Legia Warsaw

History

Formation and beginnings

Legia was formed between 5 and 15 March 1916 during military operations in World War I on the Eastern Front in the village of Kostiuchnówka, within the region of Volhynia (Polish: Wołyń). It served as the main football club of the Polish Legions, who at the time fought for Austria-Hungary. The formation of the club in 1916 was greatly influenced by the outbreak of the First World War, because many Polish soldiers were involved in the formation of the Polish Legions before the war. Soldiers, often young men from the south of Poland (mainly from Kraków and Lwów) played football before the war, and therefore, after the formation of the team, they soon became successful. Football was a good way of spending free time, in the calm moments at the front, football matches were organized, which required the ball, making provisional goals, and finding a dozen or so players.

The first team training began in the spring of 1915 in Piotrków, between 5 and 15 March 1916 – at the request of then Master Sergeant Zygmunt Wasserab (pre-war player of Pogoń Stryj) – who was a part of the Polish Legion's Commanding Staff in Kostiuchnówka in Volhynia to create a football club. The president of the organization was Władysław Groele, and corporal Stanisław Mielech proposed the name "Sporting Team Legia", which was adopted (more commonly used term of the team later became Legionowa). Other names were: "Legion Command Squad" and "Styr". White-black colors and arms were also shown, showing the white letter "L" (symbol of the Legions) on the black dial. The players were dressed in white clothes with sloping black belts, which was a reference to Czarni Lwów.

In the spring of 1916, the team played a number of matches with other teams, most of which ended with Legia victorious. The oldest recorded matches are: 7–0 with the Divisional Sanitary Division, 3–3 with the 6th Infantry Regiment and two victories (6–4 and 3–1) with the 4th Infantry Regiment. In July 1916 – because of the Brusilov Offensive – the Legions began to retreat west and the club relocated to Warsaw. The first match in which Polonia Warsaw was the rival was held on 29 April 1917 at Agrykola Park and ended with a 1–1 draw. Of the nine games played in Warsaw, Legia won six and drew three. At the first away game the team won a 2–1 victory over the then Polish champion KS Cracovia in Kraków, so Legia became an unofficial champion of the country. In 1918 the war ended, but the team continued to play only amateur-friendly matches.

1920s and 1930s

The club was reactivated on 14 March 1920. In the officers' casinos in the Royal Castle, a group of former officers formed the Military Sports Club (WKS) -Wojskowy Klub Sportowy- Warsaw, establishing the white and red colors of the statute. Among them was Zygmunt Wasserab, one of the founders of the club.

Due to the Polish-Bolshevik war and the participation of many Warsaw players, WKS was not nominated for the premiership of the Polish championship league in 1920. In the 1921–1926 seasons, the team was not promoted beyond the A-class of the Warsaw district, but it was a very important period for the club. In 1922, a statute was passed allowing the team to play in civilian teams (as opposed to playing against only other soldiers). Zygmunt Wassarab and Jerzy Misiński worked together and the club's name was changed to the Military Sports Club "Legia" Warsaw. It was modeled on the document of Pogoń Lwów. At that time, a merger with the oldest Warsaw sports club, Korona, was created, which resulted in the acquisition of new, white-green club colors.

In the first international match played on 18 May 1922, Legia lost 2–9 at their own stadium with Czechoslovak club FK Viktoria Žižkov. A year later, in the championship of Warsaw, the Army took 3rd place.

After the first-ever promotion beyond Class A in 1927, Legia qualified for the newly formed Polish Football League. Roman Górecki, the then president of the Warsaw team, became the first president of the Polish League. Their debut was on 8 May in Łódź – Klub Turystów Łódź was the opponent and the match ended in a 6–1 result. At the same time, Legia player Marian Łańko scored his first league goal free kick and recorded his first hat-trick in club history. In the same year, in a match against Pogonia Lwów, the club suffered the highest league loss, losing 2–11. At the end of the season, Legia finished fifth, despite five defeats at the start of the season. Legia striker Marian Łańko finished second scoring 31 goals. The Warsaw club also made their debut in the Polish Cup, winning the match with Pogoń Warsaw 7–0. For the next two seasons Legia occupied higher positions in the league than the other Warsaw clubs: Polonia and Warszawianka.

In 1930, after three years of construction, the Polish Army Stadium was opened at Łazienkowska Street. In the first match of the new stadium, Legia drew 1–1 with Barcelona. In the same year the legionaries defeated Ruch Hajduki Wielkie 7–1 in their 100th match in the league. Legia also had the biggest pre-war successes in the Polish championships in 1930 and 1931, where they were short three points and one point respectively. Moreover, in the first edition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs awards for the best results in international competition, the Army received a "traveling" trophy.

1940s

After the end of World War II – in April 1945 – the club was reactivated under the name of I Wojskowy Klub Sportowy Warszawa (1st Military Sports Club Warsaw), and in June added a historical member of Legia. Among the people who contributed to the reconstruction of the club were: Julian Neuding – prewar player of Makabi Warszawa, Karol Rudolf – prewar player of Legia, Henryk Czarnik and Józef Ziemian – Legia players from the interwar period. The team initially played friendly matches with teams in the region, but later also with clubs from other countries, the likes of the Swedish IFK Norrköping and the Yugoslav FK Partizan.

In the first postwar Polish championships held in 1946, Legia took second place in the elimination group, falling out of competition. In 1948, after qualifying for the nine-year break of the highest tier, Legia qualified after a victory in the inter-regional eliminations of the northeastern region and after took second place in the nationwide qualification. Legia eventually took fourth place, drawing 3–3 with Ruch Chorzów. It was the 250th league game of the club. The first post-war match in the first tier took place on 14 March 1948, beating Polonia Bytom 3–1.

For the next two seasons, Legia only held on in the first division due to a better goal differential against the relegated teams, taking the 9th and 10th respectively. In November 1949, after the reforms introduced by the then Polish football association, the club once again changed its name to Centralny Wojskowy Klub Sportowy (Central Army Sports Club). Also, a new coat of arms (large letter C, and smaller letters in it: W, K, S). The official patron of the team was the Polish People's Army. Legia became a military club, so it was possible to get players of other clubs, players like Lucjan Brychczy, Ernest Pohl and Edmund Kowal all were brought to Legia.

1950s

In 1951, Legia took third place in the league, and in the cup competitions lost in the eighth-finals with Polonia Warszawa. A year later, Legia achieved its first success in the Polish Cup competition, reaching the finals (in which Polonia Warszawa won 1–0). The reserve team reached this stage of the competition, while the first team dropped out in the eighth-finals, losing to Lechia Gdańsk. In the league, the club ranked sixth, and in the Puchar Zlotu Młodych Przodowników (the premiere edition of the League Cup) was eliminated in the group stage. In 1953, Legia took 5th place in the first league, and in the next season – in addition to the 7th place – the team managed to reach the semi-final of the Polish Cup, in which Gwardia Warsaw won 2–1.

Legia won their first trophy on 29 September 1955, defeating Lechia Gdańsk 5–0 in the Polish Cup final. A month later – on 20 November after a 1–1 draw with Zagłębie in Sosnowiec – the club won their first Polish championship. The team trained by the Hungarian coach János Steiner won their first doublet in the history of Polish football. In the following season, Ryszard Koncewicz became the Legia coach. The club celebrated its 40th anniversary and repeated the achievements from the previous year. First he sealed the Polish championship after a 2–2 draw with ŁKS Lodz, and then he defeated in the cup final Górnik Zabrze in a 3–0 win. These successes were accomplished by strengthening the team by means of conscription to the army of players from such clubs as: Polonia Bytom, Ruch Chorzów, or Wawel Kraków. The latter, like most of the then Okręgowych Wojskowych Klubów Sportowych (District Military Sports Clubs, OWKS), was dissolved. Officially due to the "reorganization of the military division", in practice this meant strengthening CWKS Warszawa (Legia's name at the time). The team then won its highest victory in history, defeating Wisła Kraków 12–0 – the match took place on 19 August 1956 in Warsaw. In addition, the first three places in the goal classification at the end of the season were taken by legionnaires, and the title of the king of scorers was won by the Henryk Kempny who scored 21 goals.

In 1956, in addition to winning the national doublet, Legia made their debut in European competition, competing in the round of 16 of the European Champions Cup with Czechoslovak champions Slovan Bratislava. In the first away meeting, the team lost 0–4, and in the second leg at home they won 2–0 after goals from Kowal and Brychcz, but they were eliminated from further games. The meeting in Warsaw was watched by 40,000 fans.

At the meeting on 2 July 1957 – chaired by Colonel Edward Potorejko – the club's statute was approved and the first 31-member board of WKS Legia was elected, from which an 11-person presidium was then selected. The legal nature of the club has also changed. From the previous military unit, which was CWKS, a sports association was established with legal personality. The name of the club was also changed, as the historical name Legia was returned (Military Sports Club "Legia" Warsaw). In addition, new colors that are still used today were approved: white-red-green-black (later the order of the first two colors were changed) and the current coat of arms was adopted until today (with intervals).

1960s

In the 1960s, Legia regularly held top positions in the league table. In 1960, artificial lighting was installed at the Polish Army Stadium, thanks to which the facility became the second in Poland where matches could be played after dark. The first meeting without natural light was played on 5 October with Danish club Aarhus Gymnastikforening as part of the qualification for the European Club Champions Cup. Legia won the match 1–0 after Helmut Nowak's goal. However, with a 0–3 defeat in the first match in Denmark, they dropped out of further games. In the same season, Tadeusz Błażejewski, in the 11th minute of a 2–2 draw against ŁKS Łódź, scored the thousandth league goal for Legia. The club celebrated another anniversary on 26 October 1960, playing the five-hundredth match in the premier league; Legia beat Zagłębie Sosnowiec 1–0. In the league table Legia took second place, winning the title of runner-up of Poland and losing to Ruch Chorzów by 1 point. The following season, the team won the bronze medal of the Polish championship for taking third place in the league.

In the following year, the league shifted from the spring-fall system to fall-spring, which meant that the league matches started in the spring of 1962. The league was divided into two groups, in which the teams from the same regions played with each other. Legia – which took third place in its group – won the competition for 5th place with Wisła Kraków, drew a 1–1 away match and won 4–1 at home. In the Polish Cup, the team dropped out in the eighth-finals, losing 0–3 with Odra Opole. In the 1962–1963 season with the new league system, the team took the 7th place, and the fight for the Polish Cup again ended at stage eighth-finals (losing to later winner, Zagłębie Sosnowiec, 0–2).

Legia ended the 1963–64 season in fourth place in the league, scoring the same number of goals as second place Zagłębie Sosnowiec and third place Odra Opole. The goal differential decided who took which place. The club achieved a much better result in the Polish Cup, where the team, led by the Romanian coach Virgil Popescu, reached the finals. In the match, played at the 10th-Anniversary Stadium, Legia won after extra time with Polonia Bytom 2–1. Henryk Apostel scored both goals for Legia. In the next season Legia again took 4th place in the league, and in the Polish Cup reached the semi-final, in which they lost after extra time 1–2 with Górnik Zabrze (who became the winner of the cup). The team also competed in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In the first round, Legia eliminated the Austrian FC Admira Wacker Mödling. In the second they defeated the Turkish Galatasaray SK. After two matches there was a draw and third (the decisive step in the advancement) meeting in Bucharest. Legia won 1–0 and were the first Polish team to advance to the quarterfinals of any European club competition. At this stage of the tournament the team lost to German TSV 1860 Munich and was eliminated from the competition.

1970s

The 1970s were known as Poland's golden age of football. In 1971, Legia were runner's up of Poland for the third time in their history, and ended their Polish Cup campaign in the quarter-finals. For the second year in a row the club competed in the European Club Champions Cup, where it reached the quarter-finals, dropping out against Atlético Madrid (2–1 and 0–1). They previously eliminated IFK Gothenburg (4–0, 2–1) and Standard Liège (0–1, 2–0). From December 1971 to February 1972, Legia went on a tour of Spain and the countries of South America, including Ecuador, Costa Rica and Colombia – this was the first time the team had visited this part of the world. In the 1971–72 season, the team finished third in the league table and lost in the Polish Cup final with Górnik Zabrze 2–5. In September 1972, the Warsaw club defeated Víkingur Reykjavík in the round of 16 European Cup Winners' Cup 9–0, which is the highest Polish team win in European competition. In the next round Legia was matched up against A.C. Milan. The first game was played at the 10th Anniversary Stadium and ended in a 1–1 draw. At the San Siro, after the regular time, the draw was also maintained – Milan scored the winning goal two minutes before the end of extra time to win the game 2–1. In that season, Legia took 8th place in the league and won its fifth Polish Cup – after eliminating Szombinrek in the semi-finals (3–1 and 1–1). In the final match against Polonia, on 17 June 1973 in Poznań, a goalless result was maintained for 90 minutes of regular time of the game, as well as for the entire extra time. The legionaries finally won in penalties, 4–2.

The season of 1973–74 began with a defeat in the round of 16 of the European Club Champions Cup in aggregate with PAOK FC (1–1 in Warsaw, 0–1 in Thessaloniki). In early 1974, the club went to Spain and France to face Barcelona (1–1 at Camp Nou) and RC Lens (0–2). The team finished the league competition in 4th place, and in the Polish Cup they were knocked out in the quarterfinals, losing 1–2 to Stal Rzeszów. Right after the end of the league, the legionnaires went to an international tournament that took place in the Canary Islands – they drew with Cádiz CF, won with CD Tenerife and Hércules CF. Another foreign trip took place at the end of January 1975. Legia flew to Australia and became the first Polish team to visit all continents (except Antarctica). Legia took 6th place in the league, and lost in the round of 16 in the Polish Cup. After the season, the first transfer of Polish player to the West took place, which was allowed by PZPN and the Ministry of Sport. Robert Gadocha was bought by FC Nantes, later French champions.

Legia in the 1975–76 season finished the league in the middle of the table (8th place), and in the Polish Cup reached the eighth-finals, where they lost to GKS Jastrzębie after penalties. In the autumn of 1976, the club's 60th anniversary was celebrated. On the anniversary, 12 October, two matches were played at the Polish Army stadium: a meeting with Legia and Warsaw Polonia (a 2–0 home win) and a match between Legia and Dukla, which ended 4–2 for the legionaries. In February 1977 the team made the next trip, this time to Indonesia. Six games were played at that time (four wins, two draws) and a total of 15 goals were scored – without Deyna, who was at a training camp in Yugoslavia and Greece. Legia also performed for the second time in the Intertoto Cup. Legia's opponents were: Landskrona BoIS (1–0 and 2–1), SK Slavia Prague (1–1 and 2–2) and BSC Young Boys (4–1 and 1–1). Legia took second place in the group and once again was not rewarded with a promotion to the UEFA Cup. The team – finishing in 8th position – repeated the result from the previous league season, while in the Polish Cup they were knocked out in the semi-final, losing to Polonia Bytom 1–2.

1980s

Legia started the decade by winning the Polish Cup, beating Lech Poznań 5–0 in the final on 9 May 1980. In the league, the legionaries took third place. A year later, the Warsaw club defended the Polish Cup with a 1–0 victory over Pogoń Szczecin on 24 June, but struggled in the league, finishing fifth place. The following season, the team played a match in the quarter-finals of the European Club Champions Cup with Dinamo Tbilisi. During the first meeting in Warsaw, fans, due to the very large number of policemen at the stadium, began to chant the slogans: "Down with communism" and "MO – Gestapo". After being defeated 0–1, the fans organized an anti-communist parade (this situation was repeated several times in the 1980s). The away match also ended 0–1, which was watched by 90 thousand fans in Tbilisi. In the 1981–82 season Legia finished fourth, and in the Polish Cup they were knocked out in the eighth-finals, losing to Arka Gdynia 1–2.

The 1982–83 season began with a change of part of the team. Legia also gained a new coach, with Kazimierz Górski being replaced by Jerzy Kopa in the middle of the season. Legia finished eighth place in the league table, while in the Polish Cup they fell in the quarterfinals after losing 0–1 against Lech Poznań in Warsaw. A year later, Legia finished fifth in the fight for the title, and in the Polish Cup reached the 5th round, where they lost against Górnik Zabrze 2–3 after extra time.

At the turn of 1984 and 1985, after the autumn round, Legia took first place in the table. They finished runners-up of Poland, which meant the club would participate in the UEFA Cup. In addition, the team reached the quarter-finals of the Polish Cup (a defeat in aggregate with Górnik Zabrze). The following season, 1985–86, the league success was repeated and the quarterfinals of the home cup were again obtained. Both titles went to Górnik Zabrze. In the same years, the legionaries made it to the round of 16 and eighth-finals of the UEFA Cup, losing twice with Inter Milan. In the first match, Milan drew 0–0 at home, which was considered a great success for the Warsaw club. The return match at Łazienkowska ended with the score 0–1 and the Italian team advanced to the next round. The next year in 1986 Legia faced Inter Milan again with a 3–2 win at Łazienkowska and a 0–1 defeat in Italy, which eliminated the Polish club on away goals.

At the beginning of the 1986–87 season, the Warsaw team traveled to China and won the Great Wall Cup, defeating the hosts 2–0. The team played in Beijing and other cities for a week, at the turn of July and August. Following this, apart from other successful performance in Europe, Legia took 5th place in the league and reached the 5th round of knockout (losing against Wisła Kraków after penalties). At the end of 1987, at the Legia stadium, the speedway track was removed and the football field was widened.

1990s

The beginning of the nineties was not successful for the club, especially in the Polish league. In the 1989–90 season, the team finished in seventh place, and the next season in ninth. The 1991–92 season ended in a 10th-place finish – for the first time since World War II, Legia was fighting relegation to the second league. The team avoided relegation after winning 3–0 in an away match against Motor Lublin in the penultimate game of the season. The club achieved better results in the Polish Cup. In 1990, Legia defeated GKS Katowice in the final and won their ninth trophy. A year later, the Warsaw club again faced GKS Katowice in the final of the Polish Cup, but this time the rivals who won the match 1–0 turned out to be better. The next season, 1989–90, Legia won their ninth Polish Cup, meaning they were able to play in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1990–91. The Warsaw team, managed by Władysław Stachurski reached the semi-finals of the tournament, eliminating the likes of Sampdoria and Aberdeen. They lost in the semi-finals to Manchester United (1–3 in Warsaw and 1–1 in Manchester).

In autumn 1992, the first private sponsor, businessman Janusz Romanowski, invested in the club. A two-year sponsorship deal was signed with FSO (worth PLN 2.4 billion at that time) as well as with Adidas. After the fourth round of the 1992–93 season, Janusz Wójcik became the Legia coach. The high budget from the sponsorship deals allowed players such as Maciej Śliwowski and Radosław Michalski to be brought in. This, in turn, translated into better results and joining the competition for the national championship. On 20 June 1993, after an away victory of 6–0 against Wisła Kraków, the team won the Polish championship. However, on the next day the president of the PZPN board, with a 5–4 vote, decided to take the title from Legia and award it to the third team in the table – Lech Poznań (after disallowing the last matches of Legia and ŁKS, the team from Poznań took first place in the table). The decision was due to the allegations of bribery in the last league match. In addition, Legia was forced to pay a fine of 500 million zlotys, and the UEFA authorities excluded the team from European competition. Twice (December 2004, January 2007), the club unsuccessfully requested that the unfavorable decision should be repealed and that the title should be restored. In the same season, the anti-doping committee decided that Legia player Roman Zub had played after doping before the match against Widzew Łódź. The player's urine sample was also tested in a laboratory in Moscow, where it was considered that increased testosterone levels were not the result of doping. The match was initially verified as a walkover for the Łódź team, but the decision of the PZPN games department was revoked by the president of the board.

2000–2010

In March 2001, the main shareholder of the club, Daewoo, withdrew from the club's financing, and on 1 July the name of the former sponsor was removed from the club's name and it was reverted to ASPN CWKS "Legia" Warszawa SSA.

In the 2000–01 season, the team finished third in the Polish league, and in the Polish Cup lost in the quarterfinals, losing on aggregate 1–4 with Zagłębie Lubin. The same result was achieved by the team in the League Cup – in the quarterfinals of the tournament the team lost to Wisla Kraków, a draw in Warsaw 1–1 and a loss in Kraków 1–3. In the UEFA Cup qualifying round, Legia won against Etzella Ettelbruck (4–0 away, 2–1 in Warsaw), and in the next match they defeated IF Elfsborg (4–1 at home, 6–1 in Sweden). The rival of Legia in the second round was Valencia CF. In the first match at the Polish Army stadium there was a 1–1 draw, but in the rematch the Spaniards won 6–1.

The 2001–02 season, which was led by Dragomir Okuki, ended in Legia's seventh championship title (after a 0–0 draw with Odra Wodzisław in Warsaw), as well as a triumph in the Polish League Cup (3–0 and 1–2 in the final with Wisła Kraków). In competing for the Polish Cup, the team reached the quarter-finals, where it lost to Ruch Chorzów (2–4 in Warsaw, 1–0 in Chorzów). Legia played in the Champions League qualifiers in the summer, but in the third round they fell against FC Barcelona – in the first match at Camp Nou, the Catalans won 3–0, in the second they beat Legia 1–0. After defeat against the Spaniards, the Warsaw team competed in the UEFA Cup. In the first round Legia beat FC Utrecht (4–1 at home and 3–1 away), in the second round they were eliminated by Schalke – 2–3 in Warsaw, 0–0 in Gelsenkirchen.

The legionaries finished the 2002–03 season in 4th place, in the Polish Cup they fell in the 3rd round. On 13 June 2003, the name of the club changed to KP "Legia" Warszawa SSA and on the same day the team was greeted by a new coach, Dariusz Kubicki.

The club was purchased by ITI Group on 8 April 2004. The team took second place in the league and played in the Polish Cup final, in which it lost to Lech Poznań. The next season, 2004–05, the Warsaw team came third in the league table, and in the national cup they lost in the semi-final, falling to Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski – 1–1, 1–1, 1–4 on aggregate penalties.

2011–2020

Legia won its 10th title with another league championship at the end of the 2013–14 Ekstraklasa season. Legia qualified for the 2016–17 Champions League group stages for the first time in 21 years after defeating Dundalk on 23 August 2016. The Legionnaires found themselves in group F with the likes of Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and Sporting Lisbon. They finished third place after winning 1–0 against Sporting Lisbon on the last match day in the group stages, sending them to the round of 32 in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League. Legia was drawn against Ajax where the first match fell goalless in Warsaw.

Legia won its 12th League title in the 2016–17 Ekstraklasa season. They finished with a 0–0 draw against Lechia Gdańsk. Legia needed a draw in the match between Jagiellonia Białystok and Lech Poznań which finished 2–2 and gave Legia the title.

Legia's third consecutive Eksrtaklasa title was won in dramatic circumstances. Needing to win away to Lech Poznan to guarantee the title, a 3–0 victory was awarded to Legia after the game was abandoned. Lech fans threw flares and invaded the pitch after Legia scored to make it 2–0 in the 77th minute, after which the referee called the game off. The result meant Legia won the league, finishing three points above second placed Jagiellonia Białystok.

2021–present

On 28 April 2021, three rounds before the end of the 2020–21 Ekstraklasa season, the players from Łazienkowska won the fifteenth Polish championship, thanks to a goalless draw between Jagiellonia Białystok and Raków Częstochowa. Thus, Legia took the independent lead in the all-time classification in terms of the number of domestic titles.

On 26 August 2021, Legia defeated Slavia Prague, and for the first time in five years qualified to the group stages of a European cup. In the UEFA Europa League they were drawn to play in a group stage against Leicester City, Napoli and Spartak Moscow. After the first two matches won, away with Spartak and at home with Leicester 1–0 each, Legia lost four consecutive matches and ended up at the bottom of the group.

In 2023, Legia won two major trophies: the Polish Cup and the Polish Super Cup, both winning over Raków Częstochowa after a penalty shoot-out series. In the 2023–24 season, Legia Warsaw took part in the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage for the first time in its history, where they were drawn into Group E alongside Aston Villa, AZ and Zrinjski Mostar. Following their opening 3–2 victory over Aston Villa, Legia earned a total of 12 points and advanced to the knockout round play-offs out of second place.

Stadium & facilities

Legia plays its games at Legia Warsaw Municipal Stadium of Marshal Józef Piłsudski (Polish: Stadion Miejski Legii Warszawa im. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego), traditionally also referred to as the Polish Army Stadium (Polish: Stadion Wojska Polskiego), which is an all-seater football-specific stadium in Warsaw, Poland. Legia has been playing there since 9 August 1930. With space for 31,103 spectators it is the 5th biggest football stadium in the Ekstraklasa. The stadium underwent significant reconstruction between 2008 and 2011, during which all of the stands were demolished and replaced with bigger and more modern ones which increased the stadium's capacity from 13,500 to 31,103 seats. The Polish Army Stadium is currently owned by the City of Warsaw. Additionally to the main stadium and its surrounding infrastructure, the club has a newly built Legia Training Center completed in June 2020. Facility is located in Książenice in Gmina Grodzisk Mazowiecki. Legia Training Center has been designated for the Legia Warsaw first team and their reserves and youth teams, as U18, U17, U16 and U15. The center facilities are, among others, eight pitches; six with natural turf and two with artificial turf, hotel part and dormitory for players aged 13–18.

Club identity and supporters

Legia Warsaw gained devotion from generations of fans from Warsaw as well as around the country, mainly in Masovian Voivodeship. Legia supporters are considered very spontaneous and dedicated. Accordingly, in terms of quality of football support, they are also often described as the best supporters in Poland. Groups of fans follow Legia for practically all away matches, both domestic and international. Supporters of Legia occasionally attract also some negative attention, in particular after events such as riots in Lithuania during a match against Vėtra Vilnius on 10 July 2007.

The beginning of Legia Warsaw's organized fan movement is associated with matches in European cups, in the 1970s, when Legia fans came into contact with Western fan culture. Above all, for Legia fans, the April 1, 1970 match against Feyenoord was a breakthrough. Impressed by the way the clubs' colors and symbols were worn and displayed by the Dutch fans, a large group of Legia fans began to imitate them.

Traditionally, the most devoted and spontaneous fans occupy the Żyleta stand in their stadium. Before the stadium renovation (2008–2011), the "old" Żyleta referred only to the center section within the eastern stand of the stadium (occasionally, it would also refer to eastern stand as a whole). There is a special exhibition dedicated to the "old" Żyleta in the Legia Warsaw Museum. Today, after the stadium's renovation, the "new" Żyleta means the whole northern stand of stadium (located behind the goal).

Politically, the supporters of Legia tend to be more right wing. During communist times, in particular during the 1980s, Legia fans showed their patriotic, nationalist and strongly anti-communistic views. Today, the fans actively participate in annual commemorations of the Warsaw Uprising and Polish Independence Day. Legia fans are also vocal with their views on domestic issues, e.g. their conflict with the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, as well as on international politics, e.g. by way of displaying banners reading "Kosovo is Serbian" at the stadium. On 22 October 2014, when Legia played against the Ukrainian club Metalist Kharkiv they displayed a banner with the names Lwów (Lviv) and Wilno (Vilnius) along with the flag and a prewar coat of arms of Poland on the background, which led to negative reactions. On 19 August 2015, in Lviv and Kyiv, where Legia played with Zorya, clashes between Ukrainian and Polish fans occurred. On 9 April 2022, during an away match against Lech Poznań, Legia fans displayed a banner with an image of Putin hanging from a noose in a Spartak Moscow shirt. In May 2024, Legia Warsaw supporters held up a banner criticising Warsaw’s mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, whom they condemned for restricting religious symbols in public offices. In October 2024, Legia supporters held up a banner reading "We don’t want Berlin, Lampedusa, France here – zero tolerance for migrants!".

Relations with other clubs

Domestically, Legia Warsaw supporters maintain friendly relations with fans of Radomiak Radom, Zagłębie Sosnowiec and Olimpia Elbląg. Internationally, Legia supporters maintain friendly relations with fans of ADO Den Haag and Juventus. Their domestic rivals include almost all the other Polish teams that play at the domestic top-tier league level. Warsaw clubs, Polonia Warsaw, KS Warszawianka and Gwardia Warsaw, were Legia's main league rivals, but since 2013 none of them competes in Ekstraklasa. One of their biggest rivals is also Lech Poznań with whom they contest the "Derby of Poland".

Warsaw derby

The Warsaw derby is a match between Legia and Polonia Warsaw

Other local rivalries

Between Legia and Gwardia Warsaw

Between Legia and KS Warszawianka

Honours

Domestic

As of 13 July 2025.

s shared record

Europe

European Cup/Champions League:

Semi-finals: 1969–70

Quarter-finals: 1970–71, 1995–96

Group stage: 2016–17

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup:

Semi-finals: 1990–91

Quarter-finals: 1964–65, 1981–82

UEFA Europa League:

Round of 32: 2011–12, 2014–15, 2016–17

Group stage: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2021–22

UEFA Conference League:

Quarter-finals: 2024–25

Knockout play-offs round: 2023–24

Legia Warsaw in international football

UEFA and IFFHS rankings

IFFHS Club World ranking

Last updated: 28 December 2025

Source: IFFHS

Club records

Number of seasons in Ekstraklasa: 73 (from 1927 to 1936 and from 1948–present)

Biggest win in the league: 19 August 1956 Legia Warsaw – Wisła Kraków 12–0 (5–0)

Biggest defeat in the league: 3 September 1927 Pogoń Lwów – Legia Warsaw 11–2 (6–1)

Longest series of victories in the league: 9 (in 1931 and 1932)

Longest series of defeats in the league: 7 (1936 and 2021)

Oldest goalscorer: Lucjan Brychczy – 37 years, 2 months, 25 days

Youngest goalscorer: Ariel Borysiuk – 16 years, 8 months, 5 days

Players

Current squad

As of 9 September 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Retired numbers

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Hall of Fame

This is a list of former players and coaches who have been inducted into the Legia Warsaw Hall of Fame.

Coaching staff

As of 4 July 2026