The Polish Cup in football (Polish: Puchar Polski w piłce nożnej [ˌpuxar ˈpɔlskʲi]) is an annual knockout football competition for Polish football clubs, held continuously since 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title. Due to mass participation of teams, the tournament is often called The Cup of the Thousand Teams (Polish: Puchar Tysiąca Drużyn [ˌpuxar tɨˌɕɔnt͡sa ˈdruʐɨn]).
 The Polish Cup trophy | |
| Organising body | Polish Football Association (PZPN) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1925 |
| Region | Poland |
| Number of teams | 70 |
| Qualifier for | UEFA Europa League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Polish Super Cup |
| Current champions | Wisła Kraków (5th title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Legia Warsaw (20 titles) |
| Television broadcasters | TVP Sport |
| Website | laczynaspilka |
 2024–25 Polish Cup | |
Participation is open to any club registered with the Polish FA, regardless of whether it competes in any league in the national pyramid or not. Reserve and veteran teams are also eligible, with reserve teams reaching the final on two occasions (and winning it once). The Cup is popular among lower-level teams, as it gives them a chance to play better known sides. In some cases, the underdogs have even reached the final, with the most famous example being Czarni Żagań, who were playing in the third division, when they reached the 1964–65 final, eventually won by Górnik Zabrze.
Lower league clubs have to enter regional qualification rounds and the winners of these join the teams from the first and second division in the competition proper. The regional qualifications are played in the preceding season, so that one edition of Polish Cup for lower ranked clubs can last two seasons. Each tie is decided by a single game which is held at the lower league side's stadium. The final used to be a single match, but 2002–2006 it was contested over two legs. Since 2007, the Cup has returned to the single-game final.
The first edition of the Polish Cup took place in 1926, but it was quickly abandoned. In the late 1930s, the President of Poland's Football Cup was organized, which featured teams of the Polish Football Association's regional districts.
The reigning champions are Wisła Kraków, who defeated Pogoń Szczecin 1–2 after extra time in the final of the 2023–24 edition, becoming the fifth team to win the competition while playing in the second division. Raków Częstochowa hold the record for most consecutive tournament game wins (16) between 2020 and 2023, winning the cup in 2021 and 2022.
Polish Cup winners
editPrevious cup winners are:[1]
- 1925–26: Wisła Kraków
- 1927–50: not played
- 1950–51: Unia Chorzów
- 1952: Kolejarz Warsaw
- 1952–53: not played
- 1953–54: Gwardia Warsaw
- 1954–55: CWKS Warsaw
- 1955–56: CWKS Warsaw (2)
- 1956–57: ŁKS Łódź
- 1958–61: not played
- 1961–62: Zagłębie Sosnowiec
- 1962–63: Zagłębie Sosnowiec (2)
- 1963–64: Legia Warsaw (3)
- 1964–65: Górnik Zabrze
- 1965–66: Legia Warsaw (4)
- 1966–67: Wisła Kraków (2)
- 1967–68: Górnik Zabrze (2)
- 1968–69: Górnik Zabrze (3)
- 1969–70: Górnik Zabrze (4)
- 1970–71: Górnik Zabrze (5)
- 1971–72: Górnik Zabrze (6)
- 1972–73: Legia Warsaw (5)
- 1973–74: Ruch Chorzów (2)
- 1974–75: Stal Rzeszów
- 1975–76: Śląsk Wrocław
- 1976–77: Zagłębie Sosnowiec (3)
- 1977–78: Zagłębie Sosnowiec (4)
- 1978–79: Arka Gdynia
- 1979–80: Legia Warsaw (6)
- 1980–81: Legia Warsaw (7)
- 1981–82: Lech Poznań
- 1982–83: Lechia Gdańsk
- 1983–84: Lech Poznań (2)
- 1984–85: Widzew Łódź
- 1985–86: GKS Katowice
- 1986–87: Śląsk Wrocław (2)
- 1987–88: Lech Poznań (3)
- 1988–89: Legia Warsaw (8)
- 1989–90: Legia Warsaw (9)
- 1990–91: GKS Katowice (2)
- 1991–92: Miedź Legnica
- 1992–93: GKS Katowice (3)
- 1993–94: Legia Warsaw (10)
- 1994–95: Legia Warsaw (11)
- 1995–96: Ruch Chorzów (3)
- 1996–97: Legia Warsaw (12)
- 1997–98: Amica Wronki
- 1998–99: Amica Wronki (2)
- 1999–2000: Amica Wronki (3)
- 2000–01: Polonia Warsaw (2)
- 2001–02: Wisła Kraków (3)
- 2002–03: Wisła Kraków (4)
- 2003–04: Lech Poznań (4)
- 2004–05: not awarded[2]
- 2005–06: Wisła Płock
- 2006–07: Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski
- 2007–08: Legia Warsaw (13)
- 2008–09: Lech Poznań (5)
- 2009–10: Jagiellonia Białystok
- 2010–11: Legia Warsaw (14)
- 2011–12: Legia Warsaw (15)
- 2012–13: Legia Warsaw (16)
- 2013–14: Zawisza Bydgoszcz
- 2014–15: Legia Warsaw (17)
- 2015–16: Legia Warsaw (18)
- 2016–17: Arka Gdynia (2)
- 2017–18: Legia Warsaw (19)
- 2018–19: Lechia Gdańsk (2)
- 2019–20: Cracovia
- 2020–21: Raków Częstochowa
- 2021–22: Raków Częstochowa (2)
- 2022–23: Legia Warsaw (20)
- 2023–24: Wisła Kraków (5)
  Kraków Katowice Warsaw Location of Polish Cup winners |
Location of Polish cup winners in the Katowice urban area Location of Polish Cup winners in Warsaw Location of Polish Cup winners in Kraków |
Performances
editPerformance by club
edit| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legia Warsaw | 20 | 6 | 1955, 1956, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1980, 1981, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2023 |
| Górnik Zabrze | 6 | 7 | 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 |
| Lech Poznań | 5 | 6 | 1982, 1984, 1988, 2004, 2009 |
| Wisła Kraków | 5 | 6 | 1926, 1967, 2002, 2003, 2024 |
| Zagłębie Sosnowiec | 4 | 1 | 1962, 1963, 1977, 1978 |
| Ruch Chorzów | 3 | 6 | 1951, 1974, 1996 |
| GKS Katowice | 3 | 5 | 1986, 1991, 1993 |
| Amica Wronki | 3 | 1 | 1998, 1999, 2000 |
| Arka Gdynia | 2 | 2 | 1979, 2017 |
| Lechia Gdańsk | 2 | 2 | 1983, 2019 |
| Raków Częstochowa | 2 | 2 | 2021, 2022 |
| Śląsk Wrocław | 2 | 1 | 1976, 1987 |
| Polonia Warsaw | 2 | – | 1952, 2001 |
| Jagiellonia Białystok | 1 | 2 | 2010 |
| Wisła Płock | 1 | 1 | 2006 |
| ŁKS Łódź | 1 | 1 | 1957 |
| Gwardia Warsaw | 1 | 1 | 1954 |
| Cracovia | 1 | – | 2020 |
| Dyskobolia Grodzisk | 1 | – | 2007 |
| Zawisza Bydgoszcz | 1 | – | 2014 |
| Miedź Legnica | 1 | – | 1992 |
| Widzew Łódź | 1 | – | 1985 |
| Stal Rzeszów | 1 | – | 1975 |
| Pogoń Szczecin | – | 4 | – |
| Polonia Bytom | – | 3 | – |
| Zagłębie Lubin | – | 3 | – |
| GKS Bełchatów | – | 2 | – |
| Piast Gliwice | – | 2 | – |
| Aluminium Konin | – | 1 | – |
| Czarni Żagań | – | 1 | – |
| Korona Kielce | – | 1 | – |
| ROW Rybnik | – | 1 | – |
| Sparta Lwów | – | 1 | – |
| Stal Mielec | – | 1 | – |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Poland - List of Cup Finals". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ^ The original winners were Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski. By the resolution of the PZPN management board of 2 September 2020, they were deprived of the title in connection with proven cases of match-fixing.
Skarb - Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski Archived 2021-02-17 at the Wayback Machine. 90minut.pl (in Polish). 2021-01-21.
External links
edit- Official website (in Polish)
- Polish Cup at UEFA.com (in English)