Wisła Kraków announcement

Referring to the situation and information appearing in the public sphere regarding the home matches of the Wieczysta Kraków team in the 2025/26 season being played at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Kraków (hereinafter referred to as the Stadium), Wisła Kraków would like to present the most important events that have taken place in recent months.

The first contact between representatives of the Shakhtar Donetsk club and Wisła Kraków took place on February 18, 2025. It was a preliminary inquiry regarding the possibility of the club playing matches in European cups at the Stadium.

On March 4, 2025, the Wieczysta Kraków club submitted an official request to Wisła Kraków for a promise, which was issued on March 18, 2025. Two days later, Wisła Kraków informed Shakhtar Donetsk about this fact.

Following the publication of this information, on April 30, 2025, Wisła Kraków received another inquiry from Shakhtar Donetsk, expressing further interest in playing matches at the Stadium, of which the Sports Infrastructure Management Board in Kraków (hereinafter referred to as the Sports Infrastructure Management Board) was immediately informed. In response to the inquiry, Wisła Kraków, after ZIS's approval, presented Shakhtar Donetsk with a preliminary financial offer for the comprehensive organization of matches, taking into account the necessary conditions – the consent of ZIS and Wieczysta Kraków.

On May 19, 2025, a meeting with Krakow city officials regarding ongoing cooperation was held at the Krakow City Hall. Among other topics, the inquiry from Shakhtar Donetsk was discussed. The priority of the Krakow Perpetual Land was also upheld, as confirmed in a memo from that meeting.

The promise to Wieczysta remained in effect. On May 23, 2025, a meeting was held between representatives of Wisła Kraków and Wieczysta Kraków, during which they discussed, among other things, the possibility of the Donetsk team playing their matches on Reymonta Street. Wieczysta Kraków therefore had priority in the ongoing talks, but after mutual agreement, the decision was made to continue talks with Shakhtar Donetsk.

On May 28, 2025, Wisła Kraków resumed talks with the foreign club, and on May 30, 2025, it asked the Polish Football Association for permission to play the Ukrainian team's matches in Kraków.

Wisła Kraków and Shakhtar Donetsk are in the final stages of work on the final wording of the agreement, which has not been signed as of the date of publication of this announcement.

It's worth emphasizing that all stakeholders agreed on the benefits for the Krakow Municipality and Wisła Kraków from hosting the Ukrainian team at the stadium, particularly the financial ones, which are estimated at several million złoty. The failure to initiate talks and take action with a potential partner, Shakhtar Donetsk, could be interpreted as acting to the detriment of both entities. At the time, Wieczysta Kraków was still fighting for promotion to the Betclic 1st League.

The primary beneficiary of the White Star's activities, which regularly play their matches at the stadium, is ZIS. The emerging opportunity to increase the facility's revenues had to be seriously considered. Furthermore, another season of European cups at Reymonta Street could translate into even more favorable offers for the stadium's Title Sponsor, among other things, and could also bring tangible benefits to the local economy.

At every stage of our discussions with individual stakeholders, we prioritize transparency and a partnership approach. As a Club, we have always demonstrated, and continue to demonstrate, openness and a willingness to engage in dialogue, as well as a willingness to develop solutions aimed at reaching agreement and optimizing the decision-making process, while ensuring the interests of all parties.