# Legia Warsaw
**Legia Warsaw** (Polish: Legia Warszawa; legally Legia Warszawa S.A.), nicknamed *Wojskowi* ("the Military Men"), is a Polish football club based in Warsaw, founded in 1916 by legionnaires of [Józef Piłsudski](https://www.edgepedia.org/jozef-pi-sudski) fighting on the Eastern Front of the First World War[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie). It has won 21 Polish Cups and 15 recognized league titles, and it describes itself as the only Polish club never relegated from the top division, the [Ekstraklasa](https://www.edgepedia.org/ekstraklasa), since the Second World War[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1916, in Volhynia, by soldiers of the Polish Legions; first president Władysław Groele[2](https://dzieje.pl/ksiazki/legia-warszawa-1916-2016) • [6](https://www.mzpn.pl/kronika/pilka-powstala-z-legionow/) |
| Ground | Marshal Józef Piłsudski Municipal Stadium, Łazienkowska 3, Warsaw; current venue opened in 2010[3](https://legia.com/en/stadion) |
| Polish championships | 1955, 1956, 1969, 1970, 1994, 1995, 2002, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021, plus a 1993 title revoked by the Polish football federation (PZPN)[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie) |
| Polish Cups | 21, the latest in 2025[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie) |
| Polish Super Cups | 6 (1989, 1994, 1997, 2008, 2023, 2025)[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie) |
| Best European run | European Cup semifinal, 1969–70; Cup Winners' Cup semifinal, 1990–91[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie) |
## Origins in the Legions
The club's history begins in Volhynia in 1916, among soldiers of the [Polish Legions](https://www.edgepedia.org/polish-legions) serving in the First World War[2](https://dzieje.pl/ksiazki/legia-warszawa-1916-2016). Stefan Mielech is regarded as the founder: he proposed the name, which refers to the Legions, but Władysław Groele was the first president[2](https://dzieje.pl/ksiazki/legia-warszawa-1916-2016) • [6](https://www.mzpn.pl/kronika/pilka-powstala-z-legionow/). Many early members had played for clubs suspended when the war began, and Piłsudski and other Legion commanders reportedly watched the first matches[2](https://dzieje.pl/ksiazki/legia-warszawa-1916-2016).
## The army club and the communist era
Legia grew into a multi-sport club. At its peak it ran 26 sections, whose athletes won 86 Olympic medals, 15 of them gold, along with 89 world and 91 European titles[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie). The fencer [Jerzy Pawłowski](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerzy-paw-owski) won 5 Olympic medals, and the tennis player Jadwiga Jędrzejowska reached the Wimbledon final while representing the club[2](https://dzieje.pl/ksiazki/legia-warszawa-1916-2016). [The Second World War](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-second-world-war) cost it heavily: two former presidents, the head of the football section, and several players and officials were on the Katyn list[2](https://dzieje.pl/ksiazki/legia-warszawa-1916-2016).
**Favored by the regime.** As the army club CWKS in communist Poland, Legia was favored by the authorities, and leading players from other clubs were assigned to military service there, which left rival fans resentful[2](https://dzieje.pl/ksiazki/legia-warszawa-1916-2016). The army connection did not shield its own officials: General Eugeniusz Luśniak, the club's president until the early 1950s, was forced into retirement in 1950, sentenced to 15 years for espionage, and died in Wronki prison in 1954[2](https://dzieje.pl/ksiazki/legia-warszawa-1916-2016). At a March 1982 match against Dynamo Tbilisi, fans on the Żyleta stand sang the national anthem and showed support for [Solidarity](https://www.edgepedia.org/solidarity) before 10,000 spectators and 15,000 militia and soldiers[2](https://dzieje.pl/ksiazki/legia-warszawa-1916-2016).
## Domestic record
Legia won its first two league titles in 1955 and 1956 and added consecutive championships in 1969 and 1970[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie). Its most productive spell came after 2012, with 7 titles between 2013 and 2021[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie). The club counts 16 championships including 1993, a title the PZPN revoked; without it the total is 15[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie). It also leads the all-time Ekstraklasa table, has finished second 13 times, and won the Ekstraklasa League Cup once, in 2001–02[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie).
## In European competition
Legia first entered European competition in 1957[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie). Its deepest runs are a European Cup semifinal in 1969–70 and a Cup Winners' Cup semifinal in 1990–91, with quarterfinals in the Cup Winners' Cup (1964–65 and 1981–82), the European Cup (1970–71), the Champions League (1995–96), and the Conference League (2024–25)[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie). The 1995–96 campaign made it the first Polish club to reach a Champions League group stage[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie).
**The 2016–17 group stage.** Legia returned to the group stage in 2016 and lost its opening match 6-0 to [Borussia Dortmund](https://www.edgepedia.org/borussia-dortmund)[4](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=2404394.html). Under Jacek Magiera, who replaced Besnik Hasi as coach, the team recovered to draw 3-3 with Real Madrid at home on November 2, 2016, coming from 2-0 down and leading 3-2 through Thibault Moulin until [Mateo Kovačić](https://www.edgepedia.org/mateo-kovacic) equalized[4](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=2404394.html). After an 8-4 defeat by Dortmund, a 1-0 win over Sporting, with a goal from Guilherme, lifted Legia above the Portuguese club into the Europa League[5](https://www.wexfordecho.ie/2016/12/07/champions-league-wrap-borussia-dortmund-clinch-top-spot-ahead-of-real-madrid/).
## Stadium
The football section has played at Łazienkowska 3 in central Warsaw almost from the start[1](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie). The first official match there was a 1-1 draw with CF Europa of Barcelona on August 9, 1930, and the ground took the name Stadion Wojska Polskiego (Polish [Army Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/army-stadium)) in 1933[3](https://legia.com/en/stadion). Floodlights were switched on for a European Cup match against AGF Aarhus on October 5, 1960[3](https://legia.com/en/stadion). Demolition of the old stands began in autumn 2008, after a last match against [Śląsk Wrocław](https://www.edgepedia.org/slask-wroc-aw) on November 14, 2008, and the rebuilt stadium opened in 2010 with Arsenal as the first visitors; it is owned by the city and leased to the club[3](https://legia.com/en/stadion).
**Supporters.** Organized fan support at Legia dates from the 1970s, and the club's best-known stand, the Żyleta ("razor blade"), took its name from a razor-blade advertisement on a board above the sector[2](https://dzieje.pl/ksiazki/legia-warszawa-1916-2016).
## References
1. [About the club, Legia Warszawa](https://legia.com/en/o-klubie)
2. [Legia Warszawa 1916-2016, Dzieje.pl (Polish Press Agency)](https://dzieje.pl/ksiazki/legia-warszawa-1916-2016)
3. [Stadium, Legia Warszawa](https://legia.com/en/stadion)
4. [Legia surprise Madrid in six-goal thriller, UEFA](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=2404394.html)
5. [Champions League wrap: Borussia Dortmund clinch top spot ahead of Real Madrid, Wexford Echo](https://www.wexfordecho.ie/2016/12/07/champions-league-wrap-borussia-dortmund-clinch-top-spot-ahead-of-real-madrid/)
6. [Piłka powstała z legionów, Mazowiecki Związek Piłki Nożnej](https://www.mzpn.pl/kronika/pilka-powstala-z-legionow/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › Teams and sporting organizations › Football clubs of continental Europe and Israel › Central and Eastern European clubs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license