin. Rzeszów has been the capital of the Subcarpathian ...
where
Resovia Rzeszów was formed, while in the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
-held part of Poland, the
1. FC Katowice and
Warta Poznań were formed.
On 6 June 1906 a representation of Lwów youth came to Kraków for a repeat match, this time composed of two already organized teams, the Czarni and the team of the IV Gymnasium. Kraków's representation was badly beaten in both meetings (4-0 and 2-0 respectively). The same summer the
Buffalo Bill Wild West Show set up camp at Kraków's Błonia, right outside of the traditional playground area and Jordan's garden. On 5 August 1906 the team of the Kraków-based Jan Sobieski Gymnasium played a match against the British and American members of Buffalo Bill's troupe, winning 1–0. The only goal scored by
Stanisław Szeligowski was also the first goal scored by a Polish team in an international meeting. The success led to the popularisation of football in Kraków and to creation of the first Kraków-based professional football team,
KS Cracovia - initially composed primarily of students of the Jan Sobieski Gymnasium.
By the autumn of that year there were already 16 teams in Kraków, including
Wisła Kraków
Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. It currently competes in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system. ...
(It is said that actually Wisła Kraków was the first professional football team and not Cracovia). In 1911, a Kraków-based
Union of Polish Football for Galicia was formed and entered the
Austrian Football Association
The Austrian Football Association (german: Österreichischer Fußball-Bund; ÖFB) is the governing body of football in Austria. It organises the football league, Austrian Bundesliga, the Austrian Cup and the Austria national football team, as well ...
. The union inspired the creation of a number of teams.
After the outbreak of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, most of the Galician football players, many of them members of either
Strzelec or
Sokół
Sokół (, English: Falcon), or in full the Polskie Towarzystwo Gimnastyczne "Sokół" ( en, "Falcon" Polish Gymnastic Society), is the Polish offshoot of the Czech Sokol movement, and the oldest youth movement organization of Poland. Created in ...
, joined
Piłsudski's Polish Legions. The unit, fighting alongside the
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...
, fought mostly in various parts of Russian-held Poland, which led to popularisation of the new sport in other parts of Poland. After Poland regained her independence, on 21 December 1919 the
Polish Football Association
The Polish Football Association ( pl, Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej; PZPN) is the governing body of association football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues (without the Ekstraklasa), the Polish Cup and the Polish national footb ...
(PZPN) was formed. Headed by
Edward Centrarowski, it united most of the then-existent Polish football clubs. The league could not be formed due to the
Polish-Bolshevik War, but in 1922 the PZPN published the rules of football
and the following year it joined
FIFA. In 1921 the league was resumed and the first
champions of Poland were
KS Cracovia, followed by
Pogoń Lwów
LKS Pogoń Lwów is a former Polish professional sports club which was located in Lwów, Lwów Voivodeship (now Lviv in Ukraine), and existed from 1904 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939. It was the second oldest Polish football club beh ...
in 1922, 1923, 1925 and 1926. As Poland was then a fully independent state, in 1921 the
Polish national football team
The Poland national football team ( pl, Reprezentacja Polski w piłce nożnej) has represented Poland in men's international tournaments football competitions since their first match in 1921. The team is controlled by the Polish Football Assoc ...
was formed. On 18 December 1921 it played its first international match in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
against the
Hungarian team and was defeated 1–0. In the third international match in
Stockholm on 28 May 1922 Poland defeated
Sweden 2–1, scoring its first international victory.
During World War II, football in
occupied Poland
' ( Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 Octobe ...
was subject to significant restrictions (see
Football in occupied Poland (1939–1945)) for more.
In 1955 the PZPN became one of the founding members of
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
.
Women's football
In 1979, a Polish women's football league,
Ekstraliga, was established.
Poland women's national football team, unlike the men's, has never qualified for a major tournament, though the team has come close in qualifying for a major tournament since 2010s.
Corruption in Polish football
In 2005, Polish authorities began an investigation into widespread corruption within Polish football.
In July 2006, the Polish sports minister criticized the
PZPN (Polish Football Association) for failing to take adequate steps to fight corruption, and announced an audit of the organization. In January 2007, PZPN board member Wit Żelazko was arrested by Wrocław police. Shortly thereafter, the entire PZPN board was suspended by the sports ministry. This move displeased
FIFA which announced that the principle of autonomy of football associations was of utmost importance. The Polish sports ministry, Prime Minister
Jarosław Kaczyński
Jarosław Aleksander Kaczyński (; born 18 June 1949) is a Polish politician who is currently serving as leader of the Law and Justice party (known by its Polish acronym PiS), which he co-founded in 2001 with his twin brother, Lech Kaczyński, ...
, and most fans felt that the battle against corruption was more important,
but when FIFA threatened sanctions, the sports ministry backed down and agreed to re-instate the PZPN board.
In September 2008, the Polish Olympic Committee made a request to the Polish Arbitration Tribunal to suspend the management of the PZPN a second time, stating that the PZPN was guilty of "
iolatingits statutes in a continuous and flagrant fashion."
This request was granted and Robert Zawłocki was named as temporary administrator. However, FIFA again threatened to suspend Polish teams from international competition.
On 15 April 2009, the total number of arrests reached 200, including referees, observers, coaches, players as well as some high-ranking officials of the PZPN.
By the end of April 2009, only 15 referees remained who were allowed to preside over top-flight matches.
World Cup
Poland national football team have qualified for the finals on eight occasions, the last time in for the
2018 FIFA World Cup.
Table
European Competitions
UEFA Champions League
The following teams have qualified at least to 1/2 finals in old European Champion Clubs' Cup format and, since 1992/93 season, at least group stage in the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
:
*
Legia Warsaw
**
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...
- 1/2
**
1971 - 1/4
**
1995-96 - 1/4
**
2016-17
16-17 is a band from Basel, Switzerland. Their music combines punk rock, hardcore punk, jazz and industrial music.
Biography
16-17 was founded in 1983 by Alex Buess, Knut Remond and Markus Kneubühler. When the group played its first con ...
- Group Stage
*
Widzew Łódź
RTS Widzew Łódź () is a Polish football club based in Łódź. The club was founded in 1910. Its official colours are red and white, hence their nicknames ''Czerwona Armia'' (Red Army) and ''Czerwono-biało-czerwoni'' (Red-white-reds).
Histor ...
**
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
- 1/2
**
1996-97 - Group Stage
UEFA Europa League
The following teams have qualified for elimination rounds in the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
.
*
Amica Wronki
Amica Wronki was a Polish football club based in Wronki, Poland.
The club was invariably linked to Amica, a manufacturer of white goods, predominantly stoves, which gave the club its nickname. The company's increasing profits gave the new te ...
**
2004-05 - Group Stage
*
Lech Poznań
**
2008-09 - 1/16
**
2010-11 - 1/16
**
2015-16 - Group Stage
**
2020-21 - Group Stage
*
Legia Warsaw
**
2011-12 - 1/16
**
2013-14 - Group Stage
**
2014-15 - 1/16
**
2015-16 - Group Stage
**
2016-17
16-17 is a band from Basel, Switzerland. Their music combines punk rock, hardcore punk, jazz and industrial music.
Biography
16-17 was founded in 1983 by Alex Buess, Knut Remond and Markus Kneubühler. When the group played its first con ...
- 1/16 ''(transferred from
UCL)''
**
2021-22 - Group Stage
*
Wisła Kraków
Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. It currently competes in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system. ...
**
2002-03 - 1/8
**
2006-07 - Group Stage
**
2011-12 - 1/16
UEFA Euro
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
have participated in four
UEFA European Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...
s so far:
Euro 2008
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of Europea ...
,
Euro 2012
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
,
Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
and
Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
.
On 18 April 2007 the President of UEFA,
Michel Platini
Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, a ...
, announced that the hosts of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship would be Poland and Ukraine. Both countries automatically qualified for the event.
Table
See also
*
Football hooliganism in Poland
*
Sports in Poland
Poland's sports include almost all sporting disciplines, in particular: football (the most popular sport), volleyball, motorcycle speedway, ski jumping, track and field, American football, handball, basketball, tennis, and combat sport. The fir ...
*
Poland national football team
*
Ekstraklasa
Poland Ekstraklasa (), meaning "Extra Class" in Polish, named PKO Ekstraklasa since the 2019–20 season due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is the top Polish professional league for men's association football teams.
Contested by 18 ...
*
Młoda Ekstraklasa
Młoda Ekstraklasa (, official abbreviation MESA or (rarely) literally in English: The Young Ekstraklasa) was a Polish youth football league composed of the top youth teams of the 16 Ekstraklasa sides. The games were organized with the aim of en ...
*
Polish Championship in Football
*
List of derbies in Poland
This is a list of the main sporting local derby, local derbies in Poland.
Many sports teams in Poland have organised supporter groups who are actively in involved in either the ultras scene or the hooligan scene. All these groups in Poland have 4 ...
*
List of football stadiums in Poland
The following is a list of football stadiums in Poland, ordered by capacity (more than 15 000 individual seats).
In ''italics'' – currently under construction or reconstruction
UEFA category 4 stadiums are marked by
See also
* List of Europe ...
*
Polish Cup
The Polish Cup in football ( pl, Puchar Polski w piłce nożnej ) is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title. ...
*
Polish SuperCup
The Polish Super Cup (, ) is an annually held match between the champions of the Ekstraklasa and the Polish Cup winners or, if the Ekstraklasa champions also win the Polish Cup, the Cup's runners-up. As of 2021, the Polish Super Cup has been ...
*
Polish Cup (women)
*
Polish women's national football team
*
The first game 18 December 1921. Hungary - Poland 1-0
*
Polish Squad in Football World Cup France 1938
*
The last game: 27 August 1939. Poland - Hungary 4-2
*
Polish football in interwar period
*
Football Junior Championships of Poland
*
Polish Football League 1927-1939
*
Sunday of Miracles
Notes
References
External links
Official websitePolish Ekstraklasa news in English
PSN Futbol – Live Ekstraklasa league table and Polish football news
90minut.pl - RSSSF PolandEuro in Poland 2012 News, Comments, Photos
Pilka.pl - Polish football news centerFootball scores for Polish Football Leagues
It's a Funny Old Game: Explaining Curiosities from Poland's Football Culture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Football In Poland
Football in Poland,