Wieczysta Kraków
| Full name | Klub Sportowy Wieczysta Kraków | ||
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| Founded | 1942 | ||
| Ground | Kazimierza Chałupnika 16 Street Zagłębie Sports Park | ||
| Capacity | 1,500 11,600 | ||
| Chairman | Andrzej Turecki | ||
| Head coach | Kazimierz Moskal | ||
| League | I liga | ||
| 2024–25 | II liga, 3rd of 18 (promoted via play-offs) | ||
| Website | http://www.kswieczysta.com/ | ||
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Wieczysta Kraków is a Polish football club, based in Kraków. As of the 2025–26 season they compete in I liga, after winning the 2024–25 II liga promotion play-offs.
History
Wieczysta in the 20th century
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, Poles were not permitted to participate in organised sports events.[1] To circumvent these restrictions, some football competitions were secretly held on the meadows of Rakowice, then a village on the borders of Kraków. Eventually, the local community, on the initiative of Edward Ignaszewski, decided to establish a sports club, thus forming Wieczysta Kraków in 1942.[2]
During the 1950s-60s, Wieczysta played in the class A and B leagues (then the fourth and fifth tiers of the Polish football league system). In 1966 the Polish league system was reorganised, and the III Liga, the new regional third tier, was introduced. Wieczysta was included in the district league (the fourth tier) of the Polish league system. Performances at this level did not last long. In 1968 the team was relegated to class A (the fifth tier), and a year later it was relegated to the sixth tier. The latter years of the 20th century brought stabilization in the form of regular performances at the regional level.[3]
Wieczysta at the onset of the 21th century
The club played the 1997–98 season in the IV liga, after winning promotion to the fourth tier. After six years at this level the club was relegated, finishing the 2002–03 season in the 18th position at the bottom of the table.
For the following twelve seasons, Wieczysta played in the Liga okręgowa, the fifth and subsequently the sixth tier of the Polish football league after another reorganization in 2008. In the 2014-15 season, the club finished 13th (second from bottom) in the Liga okręgowa, thus getting relegated to the seventh tier. In the first season in Klasa A, the club finished second, therefore missing out on immediate promotion back into the sixth tier. The next season, 2016-17, they finished first in the league, winning promotion back to the Liga okręgowa.[4]
Wieczysta's rise under new ownership
Wieczysta attracted attention in June 2020 when the businessman Wojciech Kwiecień invested in the club.[5] Under the new owner, Wieczysta invested substantial funds and attracted well-known coaches and players from higher leagues.
In 2021, Wieczysta won promotion to IV liga, finishing first in the Liga okręgowa's Kraków II group.[6] They were the richest amateur club in the country at the time, and won the league with 28 wins out of 28 games, scoring 216 and conceding only 8.[7] On 29 September 2021, they achieved their first victory at the central level of the Polish Cup, winning 2–1 against the I liga club Chrobry Głogów and advancing to the cup's round of 32.[8]
In the 2021–22 season, Wieczysta finished in first place, with 93 points and losing only one game all season, finishing eleven points ahead of second-placed Wiślanie Jaśkowice. The team then had to face the champions of the other Lesser Poland group: the Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza reserves. The first leg took place on 25 June 2022 in Kraków which Wieczysta won 4–0 with all goals coming from Maciej Jankowski.[9] Wieczysta won the second leg 3–0, winning the tie 7–0 on aggregate, and were promoted to the III liga, thereby securing a second consecutive promotion.[10]
Wieczysta started the 2022–23 season in the III liga with two wins, a draw and two defeats. On 29 August 2022, after a home tie against Stal Stalowa Wola, coach Franciszek Smuda left the club.[11] On 6 September 2022, Dariusz Marzec became Wieczysta's coach,[12] followed by Wojciech Łobodzinski on 22 March 2023.[13] His team recorded a disappointing end to the season. The key moment turned out to be a series of five out of six matches without a win, which contributed to the loss of the chance for promotion after the penultimate round, when promotion to the II liga was secured by Stal Stalowa Wola, and Wieczysta was further surpassed by Avia Świdnik, falling to third place in the table before the last round of the III liga.[14] In the last match of a disappointing season, to make up for it, Wieczysta won the final of the Małopolska Polish Cup against Spójnia Osiek-Zimnodół 5–0, which guaranteed their participation in the 2023–24 Polish Cup at the central level.[15] In June 2023, Wieczysta replaced Łobodziński with Maciej Musiał, who signed a one-year contract.[16]
Wieczysta strengthened their squad for the 2023–24 campaign with the arrival of former Poland internationals Michał Pazdan, Rafał Pietrzak and Jacek Góralski, as well as veteran players Saša Živec and Christoph Knasmüllner. After suffering a 1–0 loss in the first round of the 2023–24 season, Wieczysta went on to win five out of the next seven games played. On 18 August, despite being only one point behind group IV leaders Siarka Tarnobrzeg, Musiał was sacked and replaced with former Wieczysta player Sławomir Peszko.[17]
On 18 May 2024, following a 1–0 win over Świdniczanka Świdnik, and with second-placed Siarka Tarnobrzeg losing their game hours later, Wieczysta secured promotion to the II liga (third tier of the Polish football system), three rounds before the end of the season.[18]
In the 2024–25 II liga, despite a significant budget advantage and finishing the first half of the season four points behind leaders, Wieczysta were unable to claim an automatic promotion spot. On 15 June 2025, they won their promotion to I liga (Poland's second tier) after beating Chojniczanka Chojnice 2–0 in the promotion play-off final.[19]
Honours
- III liga, group IV
- Champions: 2023–24
- IV liga Lesser Poland West
- Champions: 2021–22
- Regional league
- Kraków Division Group II
- Champions: 2020–21
- Runners-up: 2018–19, 2019–20
- Kraków Division Group II
- Klasa A
- Kraków Division Group II
- Champions: 2016–17
- Runners-up: 2015–16
- Kraków Division Group II
- Polish Cup:
- National
- Lesser Poland (regional)
- Kraków District
- Winners: 2019–20, 2020–21
- Runners-up: 1952, 2016–17
Players
Current squad
- As of 10 February 2026[22]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
Had international caps for their respective countries at any time. Players with names listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Wieczysta.
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Managerial history
Caretaker managers listed in italics.
- Jerzy Warchala (January 2000 – June 2000)
- Robert Orłowski (July 2000 – December 2000)
- Leszek Walankiewicz (January 2000 – June 2001)
- Zbigniew Wiącek (July 2001 – August 2001)
- Maciej Podsiadło (September 2001 – September 2002)
- Jerzy Warchala (September 2002 – March 2003)
- Jacek Ścigalski (23 March 2003 – May 2003)
- Mirosław Zając (May 2003 – September 2003)
- Jerzy Warchala (September 2003 – June 2004)
- Mirosław Zając (July 2004 – June 2006)
- Henryk Śmiałek (June 2006 – August 2007)
- Mariusz Wojtyga (August 2007 – December 2008)
- Grzegorz Plata (January 2009 – September 2010)
- Andrzej Michno (September 2010 – May 2011)
- Krzysztof Durlik (May 2011 – December 2011)
- Henryk Śmiałek (January 2012 – September 2012)
- Tadeusz Piotrowski (3 September 2012 – March 2013)
- Andrzej Rokicki (March 2013 – June 2014)
- Mariusz Wojtyga (July 2014 – June 2015)
- Michał Guja (July 2015 – July 2019)
- Przemysław Cecherz (20 July 2019 – 2 June 2021)
- Rafał Jędrszczyk (3 June 2021 – 30 June 2021)
- Franciszek Smuda (1 July 2021 – 29 August 2022)
- Rafał Jędrszczyk (29 August 2022 – 6 September 2022)
- Dariusz Marzec (6 September 2022 – 20 March 2023)
- Wojciech Łobodziński (21 March 2023 – 16 June 2023)
- Maciej Musiał (1 July 2023 – 18 September 2023)
- Sławomir Peszko (18 September 2023 – 18 April 2025)
- Rafał Jędrszczyk (18 April 2025 – 1 May 2025)
- Przemysław Cecherz (1 May 2025 – 5 October 2025)
- Gino Lettieri (10 October 2025 – 3 November 2025)
- Rafał Jędrszczyk (3 November 2025 – 24 November 2025)
- Kazimierz Moskal (24 November 2025 – present)
Seasons
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Notes: P - Promoted, R - Relegated
Polish Cup records
| Season | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22[23] | First round | Chrobry Głogów | 2–1 |
| Round of 32 | Garbarnia Kraków | 0–5 | |
| 2022–23[24] | First round | Radunia Stężyca | 0–2 |
| 2023–24[25] | First round | Piast Gliwice | 0–4 |
| 2025–26[26] | Preliminary round | Olimpia Grudziądz | 0–0 (5–6 p) |
References
- ^ "Honor, ojczyzna i okupacyjny futbol". rfbl.pl (in Polish). 4 November 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ^ "Historia klubu - Wieczysta Kraków". wieczystakrakow.futbolowo.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ^ Historia Międzyzakładowego Klubu Sportowego „Wieczysta” Kraków (lata 1936–1992) Ignaszewski, Edward; Nocek, Edward (1992). Historia Międzyzakładowego Klubu Sportowego "Wieczysta" Kraków (lata 1936–1992). Kraków. p. 112.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Klasa A 2016/2017, grupa: Kraków II" (in Polish). 90minut.pl. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ Kasprzak, Adam (22 June 2020). "Gwiazdy na boisku, wielkie wypłaty na kontach. Jak król aptek buduje klub swoich marzeń". Gazeta Wyborcza. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Keeza Klasa okręgowa 2020/2021, grupa: Kraków II". 90minut.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- ^ "Sławomir Peszko i Radosław Majewski zagrają w IV lidze. Wieczysta rozbiła okręgówkę". sport.onet.pl.
- ^ Bochenek, Tomasz (September 29, 2021). "Wieczysta - Chrobry. W Pucharze Polski krakowski zespół lepszy od pierwszoligowca!". Gazeta Krakowska.
- ^ "KS Wieczysta Kraków Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza II 4–0". sport.interia.pl. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Wieczysta Kraków wykonała kolejny plan, zasłużony awans Żółto-czarnych". goal.pl. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Oficjalnie: Franciszek Smuda zwolniony z trzecioligowca". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- ^ "Dariusz Marzec trenerem Wieczystej". www.kswieczysta.com. 2022-09-06. Archived from the original on 2022-09-06. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- ^ "Wojciech Łobodziński trenerem Wieczystej". www.kswieczysta.com (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- ^ "Koniec szans Wieczystej! Kolejna wstydliwa porażka". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- ^ a b "Wieczysta Kraków wygrała finał i zagra na szczeblu centralnym". Sportowy24 (in Polish). 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- ^ "Znamy nowego trenera Wieczystej Kraków". www.polsatsport.pl (in Polish). 2023-06-15. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
- ^ "Maciej Musiał kończy pracę w Wieczystej" (in Polish). Wieczysta Kraków. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ "Wieczysta Kraków awansowała do 2. ligi". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). 2024-05-18. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- ^ Kazula, Jakub (15 June 2025). "Betclic 2 Liga. Wieczysta Kraków zwyciężyła w barażach o awans do Betclic 1 Ligi". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ Filipiuk, Jerzy (June 17, 2021). "Wieczysta Kraków. 50 tysięcy złotych dla "Żółto-czarnych" za zwycięstwo w finale Małopolskiego Pucharu Polski [ZDJĘCIA]". Gol24.
- ^ "Wpadka Wieczystej Kraków! Przegrali piekielnie ważny mecz w Pucharze Polski". Sport.pl. 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Kadra" (in Polish). kswieczysta.com. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "Fortuna Puchar Polski 2021/2022". www.90minut.pl.
- ^ "Fortuna Puchar Polski 2022/2023". www.90minut.pl. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
- ^ "Fortuna Puchar Polski 2023/2024". www.90minut.pl. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
- ^ "Puchar Polski 2025/2026". www.90minut.pl. Retrieved 6 August 2025.