Polish women's volleyball returns with 12 teams competing in 2026/2027 Tauron Liga

Opening fixtures and league format

The 2026–2027 Tauron Liga season begins on Friday, 2 October 2026, featuring 12 teams competing for the Polish national championship. Defending champions PGE Budowlani Łódź start their title defense with an away match against promoted Netland MKS Kalisz at 17:30. In the day's second fixture, UNI Opole hosts Lotto Chemik Police. The competition is structured into two phases: a regular season followed by a playoff phase for the top eight clubs.

Roster overhauls across the top division

Substantial roster turnover has altered lineups throughout the division ahead of the opener. Following the previous season, 10 players retired from professional volleyball, while Polish national team members Paulina Damaske and Aleksandra Szczygłowska transferred to clubs abroad. Defending champions PGE Budowlani Łódź experienced several changes following their 2026 championship victory, parting ways with captain and setter Alicja Grabka as well as Damaske. The Łódź club signed Polish national team setter Katarzyna Wenerska to replace Grabka, and added Martyna Grajber-Nowakowska.

Promoted club Netland MKS Kalisz, returning after one season in the second tier, completely reorganized its roster and coaching staff. Radosław Wodziński took over as head coach, while former coach Sebastian Devash moved to an assistant role. Setting responsibilities belong to Gabriela Jędrzejczak and Paulina Zaborowska. The Kalisz squad also added three foreign players: Serbian athletes Jelena Vulin and Isidora Rodić, along with American player Jaidyn Blanchfield.

Championship contenders and medal ambitions

Club leaders across the league anticipate an evenly matched championship race, with every team targeting a playoff spot and none entering the campaign with the sole goal of avoiding relegation. Piotr Makowski, president of Metlakas Pałac Bydgoszcz and former national team coach, identified PGE Budowlani Łódź, ŁKS Commercecon Łódź, and DevelopRes Rzeszów as the primary contenders. Makowski also noted that #VolleyWrocław and BKS Bielsko-Biała hold strong rosters, while questioning whether UNI Opole can replicate past results after losing key foreign players.

President of #VolleyWrocław Jacek Grabowski agreed on the leading trio:

Budowlani, ŁKS and DevelopRes theoretically have the most balanced and strongest squads. I think that the Polish champion will be chosen from these three. Who will it be? At this moment it is difficult for me to say. The rest of the field is balanced. However, I am convinced that someone from this group will surprise and will be able to mix things up and maybe even break onto the podium. The season is long and many things can happen.

Michał Chudzik, president of PGE Budowlani Łódź, described the competitive balance across the division:

A really large number of teams have genuinely strengthened. DevelopRes, ŁKS, BKS, but also #VolleyWrocław are stronger. Including our team, that is the top five clubs that will fight for medals. But in this league there are no weak teams anymore, because even the newcomers from Kalisz have a much better squad than Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki did a year ago. Many Polish players have returned to our league, and many good players have arrived from abroad. You can clearly see that the level is rising and the league is developing. That is good, because a really interesting season is ahead.

Opening round and league turnover

Netland MKS Kalisz president Jacek Pasiński also endorsed Budowlani, ŁKS, and DevelopRes as top title candidates. Kalisz replaces Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, whose stay in the top flight lasted only one season before relegation. With all 12 clubs aiming for a place among the eight playoff qualifiers, the opening fixtures will test newly configured squads in Kalisz and Opole.