Poland - I Liga

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The I liga is the men’s second division Polish league, sitting below the Ekstraklasa in the country’s football league system. The competition began way back in 1948 but was only renamed as I liga (the First League) in 2008 – it was previously known as II liga (the Second League).

The Polish second division has seen format changes over the years, though not drastic. A total of 18 teams compete in this league each season, with clubs fighting for the title and promotion to the first division all the while trying to avoid relegation.

In 2017/18 and several seasons before that, the bottom three teams would be relegated while the 15th-placed team (fourth from bottom) entered a playoff. This meant they would face off against the 4th place team from the II liga, the third division in Poland, with the winner booking their ticket in I liga for the next season. Additionally, the top two teams would get promoted to the Ekstraklasa while the first-placed side would be crowned champions.

In 2018/19, the Polish second division got rid of the qualification playoff, meaning the maximum amount of teams that could get relegated was changed from four to three. The following season saw the introduction of the promotion playoff, with the top two teams earning automatic tickets to the top flight while those that finish in third to six enter a playoff for the third promotion.