Wisła Kraków

Birth of the club, 1906

1907 Wisła Kraków side.

Wisła Kraków was founded in May 1906 when students of the Second Practical School in Kraków, inspired by their professor Tadeusz Łopuszański, formed a football club.^[3]

Early success: Polish champions, 1927–1928

1927 Wisła Kraków side.

In this first, historic season of the League, the fight for the championship was decided between two teams: Wisła Kraków and 1. FC Katowice. 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.

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.^[4]

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.

Fan Friendlies

Wisła fans formerly had relations with Lechia Gdańsk and Śląsk Wrocław until 2016, when their alliance fell apart. They formed a new group with Ruch Chorzów and Widzew Łódź which divided Wisła fans. The club also has relations with Italian side Lazio, and formerly held relations with Unia Tarnów.

The Holy War

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, Makabbi 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 amount 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.

Poland's Derby

The match contested between Wisła Kraków and Legia Warsaw is commonly recognized as the greatest rivalry in Polish club football. The two sides have been the most successful clubs in Poland during the past decade and 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)^[5] 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.

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player 3 DF Piotr Żemło (at Wisła Puławy) 11 MF Wojciech Słomka (at GKS Katowice)

No. Position Player 71 FW Denys Balanyuk (at Arsenal Kyiv) 88 MF Patryk Małecki (at Spartak Trnava)

Domestic

• Ekstraklasa (First league):
  • Winners (14): 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
  • 2nd place (10): 1930, 1931, 1936, 1948, 1965–66, 1980–81, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2009–10
  • 3rd place (9): 1929, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1952, 1953, 1975–76, 1990–91, 1997–98

• Polish non-League Football Championship:
  • 2nd place (2): 1923, 1947
  • 3rd place (1): 1925
• Polish Cup:
  • Winners (4): 1926, 1966–67, 2001–02, 2002–03
  • Finalist (6): 1950–51, 1953–54, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1999–2000, 2007–08
• Polish SuperCup:
  • Winner (1): 2001
  • Finalist (4): 1999, 2004, 2008, 2009
• Polish League Cup:
  • Winner (1) : 2000–01
  • Finalist (1): 2001–02
• Polish First League (Second Division):
  • Winner (1) : 1964–65
  • 2nd Place (3): 1985–86, 1988–89, 1995–96
  • 3rd Place (1): 1994–95
• Galician Championship:
  • 2nd place (1): 1913

 Europe

• European Cup:
  • 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 (3): 1969, 1970, 1973

Youth Teams

• Młoda Ekstraklasa:
  • Winner (1): 2008
  • 2nd place (1): 2009
• Polish U-19 Championship:
  • Winner (10: Polish record): 1936, 1937, 1958, 1975, 1976, 1982, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2014
  • 2nd place (1): 1938
  • 3rd place (3): 1974, 1987, 1998
• Polish U-17 Championship:
  • Winner (1): 2013
  • 2nd place (1): 2003