Wisła Kraków returns to Ekstraklasa with 2-1 win over GKS Katowice after four-year absence
After 1,500 days away, Wisła Kraków marked their PKO Ekstraklasa comeback with a 2-1 victory at a sold-out Stadion Reymonta, scoring twice inside five minutes before a VAR intervention kept the margin tight.
Match action
Wisła Kraków needed less than five minutes to announce their return to the top flight. The hosts struck twice early against GKS Katowice, igniting a capacity crowd at Stadion Reymonta. The opening goal came almost immediately from the kickoff at 20:15, and a second followed before the clock had reached the five-minute mark. GKS pulled one back later in the match, but the 2-1 scoreline held. A VAR review disallowed what would have been a third Wisła goal, preventing the margin from growing wider.
Fan spectacle
Supporters had waited over 1,500 days for this moment, and they turned the evening into a celebration that stretched across the entire stadium. Before the first whistle, the crowd sang the club anthem in unison. A choreographed display covered the north and east stands, with flares and smoke adding to the visual impact. The tifo echoed similar presentations from past high-profile fixtures, including a famous one against Legia Warszawa. After the final whistle, players ran to the stand behind the goal to share the moment with the most vocal section of fans.
Away support and next trip
A notable subplot was the presence of a large travelling contingent from Katowice. In recent seasons, most visiting clubs had declined their ticket allocation for matches in Krakow, making the away section a rare sight. The GKS supporters' turnout marked a shift, and Wisła fans will soon have their own chance to travel. Piast Gliwice has already informed the club that the full away allocation, roughly 500 tickets, will be made available for Wisła's first road fixture of the 2026/27 campaign.
The long road back
Wisła Kraków spent four seasons outside the Ekstraklasa before securing promotion in the previous campaign. The achievement was celebrated with a public fete on the Main Market Square, and the opening-day victory extended that sense of renewal. The club's last top-flight appearance before the hiatus came in the 2021/22 season, and the return match against GKS Katowice was the first step in re-establishing themselves among Poland's elite.
