HISTORY OF THE CLUB

The origins of the White Star date back to 1906. The exact date is unknown, but Roman Wilczyński's memoirs indicate that the founder of Wisła, Professor Tadeusz Łopuszański, proposed the idea to his students in the spring of that year. The first mentions in the printed press appear in the autumn of 1906, during the "Autumn Tournament" organized by Dr. Tadeusz Konczyński. Wisła participated under its own name and under the leadership of Captain Józef Szkolnikowski. The Reds, led by Captain Władysław Jenker, also participated in the same tournament. According to Wilhelm Cepurski, the Reds later merged with Wisła, bringing with them the red shirts that remain the club's trademark to this day. According to Jan Weyssenhoff's memoirs, the red shirts were initially decorated with a blue star, which was later replaced by a single white star.

The outbreak of World War I led to a five-year suspension of Wisła's activities. The Wisła players surrendered their land to the emerging Legions under Józef Piłsudski's leadership, and they eagerly joined their ranks. During this pioneering period, Wisła played 123 friendly matches over eight years. They won 66, drew 15, and lost 43, with 81 players participating.

After Poland regained independence, football competitions consisted of competitions in designated districts, with a national champion crowned among the winners. In 1926, Wisła Kraków won the only edition of the national cup in interwar Poland. In December of that same year, twelve clubs voted to establish the Polish Football League, and the first historic season ended with Wisła Kraków winning the trophy. The same happened in subsequent competitions, with the legendary Henryk Reyman becoming the top scorer in both.

During World War II, the White Star players successfully competed in the occupation-era Kraków championships. On January 28, 1945, a bugle call from St. Mary's Tower announced the start of the derby match between Wisła and Cracovia in the liberated city, symbolizing a new era not only for Poland but also for football in the capital of Lesser Poland. In 1949 and 1950, Wisła again claimed the title of best team in the country, and a year later, this was only denied because the winner of the national cup, not the league, was crowned Polish champion. The title went to Ruch Chorzów, who defeated the Kraków team in the Polish Cup final.

Wisła's first team achieved another success in 1967, winning the Polish Cup. This marked their debut in the European Cup Winners' Cup, and they would wait for their next trophy until 1978, when, under Orest Lenczyk's management, they won the Polish championship. This was a ticket to the European Cup, where Wisła reached the quarterfinals, ahead of clubs like Club Brugge and Zbrojovka Brno. Sweden's Malmö FF proved an insurmountable obstacle. The 1980s were not a success story for Wisła, who were relegated to a lower league in 1985 and remained there for four seasons. However, their return to the national elite did not lead to a return to the top teams, and in 1994, the White Star once again suffered relegation to a lower league. The promotion won two years later and the takeover of the club's shares in 1997 by Bogusław Cupiał began a new stage in the history of the Kraków club.

Between 1999 and 2011, the White Star won eight national championships, two national cups, and one Polish Super Cup. Wisła also competed successfully in Europe, eliminating teams such as Real Zaragoza, Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen, and AC Parma. Wisła's primary goal at that time was to qualify for the elite Champions League, but standing in the way of that dream were teams such as Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and FC Barcelona, ​​whom Wisła defeated 1-0 in a memorable match at Reymonta Street. After years known as the "Tele-Fonika era," in the summer of 2016, the White Star was returned to the Wisła Sports Association.

Since the introduction of the ESA-37 system to the Ekstraklasa in 2013, Wisła has almost always finished in the top eight, never dropping below sixth place. The 2015/16 season was an exception, when the White Star, although in the bottom half of the table, proved to be the best of all the teams competing in the relegation group. In the 2017/18 campaign, the team fought until the very last battle to qualify for European competition, but a defeat to Górnik Zabrze denied us a chance to play in the Europa League qualifiers.

In December 2018, Wisła found itself on the brink of bankruptcy. However, it proved once again that this was no ordinary club, but something much greater – a true family united under the sign of the white star. Thanks to the help of its living legend, Jakub Błaszczykowski, the support of others such as Jarosław Królewski and Tomasz Jażdzyński, the efforts of the staff, led by president Rafał Wisłocki, and above all, the support of our loyal and devoted fans, our Kraków club survived the ordeal and entered the spring round of the 2018/19 season with captain Błaszczykowski returning home at the helm.

In May 2022, after 26 years, Wisła Kraków left the Ekstraklasa for the fourth time in its history. Since the 2022/2023 season, Wisła Kraków have been playing in the second tier of the league, a fierce battle for promotion to the highest level of the Polish league having been unsuccessful. This means that the R22 players will continue to compete in the second tier next season.

On December 20, 2022, Jarosław Królewski acquired a 53.69% stake in TS Wisła Kraków SA, becoming the club's majority shareholder. He is joined by Jakub Błaszczykowski, Władysław Nowak, Adam Adamczyk, and Adam Łanoszka.

Even though Wisła still plays in the second tier of the Polish league, its history is still being made before our eyes.

At the start of the 2023/2024 season, during the match against Stal Rzeszów, the official retirement of our legend, Kuba Błaszczykowski, took place. The retirement was preceded by a meeting between the player and fans at the R22 Fanshop.

In September 2023, at the initiative of Krzysztof Gaweł, Legends Corner, a place commemorating the rich history of Wisła, was opened. It houses numerous memorabilia from Wisła's history, and also hosts meetings with club legends.

Despite continuing to fail to advance to the Ekstraklasa, Wisła won the Polish Cup for the fifth time in its history on May 2, 2024. In the match against Pogoń Szczecin at the PGE National Stadium in Warsaw, the White Star won 2-1, much to the delight of the fans.