Don't miss all the #Ekstraklasa on #beINSPORTS 📺

“We are certainly one of the most competitive leagues in the world,” says Marcin Animucki, CEO of the PKO BP Ekstraklasa, in an interview with beIN Sports USA. The first round of the Polish league kicks off on July 24, 2026. Watch it exclusively on beIN Sports USA.

Filip Zieliński: I’d like to start by summarizing this season from both an organizational and a sporting perspective. What is your opinion on this?

Marcin Animucki (CEO PKO BP Ekstraklasa): The 2025/26 season is behind us, and it’s fair to say it was one of the most exciting seasons from a sporting standpoint. The race for European cups spots went down to the wire—with as many as five spots up for grabs for the first time ever. On the other hand, the battle to avoid relegation was very intense. In fact, just a few matchdays could have made the difference between being in the relegation zone and being very close to joining the fight for European cups. Overall, attendance at the stadiums was superb. 4.1 million people is a clear year-over-year increase. The average attendance at stadiums was more than 13,500 (13577), which ranks roughly eighth in Europe. This is very encouraging, as it suggests that the upcoming season will likely be very successful from this perspective as well. We welcome multiple Polish champion Wisła Kraków to our ranks, with a strong fan base and a packed stadium. Śląsk Wrocław will play in a 40,000-seat stadium. Wieczysta Kraków will be playing at Wisła’s stadium. Currently, stadiums are more than 70% (71,60%) full; nevertheless, several stadiums—such as Widzew’s or the slightly smaller Raków’s—are filled to 100%.

There’s also the matter of competing in European cup competitions. Lech Poznań, Jagiellonia Białystok, Raków Częstochowa, and Legia Warsaw have contributed a great many points to the UEFA ranking this season, putting us in 12th place in the European rankings. If these results continue in the future, the goal we once set for ourselves—to be in the top ten of the UEFA rankings—will be within reach. But we’re already excited, because the 2026–27 season ahead of us will once again be a battle for five spots in European cup competitions.

For the good of the Polish league—is it a better solution to have a strong TOP5 or a more balanced level among all teams, as was the case last season?

We are certainly one of the most competitive leagues in the world. And on the one hand, I’m glad that there are such ambitious projects at clubs that want to seriously join the fight for European cups. I’m talking about clubs like Widzew Łódź, Pogoń Szczecin, Górnik Zabrze, and GKS Katowice. That’s one side of the story. The other side is that, over the years, this core has slowly begun to crystallize. Lech, Jagiellonia, Raków, and—for many years—Legia: these are the top teams in the Ekstraklasa, which have not only represented us well in European competitions recently but, above all, have managed to combine that with competing on two fronts. On the one hand, there’s fierce competition and exciting new, large-scale projects; on the other, there are clubs that have gradually established themselves in European competitions. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for July and August, because that’s always the period when we qualify for European competitions. It’s a crucial moment. We have several tools in place to support cup participants, such as a revenue-sharing model that greatly benefits them. The regulations also allow them to reschedule matches ahead of more important qualifying matches, and from a scheduling perspective, we strive to ensure that the Ekstraklasa match schedule doesn’t clash too much with European logistics.

What changes are you planning for fans in the upcoming season, which marks the 100th anniversary of the PKO BP Ekstraklasa?

It’s nice that you mention this history. Indeed, this season we’re kicking off the celebration of the Ekstraklasa’s 100-year history. The first matches took place in 1927. We’ve already unveiled the anniversary logo, created especially for this occasion. We’ve also refreshed the Polish Championship trophy, now in gold. And for the first time in history, together with Adidas—our partner for many, many years—we’ve managed to create our own custom soccer ball designed exclusively for the Ekstraklasa. This season 100 matches will be broadcast in 4K, with all others in HD—that’s 306 matches produced to a very high standard, using between 15 and 25 cameras depending on the match’s importance. We again plan to use technological innovations such as, of course, the SpiderCam, drones, and the camera mounted on the corner flag that provide some great shots. This season, we’ve begun installing additional cameras using digital data-collection technology to track fitness metrics. Over 200 cameras will be installed at Ekstraklasa stadiums to track every player's position in milliseconds. On the one hand, this is obviously an excellent analytical tool for coaching staff, but what will certainly delight fans is the ability to create a semi-automatic offside line—the kind we currently see at the World Cup or in the Premier League.

There will be a special match to mark the centennial. On April 3, thanks to the Competition Logistics Department's efforts, Legia Warsaw will face Wisła Kraków. This marks the anniversary of the first Ekstraklasa match in 1927. Legia and Wisła are the only current Ekstraklasa teams that participated in that season’s competition.

You’ve been involved with the Ekstraklasa since 2012, and with Polish soccer for even longer. How do the conditions back then compare to what we have today?

Polish soccer—especially the Ekstraklasa and its clubs—has done a tremendous job. We’re in a completely different place than we were two decades ago. In fact, we saw a major acceleration following the COVID-19 pandemic, when we were one of the first leagues to restart our matches and finish the season without major financial difficulties. Then we became the first league to start allowing fans back into stadiums. On the other hand, the reality of watching live matches is changing. Here in Poland, we currently have 62 million people who have watched live matches. Thirty percent of this viewership comes from streaming, which is up 50% year-over-year and is experiencing exponential growth. This year-over-year increase in viewership is one of the highest in Europe. The third fundamental step is a jump in the UEFA rankings from around 30th place to a position just behind the top 10. The fourth point is the increase in transfer revenue, both “out” and “in.”

In which direction would you like the Ekstraklasa to head in the long term?

At Ekstraklasa, we are very focused on technological development. We’ve proven this over many years by building our own production company; since 2012 Live Park,  has grown into one of the largest companies in the region for live event production. Now we’re facing another major technological leap, as a few weeks ago we began construction of a media center designed to take us to an even higher level —including additional TV studios, commentary booths, and the ability to produce match content remotely, which will reduce costs. I imagine we could also produce content for or assist people working in basketball or handball. Technology creates new monetization opportunities and selling the domestic media rights will be our biggest challenge in the coming months.

How would a spot in the UEFA Top 10 ranking impact the Polish league?

It would certainly be a huge boost to the league’s reputation in sporting terms, which translates into viewership and stadium attendance. There’s tremendous excitement, with packed stadiums for most of the big matches. You could say Ekstraklasa is experiencing a real boom in popularity. We’re also seeing significant growth in engagement with our social media content. We’re active on all online platforms. Young people appreciate our authenticity, our passion, and our competitiveness. We still have some work to do on transfers, because similarly ranked leagues buy and sell players for higher sums. I believe that thanks to European cup competitions and analytical platforms, we’ll be able to catch up with our rivals.

Do you see any threats to this progress?

This season will, of course, be a huge challenge when it comes to qualifying for European competitions. We’re facing a five-team battle; we don’t have a guaranteed spot in the group stage, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for all five teams because it’s important that as many teams as possible represent us in European competitions. For the first time in history, our points will be divided among five teams, rather than four as in previous years, which could also have serious consequences if we have a weaker season.

What does the return of such well-known clubs as Śląsk Wrocław and Wisła Kraków mean for the Ekstraklasa?

We’re happy that brands like Wisła Kraków and Śląsk Wrocław are joining the Ekstraklasa, as well as Wieczysta Kraków, which has tremendous potential when it comes to building a team from a sporting perspective. Attendance at Wisła’s games is always strong, and the fans are incredible. Śląsk, of course, is also a club with a rich history. It’s important that its stadium, built for Euro 2012, be filled. There were seasons when 30,000 to 40,000 people attended Śląsk Wrocław’s matches, so I hope for the same this time.

We’re talking about the promotion of Wieczysta, founded by Polish millionaire Wojciech Kwiecień, or Widzew Łódź, which also has a very generous investor. Is money the driving force behind the league?

I think it’s primarily the organic work that’s been done over the last two decades. Starting with the excellent stadium infrastructure, which began popping up like mushrooms after rain around the time of Euro 2012. That laid the foundation for thinking about the next steps—issues related to building better and better teams and attracting investors to Polish soccer. It is also worth highlighting that Poland is now among the world's 20 largest economies. The success of the Ekstraklasa is closely tied to Poland's broader economic and international success. As Poles become more affluent, consumer spending continues to grow. At the same time, Poland's popularity as a travel destination is increasing, with more international visitors choosing to come and feeling safe while doing so. As a result, attending an Ekstraklasa match is increasingly becoming a regular part of the experience for foreign visitors to Poland.

What are the takeaways from the first season of PKO BP Ekstraklasa broadcasts?

First and foremost, I want to thank the entire editorial team at beIN Sports USA, because their enthusiastic approach to commentating on our matches—both in English and in Spanish—is not only a great joy but also a sign of innovation. We’re really developing the Ekstraklasa as a product. Our league is highly competitive and played in beautiful stadiums, with plenty of excitement—it certainly looks great on TV. That’s why I encourage all fans in North America to follow the PKO BP Ekstraklasa. We’d also like to thank the Polish community living in the U.S. for their enthusiastic reception of our matches. It’s great that we can reach them and help them stay connected to their homeland.

Could American soccer now open up a bit more to Poland due to Robert Lewandowski’s transfer to Major League Soccer?

Of course, we already have examples of this in several countries Robert has played in, such as Germany and Spain. These have allowed us to establish great partnerships with the leagues where he played. Of course, we have archival footage featuring Robert available on our social media and in our archive, which can be used by broadcasters covering league matches. There’s also significant interest from various platforms that want to feature Robert and showcase him from his younger years.

And how does this look in other markets?

We currently have broadcasting and streaming partnerships covering more than 21 international territories, and we continue to explore new opportunities. Where we don’t have a local media partner, fans can always access our OTT platform, with subscriptions available for €11 per month or €70 per year. We know exactly where we stand. We’re not on the same global scale as the Premier League or La Liga, but we see significant opportunities to expand our international reach. Our focus is on markets where there is the strongest organic demand for Polish football, including countries with large Polish communities and those where many of our players come from. At the same time, we’re seeing strong momentum across the league. TV audiences continue to grow, stadium attendances are reaching record levels, and the value of our media rights and commercial partnerships now ranks among the top 10 leagues in Europe. We have also established ourselves as one of the technological leaders in European football. Together with Poland’s growing international profile, the increasing appeal of Polish football and the competitiveness of our league, these strengths provide a solid foundation for further international expansion.

WATCH beIN SPORTS XTRA LIVE FOR FREE ON YOUTUBE