Full name | Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna [1] | |||
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Nickname(s) | Biała Gwiazda (The White Star) | |||
Founded | 1906 | |||
Ground | Henryk Reyman Stadium | |||
Capacity | 33,326 [2] | |||
Owner |
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President | Jarosław Królewski | |||
Manager | Mariusz Jop | |||
League | I liga | |||
2023–24 | I liga, 10th of 18 | |||
Website | www | |||
Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna , commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (Polish pronunciation: [ˈviswaˈkrakuf] ), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. They currently compete in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system, following relegation from the 2021–22 Ekstraklasa season. It ranks fourth in the number of national titles won (13), behind Górnik Zabrze, Ruch Chorzów (both on 14), and Legia Warsaw (15), and second in all-time victories. Wisła was founded in 1906 under the name TS Wisła (Polish: Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła). The team plays its home matches at Henryk Reyman Stadium.
The club's coat of arms is a white star on a red background crossed by a blue ribbon.
Wisła Kraków was one of the most successful Polish football clubs of 2000s, winning eight league championships since 1999. Along with league titles, Wisła also won the Polish Cup on five occasions, including the first-ever edition in 1926, and are the current cup holders. Wisła also enjoyed some success in European competitions in the 1970s, reaching the quarter-finals in the 1978–79 European Cup.
Wisła Kraków was founded in 1906 when students of the Second Practical School in Kraków, inspired by their professor Tadeusz Łopuszański, formed a football club. [3]
In this first, historic season of the League, the fight for the championship was decided between two teams: Wisła Kraków and 1. FC Kattowitz. 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 the 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.
During the German occupation of Poland (World War II), the club operated secretly. Co-founder Franciszek Brożek and pre-war player Adam Obrubański were among Poles murdered by the Russians in the large Katyn massacre in April–May 1940. [4]
In 1949, the club was renamed to Gwardia-Wisła Kraków. In 1955 the club returned to its original name, TS Wisła. In 1967, the club was once again renamed, to GTS Wisła, a name which held until 1990 when the club reverted to its original name, TS Wisła. In the late 1990s, the football section of the club was incorporated and was renamed Wisła Kraków SSA.
The club has had its ups and downs, winning national championships and earning European qualification. It was also relegated to the second division on three occasions. Since the football section has been bought by Tele-Fonika Kable S.A. in 1998, the team has been far and away the most successful club in Poland, winning seven national championships and finishing in second place three times, totalling ten top two finishes in 12 years.
At international level, Wisła has competed in all three of the European competitions. The club's greatest success came in the 1978–79 season, when Wisła was able to reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup, eventually to be knocked out by Malmö FF 3–5 on aggregate. Most recently, Wisła narrowly missed out on a chance to compete in the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League group stage, being defeated 4–5 by Panathinaikos after extra time. [5]
Wisła also twice reached the second round of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1967–68 and 1984–85, falling 0–5 and 2–3 by Hamburger SV and Fortuna Sittard, respectively. The White Star has competed in the UEFA Cup ten times.
On 15 May 2022, Wisła was relegated to the I liga for the first time since 1996, after losing 4–2 against Radomiak Radom. [6]
On 2 May 2024, they won their fifth Polish Cup title after defeating Pogoń Szczecin 1–2 in extra time, becoming the fifth second division team to win this competition, and the first since Ruch Chorzów in 1996. [7] The White Star itself finished the 2023–24 season ranked 10th in the second tier. [8]
Henryk Reyman Stadium is located at 22 Reymonta Street in Kraków. The stadium was originally built in 1953 and currently has a capacity of 33,326. The stadium was renovated in 2010, being upgraded to UEFA elite standards. The Wisła Stadium was also chosen as a reserve venue for the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament, jointly held in Poland and Ukraine. The record attendance of 45,000 at Wisła Stadium came on 29 September 1976 when Wisła defeated Celtic 2–0. The venue has been a fortress for Wisła, where the team is especially difficult to defeat. Wisła holds the all-time Polish football record for consecutive league home games without a loss. The streak began following a loss on 16 September 2001 to KSZO Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, and ended more than five years later on 11 November 2006, when GKS Bełchatów defeated Wisła 4–2. The number of matches without a loss was then settled at 73, overcoming the former Polish record of 48 which belonged to Legia Warsaw. During the 2008–09 season, Wisła lost points at home only twice, drawing with ŁKS Łódź and being defeated by Lech Poznań.
Wisła fans formerly had long friendships relations with Lechia Gdańsk and Śląsk Wrocław, known as the "Three Kings of Great Cities" alliance until 2016, when their alliance fell apart.[ citation needed ] They formed a new group with Ruch Chorzów and Widzew Łódź (and by extension Elana Toruń, Slovan Bratislava and KKS Kalisz), which divided Wisła fans.
The fans have an amicable relationship with Polonia Przemyśl. Although Garbarnia Kraków, Puszcza Niepołomice and Kmita Zabierzów have no organised fan movements they are known to have local Wisła fans attend their games. Kmita was founded initially as Wisła Zabierzów as a local branch of the Wisła sports club.
The club also has close relations with Italian side Lazio since their Rome derby match in 2016, as well private contacts with CSKA Moscow and VfL Bochum.
The fans formerly held relations with Unia Tarnów, Jagiellonia Białystok, Siarka Tarnobrzeg, Resovia Rzeszów and Zagłębie Wałbrzych.
The term "Holy War" refers to the intense rivalry between the two Kraków-based teams; Wisła and KS Cracovia. In 1906, the establishment of the two first Polish football clubs, Cracovia and Wisła, created a rivalry that now dates back more than 100 years. The term "Holy War" was first used to describe the rivalry of Kraków's Jewish teams, Makkabi and Jutrzenka. A Jutrzenka defender, Ludwik Gintel, who later joined the Cracovia side referred to the derby match against Wisła as the "Holy War". The phrase was incorporated into a song and has since been popular amongst both Wisła and Cracovia fans.
The first recorded Kraków Derby was contested on 20 September 1908, a 1–1 draw. A historic derby match between Cracovia and Wisła occurred on 8 May 1913. It was the first time Polish teams played a championship game officially sanctioned by FIFA; Cracovia won 2–1. The most famous derby took place in 1948 when after the first post-war season, both Cracovia and Wisła accumulated an even number of points and the championship had to be decided by an additional game played at a neutral venue. On 5 December 1948, Cracovia defeated Wisła 3–1 and was crowned national champions. As of May 2011, the Kraków derby game between Wisła and Cracovia has been contested 183 times, with Wisła winning 82 times, tying 42 times and Cracovia winning 59 times.
The match contested between Wisła Kraków and Legia Warsaw, dubbed "The Derby of Poland", is commonly recognized as one of the greatest rivalries in Polish club football. Historically the two sides have been the most successful clubs in Poland, both in the top two in the all-time table. The rivalry between two of Poland's premier cities of Kraków and Warsaw sparks the rivalry even more. The regional differences of Kraków (south) and Warsaw (north), and the fact that Kraków used to be the capital of Poland before Warsaw (in the years 1038–1079 and 1138–1596) and the full official name of Kraków is Stołeczne Królewskie Miasto Kraków, or "Royal Capital City of Kraków" in English, also add a greater meaning to the match.
The other Kraków derby is contested against Hutnik, historically the third team in Kraków representing Nowa Huta. Owing to Hutnik's lack of recent sporting success, the rivalry is mostly off-pitch and with Wisla's reserve team or in other sports sections of both clubs.
Other rivalries are with Lech Poznań, Arka Gdynia and Tarnovia Tarnów, an extension of the fierce rivalry with Cracovia as all three maintain good friendships with them.
Fans of Zagłębie Sosnowiec, Korona Kielce, GKS Katowice, and Polonia Warsaw are also inter-regional fierce rivals.
In addition to the professional team, Wisła Kraków plays also in the Polish Junior league. [9]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Manager | Mariusz Jop |
Assistant coaches | Bartosz Bąk Kazimierz Kmiecik Michał Siwierski |
Fitness coach | Kazimierz Piechnik |
Goalkeeping coach | Łukasz Załuska |
Analyst | Krzysztof Siłka |
Physiotherapists | Bartłomiej Grzegorczyk Marcin Sapalski |
Team doctor | Mariusz Urban |
Team manager | Kamil Binda |
Kit manager | Jan Batko |
Team records
Records individual
Season | Achievement | Notes | |
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European Cup/UEFA Champions League | |||
1978–79 | Quarter-final | lost to Malmö 2–1 in Kraków, 1–4 in Malmö | |
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | |||
1967–68 | Round of 16 | lost to Hamburger SV 0–1 in Kraków, 0–4 in Hamburg | |
1984–85 | Round of 16 | lost to Fortuna Sittard 0–2 in Sittard, 2–1 in Kraków | |
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League | |||
2002–03 | Round of 16 | lost to Lazio 3–3 in Rome, 1–2 in Kraków | |
UEFA Conference League | |||
2024–25 | Play-off | lost to Cercle Brugge 1–6 in Kraków, 4–1 in Bruges |
Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Wisła.
Caretaker managers listed in italics.
Wisła Kraków also has an esports division, with teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and FIFA 20 . [14]
The women's basketball section are one of the most successful clubs in the country, winning 25 national championships, 12 vice-championships, 13 Polish Cups and continental runners-up in 1970.
Football is the most popular sport in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly and 27%, with millions more playing occasionally and 27% being very interested in it. The first professional clubs were founded in the early 1900s, and the Poland national football team played its first international match in 1921.
Legia Warszawa, commonly referred to as Legia Warsaw or simply Legia, is a professional football club based in Warsaw, Poland. Legia is the most successful Polish football club in history, winning record 15 Ekstraklasa champions titles, a record 20 Polish Cup and 5 Polish Super Cup trophies. The club's home venue is the Polish Army Stadium. Legia is the only Polish club never to have been relegated from the top flight of Polish football since World War II.
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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 and Czerwono-biało-czerwoni (Red-white-reds). They compete in the Ekstraklasa, the top tier of the Polish football league system, since the 2022-23 season.
Kolejowy Klub Sportowy Lech Poznań S.A., commonly referred to as KKS Lech Poznań or simply Lech Poznań, is a Polish professional football club based in Poznań and currently competing in the Ekstraklasa, the nation's highest division.
Pogoń Szczecin Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Pogoń Szczecin, is a Polish professional football club based in Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, which plays in the Ekstraklasa, the top tier of the national football league system.
Cracovia is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. The club is five-time Polish champion, besides being the inaugural Polish champion, winner of the Polish Cup and the Polish Super Cup in 2020. Founded in 1906, Cracovia is the oldest Polish club still in existence. They play in the Ekstraklasa, the top tier of the national football league system.
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Wrocławski Klub Sportowy Śląsk Wrocław Spółka Akcyjna, commonly known as WKS Śląsk Wrocław, is a Polish professional football club based in Wrocław that plays in Ekstraklasa, the highest level of the Polish football league system.
Hutnik Kraków is a Polish football club based in Kraków, Poland.
Radosław Sobolewski is a Polish professional football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He was most recently the manager of I liga club Odra Opole. He played for the Poland national team.
Mariusz Jop is a Polish professional football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of I liga club Wisła Kraków.
Kazimierz Kmiecik is a Polish former professional footballer who spent most of his career with Wisła Kraków, where he played 304 league matches and scored 153 goals. This makes him the best goalscorer in history of the club. He also played for Larissa and won the first Greek cup for the history of the team, in 1985. He is today a legend in Larissa and remains a fan favourite.
Maciej Skorża is a Polish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds.
Michał Probierz is a Polish professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of the Poland national team. As a player, he played as a midfielder, spending most of his career with Górnik Zabrze.
Orest Lenczyk was a Polish professional football player and manager.
Ekstraklasa, officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is the top Polish professional league for men's association football teams.
On September 1, 1939, the armed forces of Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west initiating World War II. Two weeks later, on September 17, Soviet Union joined Germany in their attack on the Second Polish Republic. By early October, Poland was defeated. The occupied Poland was the only country in Europe where the Nazis had introduced a total ban on regional sports clubs. Football was allowed to be practised only by the Germans in the annexed areas of Upper Silesia. Polish activists and players risked their lives by organizing clandestine football competitions in Kraków, Warsaw and Poznań.