Zagłębie Sosnowiec (Polish pronunciation: [zaˈɡwɛmbjɛ sɔsˈnɔvjɛts]) is a Polish professional football club based in Sosnowiec. They compete in group III of the III liga in the 2026–27 season, following relegation from the 2025–26 II liga.
The club was established in 1945. It has won Polish Cup four times (1962, 1963, 1977, 1978), and has finished as runner-up in the Polish championship four times (1955, 1964, 1967, 1972). Apart from football, the organization of Zagłębie has other departments, such as ice-hockey (KH Zagłębie Sosnowiec; five times Polish champion: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985) and men's basketball (twice Polish champion: 1985, 1986).
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History
The history of Zagłębie Sosnowiec dates back to 1906, when the city of Sosnowiec belonged to Congress Poland, Russian Empire. In that year, a group of young workers of the Milowice Steelworks formed a sports organization. Their activities were mostly concentrated on playing football at suburban meadows. In 1908, local activist Aleksander Rene was arrested by the Okhrana, and accused of forming an illegal Polish sports organization. Imprisoned in Łódź, he sent a letter to a Russian Governor, who resided in Piotrków Trybunalski, asking for permission to form a Sosnowiec branch of the Union Sports Club from Sankt Petersburg. He was denied, so he wrote again, to the Union headquarters. With the permission of the Sankt Petersburg club, Rene, after leaving prison, formed the team of Union Sosnowiec, which in the first half of the 1910s played several friendly games against local teams.
During World War I, sports activities were cancelled in Sosnowiec. In 1918, Sports Association Victoria was formed. Among its players was famous singer Jan Kiepura. In 1919, Sports Association Sosnowiec was formed by Aleksander Reine. After 12 years, in 1931, both clubs merged to create the team called Unia Sosnowiec. The new team was among the best sides in the region of Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, which in the 1930s had its own regional league, the Zagłębie A-Class.
In 1933, Unia Sosnowiec won the league, qualifying to the Ekstraklasa playoffs, where it lost to Naprzód Lipiny. In 1934, Unia again turned out to be the regional winner, and again it lost the playoffs, this time to Śląsk Świętochłowice. Third attempt at the Ekstraklasa promotion came in 1939. Again Unia, the regional champion, lost the playoffs to both Śląsk Świętochłowice and Fablok Chrzanów. Among the players of Unia's youth teams was Wieslaw Ociepka, who later became chairman of the Polish Football Association (PZPN).
During World War II, Unia played unofficial, conspirational games against local rivals. In 1945, officials and players of Unia formed a team called RKS Sosnowiec, which was soon renamed into RKU Sosnowiec. Its chairman was Major Marian Rodza, military commandant of the city. First postwar manager was Józef Słonecki, who in the 1920s was a player of Pogoń Lwów. In 1946, RKU qualified to the Ekstraklasa playoffs. In the 1/8 finals, it beat Gedania Gdańsk 6–2, to lose 0–4 to AKS Chorzów in the quarterfinals. During the game, which took place in Chorzów, clashes erupted between supporters of both teams, and the game was cancelled. In 1947, RKU was in Group Two of the Ekstraklasa qualifiers. This group was won by AKS Chorzów, RKU was the fourth team, behind AKS, Cracovia and Rymer Radlin.
Stadium
Zagłębie Sosnowiec play their home matches at the Zagłębie Sports Park, with a 11,600 capacity.
Players
Current squad
As of 16 August 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.
Honours
Domestic
Ekstraklasa
Runners-up: 1955, 1963–64, 1966–67, 1971–72
Third place: 1962, 1962–63, 1964–65
Polish Cup
Winners: 1961–62, 1962–63, 1976–77, 1977–78
Runners-up: 1970–71
International
International Soccer League
Winners: 1964
UEFA Intertoto Cup
Semi-finalists: 1966–67
Youth teams
Polish U-19 Championship
Runners-up: 1963
Third place: 1965
Basketball team
In 1983, American Kent Washington won the Polish Basketball Cup with Zagłębie Sosnowiec.