Wisła Kraków

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 1041–1596)^[9] 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.^[10]

As of 11 July 2024^[11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
25	DF	POL	Bartosz Jaroch
26	DF	POL	Igor Łasicki
30	MF	GRE	Giannis Kiakos
31	GK	BLR	Anton Chichkan
41	MF	POL	Kacper Duda
43	DF	POL	Dawid Szot
50	MF	POL	Mariusz Kutwa
51	FW	POL	Karol Tokarczyk
52	DF	POL	Jakub Krzyżanowski
53	GK	POL	Jakub Stępak
54	MF	POL	Piotr Starzyński
75	DF	POL	Kacper Skrobański
77	MF	ESP	Ángel Baena
80	MF	POL	Dawid Olejarka
—	GK	POL	Mikołaj Biegański
—	MF	MKD	Enis Fazlagić

As of 2 July 2024^[12][13]

Manager	Kazimierz Moskal
Sports director	Vullnet Basha
Assistant coaches	Mariusz Jop Kazimierz Kmiecik Marcin Pogorzała Michał Siwierski
Fitness coach	Kazimierz Piechnik
Goalkeeping coach	Łukasz Załuska
Analyst	Dominik Dyduła
Physiotherapists	Marcin Bisztyga Bartłomiej Grzegorczyk
Team doctor	Mariusz Urban
Team manager	Jarosław Krzoska
Kit manager	Jan Batko

• Ekstraklasa
  • Champions: 1927, 1928, 1949, 1950, 1951,^{[n 1]} 1977–78, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11
  • Runners-up: 1930, 1931, 1936, 1948, 1965–66, 1980–81, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2009–10

• Polish non-League Football Championship:
  • Runners-up: 1923, 1947
• I liga
  • Champions : 1964–65
  • Runners-up: 1985–86, 1988–89, 1995–96
• Galician Championship
  • 2nd place: 1913
• Polish Cup
  • Winners: 1926, 1966–67, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2023–24
  • Runners-up: 1950–51, 1953–54, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1999–2000, 2007–08
• Polish Super Cup
  • Winners: 2001
  • Runners-up: 1999, 2004, 2008, 2009
• Polish League Cup
  • Winners : 2000–01
  • Runners-up: 2001–02

• European Cup/UEFA Champions League
  • Quarterfinal: 1978–79
• UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League
  • Round of 16: 2002–03
• European Cup Winners' Cup
  • Round of 16: 1967–68, 1984–85
• Intertoto Cup
  • Winners: 1969, 1970, 1973

• Młoda Ekstraklasa
  • Champions: 2007–08
  • Runners-up: 2008–09
• Polish U-19 Championship
  • Champions: 1936, 1937, 1958, 1975, 1976, 1982, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2014
  • Runners-up: 1938
• Polish U-17 Championship
  • Champions: 2013
  • Runners-up: 2003

Team records

• Biggest win: 21–0 (8–0) – in Polish Championship elimination match with Pogoń Siedlce in Kraków, 24 August 1947.
• Highest home attendance: 45,000 – Wisła Kraków 2–0 Celtic (UEFA Cup), 29 September 1976.
• Highest home league attendance: 40,000 – Wisła Kraków 2–1 Legia Warszawa (Polish league), 7 August 1977.
• Debut in the league: 3 April 1927 in the first in league history.
• In the table of all time: 2nd place
• Consecutive matches without defeat in the league: 38 (25 October 2003 – 22 May 2005) – a record in the league
• Consecutive home matches without defeat: 73 (16 September 2001 – 11 November 2006) – a record in the league
• Biggest win in European competition: WIT Georgia Tbilisi 2:8 Wisła Kraków, in Georgia, 27 July 2004 year. Wisła Kraków 7–0 Newtown, in Kraków, 29 July 1998.

Records individual

• Top scorer in the league: Kazimierz Kmiecik – 153 goals in 304 matches
• Top scorer in the second league: Grzegorz Kaliciak – 32 goals
• Top scorer (total): Kazimierz Kmiecik – 181 goals in 350 matches
• Top scorer in European competition: Maciej Żurawski – 23 goals
• Most matches in European Cups: Marcin Baszczyński – 52 games
• Most meetings (total): Arkadiusz Głowacki – 461 games
• The youngest debut: Stefan Śliwa – 14 years, 268 days
• The oldest player: Marcin Wasilewski – 40 years 39 days
• Most matches in the Poland national team: Antoni Szymanowski – 65 games (a total of 82 games in the national team)
• Most goals in the Poland national team: Maciej Żurawski – 14 goals
• Top scorer in one season: Mieczysław Gracz and Maciej Żurawski – 38 goals (all meetings), Henryk Reyman – 37 goals (league only)
• All records

• Q = Qualifying
• PO = Play-Off

Season	Competition	Round		Club	Score
1967–68	European Cup Winners' Cup	1		HJK Helsinki	4–1, 4–0
		2		Hamburger SV	0–1, 0–4
1976–77	UEFA Cup	1		Celtic	2–2, 2–0
		2		Molenbeek	1–1, 1–1
1978–79	European Cup	1		Club Brugge	1–2, 3–1
		2		Zbrojovka Brno	2–2, 1–1
		1/4F		Malmö FF	2–1, 1–4
1981–82	UEFA Cup	1		Malmö FF	0–2, 1–3
1984–85	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1		ÍBV	4–2, 3–1
		2		Fortuna Sittard	0–2, 2–1
1998–99	UEFA Cup	1Q		Newtown	0–0, 7–0
		2Q		Trabzonspor	5–1, 2–1
		1		Maribor	2–0, 3–0
		2		Parma	1–1, 1–2
2000–01	UEFA Cup	Q		Željezničar Sarajevo	0–0, 3–1
		1		Real Zaragoza	1–4, 4–1
		2		Porto	0–0, 0–3
2001–02	UEFA Champions League	2Q		Skonto	2–1, 1–0
		3Q		Barcelona	3–4, 0–1
	UEFA Cup	1		Hajduk Split	2–2, 1–0
		2		Internazionale	0–2, 1–0
2002–03	UEFA Cup	Q		Glentoran	2–0, 4–0
		1		Primorje	2–0, 6–1
		2		Parma	1–2, 4–1
		3		Schalke 04	1–1, 4–1
		4		Lazio	3–3, 1–2
2003–04	UEFA Champions League	2Q		Omonia	5–2, 2–2
		3Q		Anderlecht	1–3, 0–1
	UEFA Cup	1		NEC	2–1, 2–1
		2		Vålerenga	0–0, 0–0
2004–05	UEFA Champions League	2Q		WIT Georgia	8–2, 3–0
		3Q		Real Madrid	0–2, 1–3
	UEFA Cup	1		Dinamo Tbilisi	4–3, 1–2
2005–06	UEFA Champions League	3Q		Panathinaikos	3–1, 1–4
	UEFA Cup	1		Vitória de Guimarães	0–3, 0–1
2006–07	UEFA Cup	2Q		SV Mattersburg	1–1, 1–0
		1		Iraklis	0–1, 2–0
		Group		Blackburn Rovers	1–2
				Nancy	1–2
				Basel	3–1
				Feyenoord	1–3
2008–09	UEFA Champions League	2Q		Beitar Jerusalem	1–2, 5–0
		3Q		Barcelona	0–4, 1–0
	UEFA Cup	1		Tottenham Hotspur	1–2, 1–1
2009–10	UEFA Champions League	2Q		Levadia Tallinn	1–1, 0–1
2010–11	UEFA Europa League	2Q		Šiauliai	2–0, 5–0
		3Q		Qarabağ	0–1, 2–3
2011–12	UEFA Champions League	2Q		Skonto	1–0, 2–0
		3Q		Litex Lovech	2–1, 3–1
		PO		APOEL	1–0, 1–3
	UEFA Europa League	Group		Twente	1–4, 2–1
				Fulham	1–0, 1–4
				OB	1–3, 2–1
		1/16F		Standard Liège	1–1, 0–0
2024–25	UEFA Europa League	1Q		Llapi	2–0, ?–?

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.^[15]

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.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wisła Kraków.

• Official website (in Polish and English)
• Official Wisla Supporters' website
• Wisła Kraków on Facebook
• Club history – Wisła encyclopedia