The Billiards Ekstraklasa season officially commenced this past weekend at Galeria Echo in Kielce, bringing high-stakes professional pool back to the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. From Friday to Sunday, the venue hosted twelve matches as the top teams in Poland began their campaign for the Polish Team Championship title.
Opening Round Highlights
The season opened with a match between the league newcomers and the 2025 gold medalists, GKS Katowice. Katowice secured a 12:8 victory over TCF HUB – Retro Team Kraków to start their title defense.
In other opening matches, Strefa Łódź delivered a commanding 12:5 performance against Akademia Bilardowa Rokietnica, who were playing without Radosław Babica. Despite a valiant effort in the third session from Rokietnica’s Adam Stankiewicz and Arkadiusz Brzękowski, they were unable to overcome the experienced duo of Mateusz Śniegocki and Tomasz Kapłan. Meanwhile, last season’s runners-up, Fortis Bilard Kielce, narrowly won their opening club derby against their second team, Fortis Bilard II Kielce, with a score of 12:10.
Key Confrontations
The second round featured a rematch of last season’s Final4 semifinal between Fortis Kielce and Strefa Łódź. The match was closely contested, but Kielce’s doubles pairs remained dominant, winning all three sessions 4:3 to secure a 12:9 victory.
The final day of the session was headlined by a clash between GKS Katowice and Strefa Łódź. While Łódź took an early 4:2 lead, Katowice responded by fielding their premier duo of Wojciech Szewczyk and Daniel Macioł. The pair took control of the match and held on to secure a 12:10 win.
Full League Standings
Following the conclusion of the first session, the league table reflects the early performance of all nine competing clubs. GKS Katowice and Fortis Billiard Kielce remain the only undefeated teams.
| Pos. | Club | M | W | L | Pts | Frames | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GKS Katowice | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 36 : 24 | +12 |
| 2 | Fortis Billiard Kielce | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 36 : 25 | +11 |
| 3 | BS w Sokółce – Piotrowski Żuraw Białystok | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 30 : 25 | +5 |
| 4 | Strefa Łódź (Lodz Zone) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 31 : 29 | +2 |
| 5 | TCF HUB – Retro Team Kraków | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 25 : 29 | -4 |
| 6 | Europool Arkadia Tczew | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 18 : 17 | +1 |
| 7 | Auta.ch – 147 Break Warszawa | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 16 : 18 | -2 |
| 8 | Fortis Billiards II Kielce | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 21 : 36 | -15 |
| 9 | Rokietnica Billiard Academy | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 : 24 | -10 |
Currently, Fortis II and Rokietnica find themselves in the relegation zone, though Rokietnica has played one fewer match. The next session of the Billiards Ekstraklasa will be held in Łódź.
Event Partners
The event is organized by the Polish Billiard Association (PZBil). Official sponsors include ML Bilard, Mezz Cues, Aramith, Iwan Simonis, Clash Steel, RS Active, and Galeria Echo Kielce. Media patronage is provided by a variety of international and local outlets, including AzBilliards, Pro9, Alison CHANG, and TVP3 Kielce.
Photos by: Maciej Urban / Polish Billiard Association