2016–17 Ekstraklasa
The 2016–17 Ekstraklasa (also known as Lotto Ekstraklasa due to its sponsorship by Totalizator Sportowy, Polish lottery) was the 83rd season of the Ekstraklasa, the top Polish professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1927. The league is operated by the Ekstraklasa SA.
| Season | 2016–17 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 15 July 2016 – 4 June 2017 |
| Champions | Legia Warsaw (12th title) |
| Relegated | Górnik Łęczna Ruch Chorzów |
| Champions League | Legia Warsaw |
| Europa League | Arka Gdynia Jagiellonia Białystok Lech Poznań |
| Matches played | 296 |
| Goals scored | 812 (2.74 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Marco Paixão Marcin Robak (18 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Cracovia 6–0 Korona (2 October 2016) Śląsk 6–0 Ruch (13 May 2017) Legia 6–0 Termalica (14 May 2017) |
| Biggest away win | Ruch 0–5 Lech (4 November 2016) |
| Highest scoring | Pogoń 6–2 Wisła K. (19 November 2016) |
| Longest winning run | 5 matches Legia Warsaw Lech Poznań |
| Longest unbeaten run | 15 matches Legia Warsaw |
| Longest winless run | 11 matches Ruch Chorzów |
| Longest losing run | 7 matches Wisła Kraków |
| Highest attendance | 41,026 Lech 1–2 Legia (9 April 2017) |
| Lowest attendance | 0 Cracovia 1–1 Ruch (20 August 2016) Ruch 0–1 Nieciecza (16 September 2016) |
| Total attendance | 2,848,108 |
| Average attendance | 9,622 5.7% |
← 2015–16 2017–18 → | |
The season started on 15 July 2016, running to 4 June 2017. After the 20th matchday the league was on winter break between 20 December 2016 and 9 February 2017. The regular season was played in a round-robin tournament. A total of 16 teams participated, 14 of which competed in the league during the 2015–16 season, while the remaining two were promoted from the I liga. The fixtures were announced on 1 June 2016.
Each team played a total of 30 matches, half at home and half away. After 30th round (at the end of April 2017), league was split into two groups: championship round (top eight teams) and relegation round (bottom eight teams). Each team was play 7 more games (1-4 and 9-12 teams will play four times at home), starting with half the points achieved during the first phase of 30 matches. So, finally each team played a total of 37 matches. This is the fourth season to take place since the new playoff/playout rule has been introduced.
The defending champions were Legia Warsaw, who won their 11th Polish title the previous season.