Wisla Krakow

Wisła Kraków was founded in 1906 when students of the Second Practical School in Kraków, inspired by their professor Tadeusz Łopuszański, formed a football club.

In this first, historic season of the League, the fight for the championship was decided between two teams: Wisła Kraków and 1. FC Kattowitz. This rivalry was treated very seriously, not only by the two sides involved, but also by the whole nation. 1. FC was regarded as the team supported by the German minority, while Wisła, at the end of this historic season, represented ambitions of all Poles.

Some time in the fall of 1927 in Katowice, an ill-fated game between 1.FC and Wisła took place. Stakes were very high – the winner would become the Champion. Kraków's side won 2–0 and became the Champion. 1.FC finished second, third was Warta Poznań.

During the German occupation of Poland (World War II), the club operated secretly. Co-founder Franciszek Brożek and pre-war player Adam Obrubański were among Poles murdered by the Russians in the large Katyn massacre in April–May 1940.

In 1949, the club was renamed to Gwardia-Wisła Kraków. In 1955 the club returned to its original name, TS Wisła. In 1967, the club was once again renamed, to GTS Wisła, a name which held until 1990 when the club reverted to its original name, TS Wisła. In the late 1990s, the football section of the club was incorporated and was renamed Wisła Kraków SSA.

The club has had its ups and downs, winning national championships and earning European qualification. It was also relegated to the second division on three occasions. Since the football section has been bought by Tele-Fonika Kable S.A. in 1998, the team has been far and away the most successful club in Poland, winning seven national championships and finishing in second place three times, totalling ten top two finishes in 12 years.

At international level, Wisła has competed in all three of the European competitions. The club's greatest success came in the 1978–79 season, when Wisła was able to reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup, eventually to be knocked out by Malmö FF 3–5 on aggregate. Most recently, Wisła narrowly missed out on a chance to compete in the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League group stage, being defeated 4–5 by Panathinaikos after extra time.

Wisła also twice reached the second round of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1967–68 and 1984–85, falling 0–5 and 2–3 by Hamburger SV and Fortuna Sittard, respectively. The White Star has competed in the UEFA Cup ten times.

On 15 May 2022, Wisła was relegated to the I liga for the first time since 1996, after losing 4–2 against Radomiak Radom.

On 2 May 2024, they won their fifth Polish Cup title after defeating Pogoń Szczecin 1–2 in extra time, becoming the fifth second division team to win this competition, and the first since Ruch Chorzów in 1996. Despite winning the cup, the White Star finished only 10th in the I liga – the lowest league placement in the club's entire history, considering the overall Polish football hierarchy. The result surpassed the club's previous historic low from 1987, when Wisła finished fourth in the second group of the second division. The 2023–24 campaign also marked the seventh consecutive season in which the club failed to improve its league position, setting another unwanted record, as no other major Polish club had previously endured such a prolonged run without league progression.

In the 2025–26 season, Wisła ended its four-year spell in the second tier and secured promotion back to the Ekstraklasa. Promotion was sealed on 8 May 2026 with a 2–0 victory over Chrobry Głogów.

Wisła's stay in the I liga between 2022 and 2026 became the longest absence from the top tier league in the club's 120-year history. Although regarded as one of the darkest and most difficult periods in the club's history, the era also saw major organizational and commercial transformation under owner Jarosław Królewski. During these years, Wisła strengthened its media presence and commercial reach, attracted new sponsors and partners, expanded its use of data-driven football analysis and technological infrastructure, and collaborated with former Liverpool and EA Sports executive Peter Moore in advisory and promotional roles. The club consistently recorded some of the highest attendances in Polish football, surpassing most Ekstraklasa teams despite competing in the second tier, while its matches regularly generated record television audiences for the I liga. The era also cemented the status of Spanish forward Ángel Rodado as one of the club's modern icons, while a growing number of academy graduates established themselves in the first team. Wisła returned to the Ekstraklasa in 2026 under manager Mariusz Jop, concluding a period that significantly reshaped the club's sporting and institutional identity.