“Mistrzem Polski jest Legia. Legia najlepsza jest” – Legia Warszawa fans.
Mieszka W Polsce: Living in Poland – How to Buy a Legia Warszawa Match ticket
As a long term football geek, veteran of over 500 live matches and a football writer, I love going to watch football in Poland. Don’t believe the myths and rumours that foreigners don’t go to football matches in Poland. We do and we love it. I’m not Polish and I love the football culture here – it’s one of the top 5 football cultures I’ve ever seen (yes, Uruguay, England, Northern Ireland and Brazil are predictably the other four). OK so I lived in four of those countries, was born in one of them, live in one of them currently and backpacked Brazil 5 times, but it still rings true. I’m a sentimental type of guy. My first proper away trip with Northern Ireland was at Legia Warszawa’s stadium. Oh 2005 the memories. Here’s my quick guide on How to Buy a Legia Warszawa Match ticket, as part of my ongoing Mieszka W Polsce: Living in Poland series.
Northern Irishman in Poland. 2005. On route to Legia.
Firstly you should know – it’s easy to go to a Legia Warszawa Match in Poland, and in fact to watch matches of any other team. I have been to around 50 matches in Poland now at over 18 different stadiums including Legia Warszawa, Lechia Gdańsk, Klub Piłkarski Starogard Gdański, Kartofliska and Bruk Bet Termalica Nieciecza.
“Is this the way to Legia Warsaw? Every night I’ve been eating my coleslaw” – Marc Vanucci and I having a laugh in 2005.
The Football Stadium in Nieciecza – Bruk Bet Termalica
Yes it is true that Poland has had problems with football hooligans, hardcore, ultras etc. down the years. But it’s the same as many other countries in this regard. Blend in with the crowd and attend matches as one of the locals and you will love it. Know the colours and the sides you are supporting and you’ll be fine. Football is the people’s game and far and away the number one sport in Poland.
So here is the easy way to Buy a Legia Warszawa Match ticket as a foreigner
1.Go the Legia Warszawa Stadion
Seems obvious right but yes – do it. Foreigners wanting a match ticket cannot buy them online officially (yes websites like Viagogo may have them but not officially) unless they have a PESEL (a national identification number used in Poland). You need to visit the stadium itself. It’s a great stadium which has been recently been renovated so that it is now all seater and holds a whoppaday 29,000 fans.
At the Kazik Deyna statue by the Legia Stadion.
On my first visit to the stadium in 2005 it was so different to how it looks today, three of the sides didn’t have rooves back then.
My view of the Legia Warszawa stadium on my first visit in 2005 – Poland 1-0 Northern Ireland
My view of the Legia Warszawa stadium on my first visit in 2005 – Poland 1-0 Northern Ireland
We were in the away section, supporting Northern Ireland that night, a standing section. It is now a state of the art all seater stadium with rooves and is used for Legia Warszawa matches. The Poland national team no longer play there. They now play at the National Stadium (Stadion Narodowy) or in Chorzow, Gdańsk or Wrocław. Getting to the stadium is easy and should be done by bus. The Warsaw metro and trams don’t go that close to the Legia Stadion so you need to get the bus or walk. There are quite a few buses that go nearby.
Legia Stadion is at 3 Łazienkowska Street in the lower Śródmieście part of Warsaw. These are some of the buses that go there, my favourites being the 162 or the 520:
107, 108, 138, 141, 143, 159, 162, 171, 182, 185, 187, 188, 502, 520.
The bus stops you should get off the bus are Legia Stadion (very close), Rozbrat (3 minute walk) or Torwar (3 minute walk). The Stadium has many names, such as Legia Stadion, Legia Stadium, Łazienkowska 3, Polish Army Stadium, Pepsi Arena, Marshal Józef Piłsudski Legia Warsaw Municipal Stadium etc.
How to get a Legia Warsaw ticket – stadium location
2.Go to the ticket booth
Once you’re at the stadium you will need to find the ticket booth. It’s on the main road, Łazienkowska between the Żyleta (Razor/ hardcore) fans stand and the west stand. It’s easy to find.
The ticket booth
The ticket booth has both outdoor windows and a small indoor section for buying tickets. Sometimes they are all open, sometimes. The opening hours are:
Monday to Friday: 11 AM – 7 PM
Saturday: 10 AM – 5 PM
Sunday: 11 AM – 3 PM
Pre-match day: 8 AM – 9 PM
Matchday: from 8 AM
(on special holidays and at certain times it will be closed completely, summer hours also vary when the football season ends).
3.Buy the ticket
There are two options for buying the ticket – firstly you can fill in a form to get a Legia fans ID card (use this option if you plan to go more than once) or secondly you can just buy a one-off match ticket and not register for the card. If getting the Legia fans card, you should be living in Poland (and have a Polish address and phone number) so I have a card and I will write separately about how to get the Legia Warszawa fans ID card. For that, there are forms to be filled in. They are all in Polish. Bring a dictionary or a translator.
However, as a foreigner, you don’t need a Fan’s ID Card (Karta Kibica) to purchase a ticket for Legia home matches. While buying a ticket in the box office at the stadium for the first time you will be asked to show an ID with your photograph, (preferably your passport, but driving licences are also accepted). Your personal data will be then uploaded to the Legia Warszawa system (by law of the Polish FA your data needs to be on there) and while buying tickets next time, all you will need to do is give the cashier your name and surname.
You can pay in cash (Polish złotych) or on card. Ticket prices vary depending on the match and where you choose to sit. I normally sit in section 202, 201 or 200, I recommend Trybuna Wschodnia or Trybuna Zachodnia (both stands I have sat in). Right beside the hardcore and a great place to get a mix of atmosphere and view. Sections 108 and 107 (and all to the right green section below) are the Zyleta hardcore. D1 corner is the away end – you will be denied entry or even buying a ticket for that section – it should be arranged through the club playing against Legia.
After the purchase, you will get a printed ticket with your seat number, row, stand etc.. This will be checked by the security officer at the entrance together with your ID (so bring the same ID you used to buy the ticket). According to the Polish FA law, no one can enter the stadium anonymously. The barcode section will be scanned on entrance and your bags and body will be searched for weapons, alcohol etc.
My ticket for the Legia Warszawa v. Ruch Chorzow match
The back of the ticket
It’s a very easy process to buy the ticket, and if you have any questions, please contact the Legia Fans email at [email protected]. Now you have your ticket, go to the match!! As a tip make some local friends, get to know Legia fans and learn the players names and songs.
Watching Legia Warszawa
Watching Legia Warsaw live
Legia.
Legia Warszawa lost 3-1 to Ruch Chorzow on my debut…2017
Watching Legia Warszawa dick Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza 6-0 in the Deyna Arena
Tylko Legia
Watching Legia Warszawa in 2017
Half time pizza and tea at Legia
Watching Legia Warszawa in 2017
Watching Legia Warszawa in 2017
Watching Legia Warszawa in 2017
Watching Legia Warszawa in 2017
Watching Legia Warszawa in 2017
Legia Warszawa Bar
Legia Warszawa Shop
Legia Warszawa Zyleta
Legia Warszawa Bar
Here are some videos of my time watching Legia Warszawa:
Good afternoon the writer,
My name is Fumito, a football fun who travels around Europe to feel football culture in every country.
My next destination is Warsaw and I have a question to you.
Do all people who enter a match have to be at the ticket office when buying tickets?
I am planning to watch Legia Warsaw vs KS Cracovia on 1st Mar 2020 with one of my friend.
I would like to visit the stadium alone in the morning and buy two tickets for the match, because he is coming in the evening.
If we have to visit the ticket office together, we will visit there just before kick off, but should there be any tickets left? It seems it’s a big match.
Thank you for your kind help.
Best regards,
Fumito
Hi Fumito,
Unless you choose a truly popular match when Legia are playing well, you be able to get a ticket easily. However NOT for big European matches or for the last 2 home matches of the season (which usually sell out as Legia has been in with a title chance last lot of seasons). The person buying the ticket should be there with their passport and ID yes so try and do that. I will personally be at the Legia v Cracovia match so can also arrange to meet you before it. Send me an email or find me on Facebook and we can arrange it – https://www.facebook.com/jonnyscottblair Best wishes. Jonny
Hi Jonny, I am also planning to come to the Legia v Cracovia game on 1st of March, I have sent you an email.
Would be great to meet you
Kind Regards,
Ben McNicol
Hi Ben,
Thanks for the comment and apologies for the late reply – just checking comments today, I will check for the email also – hope you got sorted okay. That was a good match to go to – top of the table clash!
Regards,
Jonny
Hi Johnny,
Great read, as a fellow football fan I found this really interesting. My mate and I are visiting on the weekend of the 22nd Feb and Legia are playing Jagiellonia at home. Having read your blog and about the tickets, I now know how to get a ticket (or I hope I do). However, I’m just wondering if you think we’ll be able to get a ticket for this game or if it’ll be full stadium?
Marc
Hi Marc, Thanks for the comment. I go all the time to watch Legia Warszaw. That match is VERY unlikely to be sold out. Even though legia are top, the only matches that sell out are end of season, big derbies or Champions league matches (we haven’t seen that tournament here since 2016). I would go to the ticket office the day before the match though. Matchday will be busy and queues, plus easier to explain in English or broken English on the quieter day. Ticket Office usually open 9 am – 5 pm. I won’t be at this one for a change, but good luck! Jonny
Hi Jonny, that’s perfect mate cheers. We won’t be able to go on the Friday though as our flight gets in around 7pm I think. Would you still recommend going along early morning Saturday when the ticket office opens to get a ticket?
As for before the game, would you recommend any places near the stadium for a pint or two to soak in the pre-match atmosphere?
Cheers!
Hi Marc,
Thanks for the comment and apologies for the late reply – just checking comments today. Early morning Saturday is best as before the matches there are queues. As for pre match beers, myself and my Polish friends go to either Zrodelko (cheap and walkable), the Legia Stadium Bar (at the ground but BUSY and takes ages to get a beer), Chmielarnia (dear, busable and with good craft beer), Latawiec (a little hispter joint, busable), Przyescie (a very cool bar, walkable but dear – 16 zlotych a beer – ouch!) or Cafe Rock and Roll (a good busable option by Metro Politecknika). Enjoy the match, Legia Warszawa are top now! Jonny
Hi Jonny, Appreciate all the information on this post. I travel to Warsaw this weekend and I am going to go to the Warsaw v Cracovia game, cant wait !!
Hi Liam,
Thanks for the comment and apologies for the late reply – just checking comments today, hope you got sorted okay. That was a good match to go to – top of the table clash!
Regards,
Jonny
Hi Jonny, I went to a Legia game in 2018 against Korona Kielce in November and it was about -7*. Luckily Legia won 4-0. Strangely they played the a year on around the same date in November 2019 and the same score 4-0. Anyway I am wanting to know how you go about purchasing an away ticket for Legia games? I am looking at the Wisla game coming up soon. Or maybe a game next year as flights to Gdansk are relitevely cheap, however being a Legia fan, I wouldn’t like to sit in the home end, with Legia as the away team. I suspect you might have to buy a fan I.D.? If so, is the only way to purchase one of these from the stadium? or can it be done online?
Regards,
John
Hi John,
Thanks for the comment and apologies for the late reply – just checking comments today, I was at those two matches also and we had a 1-1 draw with them too. As a foreigner/tourist/immigrant you don’t need a Fan ID – just bring your passport and say you are a tourist for one match and you support Legia for that match. If you want to attend multiple matches, it is worth the money to buy the fan ID.
Regards,
Jonny
Ah ok then, i’ll give that a try, if I got to the Krakow away match.
Thanks,
John
Hello Jonny
I’m visiting Poland for a week in November 2020 and will arrive in Warsaw at lunchtime on Saturday 7 November.
I see that the Polish league is allowing a few spectators into stadiums (25% was one figure I read about).
On 7 Nov, I see that Legia play Lech Poznan, though I imagine that, based on the sale of only 25% of tickets, it will be very difficult to get a ticket on the day, unless you have a ‘fan card’ or a season ticket.
However, do you think it will be worth me heading to the stadium to try and get a ticket? If so, what’s the best way to get there from the Ibis Hotel in the Old Town?
Thanks
Steve
Hi Steve, you didn’t mention your nationality here but I assume you are not Polish and don’t have a Polish passport / ID card? In which case, it will be very difficult to visit Poland. I am also not Polish but I live in Poland and had to postpone 2 trips this year outside the country due to the virus. If you can check with your Embassy of your country, it will be easier. Right now, most countries will need to quarantine themselves for 14 days. Of course this could change in November.
However, if you have Polish passport and live here (or even in Ukraine which has less issues on the border at present) then it will be EASY to get a ticket for that match. That match has 50% of tickets available and is unlikely to sell out since post COVID beginning, no match has had over 13,000 spectators in Poland yet.
Check in closer to the time, or consider rebooking until next year.
There are 5 Ibis Hotels in Warsaw, one of them is right next to the Old Town, one is near Nowolipki, one is actually right next to Legia warszawa stadium!!
Good luck whatever happens!
Jonny
Hi Steve, I still didn’t see your nationality mentioned? If you are Polish, it will be no issue coming to Poland at that time, but the matches are all without supporters at present, so I imagine on Saturday 7th November it will also be without supporters. Warszawa is red zone now and this is unlikely to change in the next 2-3 weeks. If you are not Polish, please check with authorities on whether you can still travel to Poland or not. If it was me, I would skip that trip unless it is essential. I just cancelled a trip back to Northern Ireland for COVID-19 reasons. Stay safe. Jonny
hello Jonny,
I am planning on coming to Warsaw in April and ill be there for the Lech Poznan game, do you think ill be able to get tickets to see the game If I buy the tickets the day before or the day of the game?
also this website has been very helpful in trying to sort tickets etc so thank you.
Hi Matthew,
Thanks for the comment. That really depends on how the teams are playing. Last time Legia Warszawa sold 27,000 out of 28,000 tickets. Lech Poznan is a big rivalry and a big home match for Legia Warszawa. I was say that if both teams are playing well, getting a ticket on matchday would be very difficult, and best case scenario, you’d have to queue. The day before is also risky. I’d try to buy them in advance but not from a tout, from the club directly. Your name and email address don’t sound Polish, so if you are not Polish you will need to go to the stadium yourself and buy the tickets with your ID. It’s an easy enough process. If you have Polish ID, I’d say emailing the club, they might be able to make you a member online somehow so you can buy an online ticket. But overall, it’s far too early to know about a match in April. The match might even be postponed if Lech Poznan make it far in Europe, or if both teams have extra cup fixtures. If I were you, I wouldn’t book anything in advance of that as it’s too far away. Even this week, some countries have cancelled football matches in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, and earlier in 2022 Ukrainian leagues were cancelled after Russia invaded. But hopefully it will go ahead! Best wishes. Jonny
That’s great thank you very much for your help
Thanks Matthew – good luck. Currently I’d say that will sell out so get in quick or tout it on matchday. Safe travels. Jonny
Hey Jonny,
Just stumbled across this page as I too am hoping to head over for the Lech Poznan game in April. Some great info.
I’m happy to pay over face value for a ticket, are there usually loads of touts or would it be too risky to rely on that ?
I do work with a Polish guy (I’m based in Scotland), would he be able to arrange a ticket for me ? Or are all the tickets hoovered up by season ticket holders ?
Up The Glens !
Hi Kris, I have just seen this – for some reason WordPress doesn’t tell me when new messages/comments appear. Which match exactly do you mean? The reason I ask is that there are cup and league matches and also Lech Poznan are in Europe, and also the matches in the fixtures are not confirmed until Television channels choose their match. Is it a Legia Warszawa v Lech Poznan match? Or just any Lech Poznan match? Any Lech Poznan match – pick one with a less supported away club and it’s easy. If it is Legia Warszawa v Lech Poznan, it will sell out currently as those two teams are in the top three. If they fall away and are both in the cups, there is a chance it won’t sell out. Also if Lech Poznan go further in Europe, the dates can be changed. Once you know the exact dates etc. then maybe post on the Lech Poznan groups on Facebook with Polish language and they can help you with tickets for most matches. However if it’s a match Legia Warszawa v Lech Poznan, I’d recommend going into the home end instead – firstly more seats and secondly safer but if you really want Lech Poznan end, it could be tough, or even harder to stay quiet in the home end. Write to me nearer the time on my Facebook page and I can help better – April is too far away. Also touts are an easy option but dear and a Polish friend in Scotland is not likely to be of help – a Scottish friend in Poland would be more helpful!! If you’re in Poland as a tourist – you’ll need a passport and address (use a hotel/friend’s flat) to buy the ticket. Safe travels. Jonny
Hello! I want to visit the match against Ordabasy. Is it possible to buy tickets the way you discribe it? Because its A European match, and I can’t find any tickets online for European matches.
Yes – go to the stadium with your ID card, passport and cash/card and you should be able to buy tickets if it doesn’t sell out. Enjoy! Jonny