Ask most football fans in Poland or around the world to name a domestic Polish league and they are highly likely to say ‘Ekstraklasa’. The Ekstraklasa is the top Polish professional league and consists of 16 teams. At the time of writing, there are three teams who share the honour of winning the most titles in Poland and they are Górnik Zabrze, Legia Warsaw and Wisła Cracow.
1. Football Leagues in Poland
However, there is more to football in Poland than the Ekstraklasa. Every season there is a relegation round of fixtures and any team between 9th and 16th in the league can be relegated. However, the teams that are already in the bottom three often find it difficult to escape and end up being relegated to the I Liga.
The I Liga is the second tier of Polish football and involves 18 clubs. Three of the 18 teams are promoted at the end of the season and three are relegated to the II Liga. The II Liga also consists of 18 teams and operates the same process in terms of promotion but four clubs are relegated at the end of the campaign.
Dropping down to the III Liga and this is where the divisions begin to get split using location. The teams are split into four different groups for the North-East, North-West, South-West and South-East. Only one team from each region can win promotion to the II Liga.
2. Polish Players in Lower Leagues
As you would expect, the quality of the players as you drop down each division also falls. However, there are many Polish players who have played at the highest level operating in the lower leagues. Mateusz Możdżeń and Marcin Robak are two good examples. Both men are currently playing for Widzew Łódź in the II Liga, which is the third level of Polish football.
Możdżeń has previously enjoyed playing Europa League football for Lech Poznań and scored a spectacular goal in the 3-1 win over Manchester City in the 2010/11 Europa League group stage. The midfielder enjoyed five successful seasons with Lech Poznań before moving down the ladder to play for Widzew Łódź. His current teammate, Robak, has 9 caps for the Polish national team and scored in a friendly match against Thailand back in 2010. The forward played much of his career in the Ekstraklasa but also enjoyed a spell playing for Konyaspor in the Süper Lig.
Sławomir Peszko is perhaps the best example of a leading Polish player continuing to play in the lower leagues. Peszko won 44 caps for Poland between 2008 and 2018, representing the country at the 2016 European Championship and 2018 World Cup. He has won both the Ekstraklasa and Polish Cup plus joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan for the 2012/13 season.
However, the highlight of Peszko’s career came when the scored a crucial goal for Poland against Republic Ireland in the 2016 European Championship qualifiers. At the time of writing, the midfielder is playing for Wieczysta Cracow who are in the regional league of the Cracow II group.
Polish Players in Lower Leagues
Ask most football fans in Poland or around the world to name a domestic Polish league and they are highly likely to say ‘Ekstraklasa’. The Ekstraklasa is the top Polish professional league and consists of 16 teams. At the time of writing, there are three teams who share the honour of winning the most titles in Poland and they are Górnik Zabrze, Legia Warsaw and Wisła Cracow.
Contents
1. Football Leagues in Poland
However, there is more to football in Poland than the Ekstraklasa. Every season there is a relegation round of fixtures and any team between 9th and 16th in the league can be relegated. However, the teams that are already in the bottom three often find it difficult to escape and end up being relegated to the I Liga.
The I Liga is the second tier of Polish football and involves 18 clubs. Three of the 18 teams are promoted at the end of the season and three are relegated to the II Liga. The II Liga also consists of 18 teams and operates the same process in terms of promotion but four clubs are relegated at the end of the campaign.
Dropping down to the III Liga and this is where the divisions begin to get split using location. The teams are split into four different groups for the North-East, North-West, South-West and South-East. Only one team from each region can win promotion to the II Liga.
2. Polish Players in Lower Leagues
As you would expect, the quality of the players as you drop down each division also falls. However, there are many Polish players who have played at the highest level operating in the lower leagues. Mateusz Możdżeń and Marcin Robak are two good examples. Both men are currently playing for Widzew Łódź in the II Liga, which is the third level of Polish football.
Możdżeń has previously enjoyed playing Europa League football for Lech Poznań and scored a spectacular goal in the 3-1 win over Manchester City in the 2010/11 Europa League group stage. The midfielder enjoyed five successful seasons with Lech Poznań before moving down the ladder to play for Widzew Łódź. His current teammate, Robak, has 9 caps for the Polish national team and scored in a friendly match against Thailand back in 2010. The forward played much of his career in the Ekstraklasa but also enjoyed a spell playing for Konyaspor in the Süper Lig.
Sławomir Peszko is perhaps the best example of a leading Polish player continuing to play in the lower leagues. Peszko won 44 caps for Poland between 2008 and 2018, representing the country at the 2016 European Championship and 2018 World Cup. He has won both the Ekstraklasa and Polish Cup plus joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan for the 2012/13 season.
However, the highlight of Peszko’s career came when the scored a crucial goal for Poland against Republic Ireland in the 2016 European Championship qualifiers. At the time of writing, the midfielder is playing for Wieczysta Cracow who are in the regional league of the Cracow II group.