 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2023) |
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| Organising body | Ekstraklasa S.A. |
|---|---|
| Founded | 4 December 1926[1] |
| First season | 1927 |
| Country | Poland |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 18 (since 2021–22) |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | I liga |
| Domestic cup(s) | Polish Cup Polish Super Cup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Conference League |
| Current champions | Jagiellonia Białystok (1st title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Legia Warsaw (15 titles) |
| Most appearances | Łukasz Surma (559) |
| Top goalscorer | Ernest Pohl (186) |
| TV partners | Canal+ Polska TVP Sport (one game per week) |
| Website | ekstraklasa |
| Current: 2024–25 Ekstraklasa | |
Ekstraklasa (Polish pronunciation: [ˌɛkstraˈklasa]; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski,[2][3] is the top Polish professional league for men's association football teams.
Contested by 18 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the I 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 the Ekstraklasa qualifies for the Polish Super Cup. Since 2005, the league is operated by the Ekstraklasa Spółka Akcyjna.
The Ekstraklasa (former I liga) was officially formed as Liga Polska on 4–5 December 1926 in Warsaw, since 1 March 1927 as Liga Piłki Nożnej (Polish pronunciation: [ˈlʲiɡa ˈpiwki ˈnɔʐnɛj]), but the Polish 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 are Jagiellonia Białystok, who won their 1st title in the 2023–24 season.
- ^ "History". Polish Football Association. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
- ^ "PKO Bank Polski partnerem tytularnym Ekstraklasy" (in Polish). ekstraklasa.org. 28 June 2019. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ "PKO BP sponsorem tytularnym piłkarskiej Ekstraklasy" (in Polish). tvp.info. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.