Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (Polish pronunciation: [ˈviswa ˈkrakuf]), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. They compete in the Ekstraklasa following promotion from the 2025–26 I liga. 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 the Synerise Arena Kraków.
The club's coat of arms is a red crest crossed by a blue ribbon, with a white star centered on top.
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.
Contents
History
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.
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.
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.
Stadium
Henryk Reyman Stadium, currently known as Synerise Arena Kraków for sponsorship reasons, 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.
Supporters and rivalries
Fan friendlies
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. 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 2015.
The fans formerly held relations with Unia Tarnów, Jagiellonia Białystok, Siarka Tarnobrzeg, Resovia Rzeszów and Zagłębie Wałbrzych.
Rivalries
The term "Holy War" refers to the intense rivalry between the two Kraków-based teams; Wisła and KS Cracovia, one of the oldest and most violent football rivalries in Central Europe. Originating in 1906 with the creation of Kraków's first football clubs, the rivalry quickly evolved beyond sport and became deeply rooted in local identity, social divisions and supporter culture. 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 and ended in a 1–1 draw. One of the earliest landmark meetings came on 8 May 1913, when Cracovia defeated Wisła 2–1 in what is regarded as the first officially sanctioned Polish championship match recognized by FIFA. Another iconic encounter took place on 5 December 1948, when the clubs finished level on points after the first post-war season and met in a title-deciding play-off at a neutral venue, won 3–1 by Cracovia. The rivalry also produced numerous symbolic moments beyond league competition, including the annual "Herbowa Tarcza Krakowa" matches played in the 1970s, which regularly attracted huge crowds despite the clubs competing in different divisions. As of May 2022, the Kraków derby game between Wisła and Cracovia has been contested 203 times, with Wisła winning 91 times, tying 48 times and Cracovia winning 64 times.
The rivalry between Wisła and Cracovia is one of the oldest and most culturally significant in Polish football. The fixture reflects not only sporting competition, but also deep historical, social and identity-based divisions within Kraków. A long-standing symbolic dispute concerns which club should be recognized as the oldest football club in Kraków. Both Wisła and Cracovia trace their origins to spring 1906, but the question remains difficult to resolve conclusively due to contradictory archival material, disputed interpretations of early organizational activity and the fragmented nature of surviving historical records. The issue remains unresolved and continues to form part of the derby's mythology.
From the 1990s through the 2010s, the rivalry became infamous far beyond football due to the extreme violence of hooligan groups associated with both clubs. Clashes involving Wisła Sharks and Cracovia-affiliated firms frequently involved knives, machetes, axes and baseball bats, while murders, retaliatory attacks and organized ambushes linked to the conflict repeatedly shocked Poland. Among the most notorious incidents was the 2011 daylight killing of senior Cracovia hooligan Tomasz "Człowiek" C., who was rammed off the road in Kraków's Kurdwanów district before being attacked by over a dozen masked men armed with machetes and clubs.
Other teams
In addition to the professional team, Wisła Kraków also runs a reserve team, currently playing in group IV of the III liga, and youth teams competing in the Central Junior League.
Current squad
As of 8 September 2026
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Other players under contract
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Coaching staff
As of 26 June 2026
Sponsors
Honours
Domestic
Ekstraklasa
Champions: 1927, 1928, 1949, 1950, 1951, 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, 2025–26
Runners-up: 1985–86, 1988–89, 1995–96
Galician Championship
2nd place: 1913
Polish Cup
Winners: 1926-27, 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
Europe
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
Youth teams
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
Records
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. 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
Wisła in European football
Q = Qualifying
PO = Play-Off
Group = Group stage
R32 = Round of 32
QF = Quarter final
Notable players
Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Wisła.
Managerial history
Caretaker managers listed in italics.
Other sections
Esports
Wisła Kraków also had an esports division, with teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and FIFA 20.
Women's basketball
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.