Central Youth League (Poland) 2026/27

Central Youth League is the highest-level national youth football competition in Poland. Organized directly by the Polish Football Association (PZPN), it sits above regional leagues (Okręgowe Związki Piłki Nożnej). The league was founded in 2013 for the 2013/2014 season, replacing the previous top-tier youth competition, Młoda Ekstraklasa. This change marked a return of top-tier youth football organization to the PZPN and shifted the focus to younger age groups.

The league operates in multiple age categories, primarily U-19, U-17, and U-15. From 2013 to 2018, the U-19 division consisted of 32 teams split into two regional groups. In the 2018/2019 season, a major reform reduced the number of teams to 16 and merged them into a single national group. Currently, the U-19 division comprises 16 teams playing a double round-robin format. The champion is determined by the final league table.

Promotion and relegation connect the CLJ to the lower-tier Makroregionalna Liga Juniorów. Typically, the bottom four teams in the CLJ U-19 are relegated to the Macro-Regional League, while winners from those regional leagues are promoted to replace them. The winner of the CLJ U-19 qualifies for the UEFA Youth League, the European equivalent for youth teams.

Legia Warszawa is the most successful club in the history of the CLJ. They won three consecutive titles in the early years and have dominated the modern era, winning the title in 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25. Other notable winners include Wisła Kraków, Lech Poznań, Korona Kielce, Pogoń Szczecin, and Zagłębie Lubin. The league is distinct from senior competitions like the Ekstraklasa as it is exclusively for youth development, with the PZPN retaining direct control over regulations and organization.