Piast Gliwice

Piast Gliwice, the surprise Ekstraklasa champion of 2018–19, plays at Stadion Piasta Gliwice in Gliwice, an industrial city in Upper Silesia close to Katowice and the Czech border. The stadium has a capacity of approximately 10,037 spectators and has been the home ground for the club throughout their remarkable rise from Poland's lower divisions to the pinnacle of domestic football. Gliwice is a city with a complex twentieth-century history — it was German until 1945 (known as Gleiwitz), site of the infamous staged "Gleiwitz incident" that served as Hitler's pretext for invading Poland — and the stadium sits in a city that has worked to build a new identity in the post-war era.

Piast Gliwice's Ekstraklasa championship in 2019 was one of the most surprising title victories in the league's history, with a relatively modestly resourced club defeating far wealthier competition to lift the trophy. The Gliwice stadium was the scene of tremendous celebrations when the title was confirmed, with the city experiencing a moment of sporting joy that transcended its usual position in the shadow of the Silesian Metropolis's larger football clubs. The title win brought European football to the Piast stadium for the first time, with UEFA Champions League qualifying matches generating enormous local excitement.

The Piast stadium's relatively modest capacity means that sell-out crowds for big matches create an intense, intimate atmosphere. The club's achievements have generated increased interest in developing the facility further, and discussions about stadium improvements have been ongoing since the title win. Piast Gliwice represent an important element of Upper Silesian football's diverse tapestry, alongside more prominent clubs like Górnik Zabrze and Ruch Chorzów. Their consistent Ekstraklasa presence and the memories of their championship triumph make the Gliwice stadium a venue with genuine significance in the contemporary history of Polish football.