After Jagiellonia and GKS recently made up the outstanding match of the 16th round, all Ekstraklasa clubs have played 25 matches each. With nine rounds to go, as many as three teams have equalled each other on points at the top of the table - it is as tight as ever.
The last seasons had a similar pattern, and even then, some people spoke of a 'turtle race', although after 25 rounds, in 2024/25, there were teams with 50-52 points in the top three.
Today, all three have 41 points equally.
Since the Ekstraklasa has been operating in its current format, there has never been a situation where such a number of points would be enough for first place after 25 games, let alone for three teams to stop at this level.
'The Turtles' have become even slower, and there is not a single team in the Polish league at the time of writing that has won its last two games.
The most exciting league?
Consistency must be forgotten; its absence has been the main feature of the 2025/26 season in the Ekstraklasa. Wisla Plock ended 2025 with a streak of five draws and still maintained first place.
Later, they suffered five defeats in a row, but still have a chance to play in Europe.
Cracovia were also hoping for Europe, but have been unable to win for six games and find themselves close to the relegation zone. But rest assured, you don't have to win to climb up - that's exactly what happened to Cracovia in February and March, when they moved up one place after two defeats.
Even the world media began to take an interest in a league where "anyone can be champion, and anyone can fall".
After all, there are now only nine points from the knockout zone to the relegation zone. That is why The Athletic recently wrote that Poland has the most exciting league in Europe.
But while some get excited, others gnash their teeth. The regularly repeated saying that "anyone can win against anyone" has to be taken seriously in the Ekstraklasa.
The three most successful teams net an average of 1.64 points per game, which is the lowest in Europe.
On the other hand, only Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza are below the average of one point per game in the league. As a result, relegation is almost certain for them, although mathematically, they have something to fight for.
Traditional powers in crisis
We nearly had a favourite for the championship. Jagiellonia started the year with two victories, combined with good form in the Conference League. Coach
Adrian Siemieniec is still being praised, but recently his team has failed to win four consecutive games. Therefore, at the time of writing, his side are only on par with Zaglebie.
The defending champions from Poznan have had a moment of crisis before, with the biggest disappointment being two defeats to start 2026 against teams from the bottom of the table.
The chance to defend the championship is still there, but a record-breaking title must be forgotten by Poland's biggest club, Legia Warsaw. They were unable to win 12 consecutive games in the autumn.
Marek Papszun is already the third coach this season, and his mission is to fight to avoid a historic relegation from the league.
In terms of the number of coaches, the entire league has been outdone by Widzew.
The Lodz club did not skimp on transfers in the summer, and they pumped in even more in the winter. Outside of Europe's five biggest leagues, no one has invested as much - nearly €16 million in January.
That is more than the total annual budget for 14 of the 18 Ekstraklasa clubs. And yet, at the beginning of March, the third coach, Igor Jovicevic, lost his job and was replaced by the nationally renowned Aleksandar Vukovic.
Each team has strengths
Widzew have started to score and yet still occupy the penultimate place in the table - that's what the Ekstraklasa is like: two powerhouses fighting for survival, and at the top we have Zaglebie Lubin, who struggled to stay up last spring and were only expected to survive another season quietly.
Tactical discipline and a great attitude in their stadium has proven to be a great asset.
There is currently no team in the Polish elite that dominates in several aspects. The best attack? Definitely Lechia Gdansk, above the relegation zone.
The strongest team at home? Take Arka Gdynia, who only won their first away game a week ago.
Top scorers? Tomas Bobcek from Lechia and Karol Czubak from Motor, with players from the nominally strongest clubs behind them.
The league's biggest star - Bartosz Nowak - has lifted GKS Katowice, who were predicted for relegation before the season, to within five points of the title.
They have been finding the net with ease in the spring, and on top of that, they will fight for the Polish Cup final and may unexpectedly think about Europe.
'The mid table' in Poland has gone up, and - apart from the unprecedented problems of Legia or Widzew - we largely owe the current state to them.
Korona Kielce, Motor Lublin or Radomiak are teams no one can score against, and even at the weakest of this year's newcomers, they have been much stronger than expected.
If Jagiellonia live up to their fans' expectations and win a second league title, we may witness another absurdity: they are the only club to have lost both matches against last-placed Nieciecza. It is hard to find a better summary of an unpredictable season in Poland.
