The Polish Football League kicks off its 2026 season with a fresh competitive structure, featuring 13 teams—including the defending champion Warsaw Eagles and rivals like the Warsaw Mets, Wrocław Panthers, and Kraków Kings—all battling in a single-standings format designed to crown the most deserving champion through a grueling regular season and high-stakes playoffs.
New format, heightened competition
Gone are the traditional conferences—instead, teams are grouped into three tiers based on their 2025 performance: TOP6, MIDDLE5, and BOTTOM2. The TOP6—featuring powerhouses like the Eagles, Mets, Białystok Lowlanders, Silesia Rebels Katowice, Kings, and Panthers—will face each other multiple times, ensuring elite matchups throughout the season. Teams in the MIDDLE5 and BOTTOM2 will have opportunities to upset higher-ranked opponents, adding unpredictability and drama to the race for the top eight playoff spots.
Key regular season matchups
The season opens on March 21 with a heavyweight clash between the Wrocław Panthers and Warsaw Eagles. Other key matchups include the Lowlanders vs. Eagles on March 29, the crosstown Eagles–Mets rivalry on April 12, and a critical late-season meeting between the Kings and Lowlanders in June. Every game carries heightened importance in the single-standins system, where points are precious and no opponent can be overlooked.
Playoff picture and Polish Bowl XXI
The top eight teams advance to the knockout stage, with quarterfinals on July 4–5 hosted by higher seeds. Semifinals follow on July 11–12, setting the stage for Polish Bowl XXI on July 25. The playoff structure rewards consistency—earning a top seed means home-field advantage and a theoretically easier path, making every regular-season result critical.
Why this season matters
This revamped format ensures more meaningful games, reduces predictability, and gives rising teams like the Kąty Wrocławskie Jaguars, Tytanów Lublin, and Olsztyn Lakers a clearer path to contention. For traditional powers, the road to the title is tougher than ever—depth, durability, and focus will be tested across four months of competitive football.