Lech Poznan · History

Kolejowy Klub Sportowy Lech Poznań is a Polish football club founded on 19 March 1922 in Poznań, the capital of the Greater Poland region, and it is now the most decorated side in modern Polish football: ten league titles, five Polish Cups and seven Super Cups. Born as KS Lutnia Dębiec and tied from an early stage to the railway workers of the city — hence its nickname, Kolejorz, "the Railwayman" — Lech grew from a neighbourhood club into the great provincial counterweight to the Warsaw giants and a regular in European competition.

Foundation and early years

The club was founded in 1922 in the Dębiec district as KS Lutnia Dębiec and changed its name several times during the 1920s and 1930s, when it moved into the orbit of the railway union and took the KPW initials. That railway connection was stamped on the crest, on the culture of the club and on the nicknames still sung on the terraces: alongside Kolejorz, supporters use Duma Wielkopolski, "the pride of Greater Poland". The definitive name, KKS Lech Poznań, was adopted in 1957 and has only been altered by commercial additions between 1994 and 2006.

The team never reached the top flight before the Second World War. Its Ekstraklasa debut came in 1948, although the following two decades were a constant swing of promotions and relegations: it went down in 1957 and again in 1963, and even dropped as far as the third tier. The outstanding figure of that period was Teodor Anioła, the Polish league's leading scorer between 1949 and 1951 and a member of the famous "ABC" forward line alongside Białas and Czapczyk.

The miracle of Błażejewko

The turning point arrived in 1976, when coach Jerzy Kopa took the squad to a training camp at Błażejewko that popular memory christened "the miracle of Błażejewko". A team fighting near the bottom of the table finished third in 1977 and, in 1978-79, played its first continental tie in the UEFA Cup against MSV Duisburg of Germany. It was a warning of what the following decade would bring, when Poznań settled permanently among the elite.

The golden age: five titles in eleven years

The arrival of Wojciech Łazarek on the bench in 1980 opened the brightest cycle in the club's history. Lech won the league in 1982-83 by a single point over Widzew Łódź (39 to 38) and repeated in 1983-84, this time level on 42 points and decided on goal difference. Those titles were joined by the Polish Cups of 1981-82 (1-0 against Pogoń Szczecin), 1983-84 (3-0 against Wisła Kraków) and 1987-88, the last of them on penalties against Legia Warsaw. The cycle closed with the championships of 1989-90, 1991-92 and 1992-93 and the Super Cups of 1990 and 1992, with players such as Mirosław Okoński, Krzysztof Pawlak and Andrzej Juskowiak, who scored 18 goals in the 1990 title campaign.

Those sides left European nights that are still remembered: a 2-0 win over Athletic Club in the 1983-84 European Cup, a 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the 1988-89 Cup Winners' Cup — elimination on penalties, 5-4 — and a 5-1 thrashing of Panathinaikos in the 1990-91 European Cup before going out to Olympique de Marseille.

Crisis, relegation and rebuilding

The financial crisis that followed 1993 forced the sale of the best players and opened the darkest chapter in the club's story. In 2000, after 28 consecutive seasons in the top flight, Lech were relegated. The response was immediate: they returned as second-division champions in 2001-02 and rebuilt the sporting structure around the academy, work that paid off within a few years with the Polish Cups of 2003-04 and 2008-09.

Lewandowski and the return to silverware

Between 2008 and 2010 a 20-year-old striker named Robert Lewandowski wore the shirt, scoring 32 goals in 58 matches and finishing as the league's top scorer with 18 in the season of the sixth title, 2009-10. His sale to Borussia Dortmund financed the next cycle. In 2010-11 Lech produced their best modern European campaign to that point: they beat Manchester City 3-1 at home and went through the Europa League group stage ahead of Juventus, before losing to Braga in the round of 32.

The championships of 2014-15 and 2021-22 followed, both under Maciej Skorża, the second of them in the club's centenary season. In 2022-23 Lech reached the quarter-finals of the Conference League, their best European result ever, after eliminating Bodø/Glimt and Djurgården and losing 6-4 on aggregate to Fiorentina.

The stadium, the fans and the Poznań

Stadion Poznań, with a capacity of 42,837, is one of the largest grounds in Poland and the stage for one of the noisiest crowds in the country. From its stands came "the Poznań", the celebration in which supporters turn their backs on the pitch, link arms over each other's shoulders and bounce in unison; it spread beyond Poland after the 2010 European tie with Manchester City and is now copied by fans around the world. The club's great rivalries are with Legia Warsaw, the classic fixture of Polish football, and the city derby against Warta Poznań.

Honours

Lech have won ten Polish league titles (1982-83, 1983-84, 1989-90, 1991-92, 1992-93, 2009-10, 2014-15, 2021-22, 2024-25 and 2025-26), five Polish Cups (1981-82, 1983-84, 1987-88, 2003-04 and 2008-09) and seven Super Cups. Under Danish coach Niels Frederiksen, in charge since May 2024, they claimed back-to-back championships in 2024-25 and 2025-26; the second was sealed on 16 May 2026 with a 3-1 win over Radomiak Radom.

On 16 July 2026 Lech won the Super Cup, beating Górnik Zabrze 3-1 in front of 37,843 spectators.