Ekstraliga (speedway)
Polish motorcycle speedway league
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Speedway Ekstraliga (English: Speedway Extraleague, Polish: Ekstraliga żużlowa), officially known as PGE Ekstraliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of motorcycle speedway in Poland and determines the winner of the Team Speedway Polish Championship. It has been called the "richest and most popular speedway league in the world",[1] and attracts riders from all over the world. The Ekstraliga has the highest average attendances for any sport in Poland not counting football.[1]
| Sport | motorcycle speedway |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 |
| CEO | League Commissioner: Wojciech Stępniewski |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | Poland |
| Most recent champion | KS Toruń (3rd title) |
| Most titles | Unia Leszno (8 titles) |
| Broadcasters | England: Premier Sports Poland: Eleven Sports PL, CANAL+ Sport |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Metalkas 2 Ekstraliga |
| Official website | Official site |
With the fall of communism in Poland in the 1990s and the resultant sharp increase in the value of the Złoty, the sport began to attract a wider range of star riders from other countries. The first of these was Denmark's Hans Nielsen.[1]
In 2000, the First Division was renamed Ekstraliga, and the number of teams was reduced.[1] Since 2015 the official sponsor of Ekstraliga is the Polish energy company PGE, which signed the financial contract for three consecutive seasons in 2021.[2]
2026 PGE Ekstraliga
In the 2026 season Ekstraliga will feature 8 teams. KS Toruń are the defending champions.
| Club | 2025 Position |
|---|---|
| KS Toruń | 1 |
| Motor Lublin | 2 |
| Sparta Wrocław | 3 |
| GKM Grudziądz | 4 |
| Falubaz Zielona Góra | 5 |
| Włóniarz Częstochowa | 6 |
| Stal Gorzów Wielkopolski | 7 |
| Unia Leszno |  1 (M2E) |
Teams
| City | Club | Current team name | Seasons in Ekstraliga | Total Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrocław | WTS Wrocław | Betard Sparta Wrocław | 2000–26 | 27 |
| Leszno | Unia Leszno | Fogo Unia Leszno | 2000–24, 2026 | 26 |
| Toruń | KS Toruń | Pres Grupa Deweloperska Toruń | 2000–19, 2021–26 | 26 |
| Częstochowa | Włókniarz Częstochowa | Krono-Plast Włókniarz Częstochowa | 2000–14, 2017–26 | 25 |
| Gorzów Wielkopolski | Stal Gorzów Wielkopolski | Gezet Stal Gorzów | 2000–02, 2008–26 | 23 |
| Zielona Góra | ZKŻ Zielona Góra | Stelmet Falubaz Zielona Góra | 2001, 2003–05, 2007–21, 2024–26 | 22 |
| Tarnów | Unia Tarnów | Unia Tarnów | 2004–08, 2010–16, 2018 | 13 |
| Bydgoszcz | Polonia Bydgoszcz | Abramczyk Polonia Bydgoszcz | 2000–07, 2009–10, 2012–13 | 12 |
| Grudziądz | GKM Grudziądz | Bayersystem GKM Grudziądz | 2015–26 | 12 |
| Lublin | KM Cross Lublin | Orlen Oil Motor Lublin | 2019–26 | 8 |
| Gdańsk | Wybrzeże Gdańsk | Zdunek Wybrzeże Gdańsk | 2000, 2002–03, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2014 | 7 |
| Rzeszów | Stal Rzeszów | Texom Stal Rzeszów | 2006–08, 2011–13, 2015 | 7 |
| Rybnik | ŻKS ROW Rybnik | INNPRO ROW Rybnik | 2004, 2006, 2016–17, 2020, 2025 | 6 |
| Piła | Polonia Piła | Polonia Piła | 2000–03 | 4 |
| Gniezno | Start Gniezno | Start Gniezno | 2013 | 1 |
| Ostrów Wielkopolski | TZ Ostrovia Ostrów Wielkopolski | Arged Malesa Ostrów | 2022 | 1 |
| Krosno | Wilki Krosno | Cellfast Wilki Krosno | 2023 | 1 |
Ekstraliga Champions
Riders’ Championship
Starting in 2014, a League Riders’ Championship has been held annually. The current format sees 16 riders competing; the top 14 ranked in league averages from the previous season, the top ranked Junior rider and a wildcard, typically from the host club.
| Year | Venue | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Tarnów |  Emil Sayfutdinov | Apator Toruń |
| 2015 | Leszno | Grigory Laguta | Apator Toruń |
| 2016 | Gdańsk |  Krystian Pieszczek | Falubaz Zielona Góra |
| 2017 | Gdańsk |  Leon Madsen | Włókniarz Częstochowa |
| 2018 | Gdańsk | Patryk Dudek | Falubaz Zielona Góra |
| 2019 | Gdańsk | Bartosz Zmarzlik | Stal Gorzów |
| 2020 | Toruń | Bartosz Zmarzlik | Stal Gorzów |
| 2021 | Toruń |  Jason Doyle | Unia Leszno |
| 2022 | Toruń | Bartosz Zmarzlik | Stal Gorzów |
| 2023 | Toruń | Bartosz Zmarzlik | Motor Lublin |
| 2024 | Łódź | Bartosz Zmarzlik | Motor Lublin |
| 2025 | Łódź | Michael Jepsen Jensen | GKM Grudziądz |
| 2026 | Łódź | Brady Kurtz | Sparta Wrocław |