Fortis Bilard Kielce has become Polish Team Champion for the tenth time! During the 2026 Bilardowa Ekstraklasa Grand Final, held at the Grand Hotel Kielce, the hosts defeated the reigning national champions, GKS Katowice, twice. The bronze-medal match also ended in a huge and complete success for Kielce pool, as Fortis Bilard II Kielce – the youngest team in the league – defeated Strefa Łódź 12–11. It is one of the most important results in the history of pool in Kielce.
It is also worth highlighting the exceptional setting in which all of this took place. Unlike the regular-season rounds staged in shopping centres, the Grand Final was held at the Grand Hotel Kielce, where a dedicated arena was specially prepared for the event. Every match was played in front of packed stands, while the championship match exceeded the organisers’ expectations, with no seats left available. The venue was filled with fans, as well as representatives of the sporting, local government, business and media communities. Throughout the day, several hundred spectators from different parts of Poland watched the final competition live in Kielce.
Tenth Gold for Fortis Bilard Kielce
In the battle for the Polish Team Championship title, Fortis Bilard Kielce faced the defending champions, GKS Katowice. The first match was extremely close and ended with a 12–10 victory for the Kielce side. In the second match, Fortis confirmed its outstanding form with a dominant 12–4 win. The evening encounter was controlled by the hosts, who increased their advantage over GKS with every successive rack.
By winning the two-match final 2–0, Fortis avoided a shootout – the very format that had cost them the championship title in the previous season.
The gold medal for Kielce was won by Sebastian Batkowski, Mariusz Skoneczny, Jakub Chrobot and Karol Skowerski. The team manager is Marek Marcinkowski.
“First of all, congratulations to Fortis, because it was a really good match from their side. Very few mistakes and intelligent play. In the final session, both Mariusz Skoneczny and Sebastian Batkowski played brilliantly. They produced a fantastic display of pool. The result of the second match was surprising for us and quite unexpected, but clearly things did not go our way from the very beginning. We were unable to take advantage of the opportunities on the table. Add a little stress and the emotions of the occasion, and that certainly contributed to the way it ended for us,” said Dawid Sobiech, captain of GKS Katowice.
“Nevertheless, our team has now reached the final for the fifth consecutive year, so we have been very consistent and that is something to be proud of. I hope we will return to the top next season. Silver medals do not bring smiles straight away, because after all, we came here for gold. But after a few minutes and a few embraces with the guys, you realise that this medal weighs just as much and there is definitely joy. We are the Polish runners-up. It is motivation to come back and win another championship next season,” he added.
The silver medal for GKS Katowice was won by Wojciech Szewczyk, Daniel Macioł, Sambor Stachowiak, Jerzy Regieli and Dominik Jastrząb. Dawid Sobiech is the team captain.
Mariusz Skoneczny of Fortis Bilard Kielce was named MVP of the final.
“For the club, this is the tenth title, while for me personally it is the first one, and I am extremely happy that we achieved it. I remember last year and the fact that the gold medal literally slipped out of our hands. This time, we did not allow that to happen. Personally, I did everything I could to make sure the trophy stayed in Kielce,” he said.
“La Décima” has historic significance for Kielce and further underlines the city’s position on the Polish pool map. But the historic nature of this event was also highlighted by the players of Fortis Bilard II Kielce.
The youngest team in the Bilardowa Ekstraklasa defeated Strefa Łódź 12–11 in the bronze-medal match. The Łódź side recovered from a significant deficit in the final stage and produced a dramatic finish, but the young Kielce team handled the pressure and secured the bronze medal.
As a result, two teams from Kielce finished in the top three of the Polish Team Championship.
The bronze medal was won by Jakub Hajduk, Adam Pałczyński, Michał Wiech, Szymon Bruśnicki and Bartosz Rozwadowski.
Another major distinction for the hosts was the title of 2026 Bilardowa Ekstraklasa MVP, awarded to Jakub Chrobot, this year’s Junior World Champion. The young Fortis player once again confirmed that he is one of the biggest talents in Polish pool.
A Final Watched Across Poland and Around the World
The Grand Final was not only an event of exceptional sporting importance, but also received a specially prepared organisational and media setting. Live coverage from the Grand Hotel Kielce was provided by TVSPORTS.PL, while the event could also be followed via TVP3 Kielce and TVP3 Katowice.
Thanks to online broadcasting, the final also reached audiences outside Poland. Throughout the day, Kielce was presented as the host city of one of the most important pool events in the country, while congratulations following the event came from representatives of pool federations and organisations from across Europe and other parts of the world.
“This is a tangible result of many years of work devoted to building a strong pool community in Kielce. The Grand Final combined a high sporting level, professional organisation and the promotion of both the City of Kielce and the Świętokrzyskie region,” said Grzegorz Kędzierski, President of the Polish Billiards Association, which was responsible for organising the final.
“I am convinced that we organised one of the best pool events in the world. The word ‘Ekstraklasa’ probably sums up this year’s competition best. We had players here who today belong not only to the national or European elite, but also to the world’s top level. Fans were able to watch them live at the tables.
Practically everything came together perfectly: the guests, the fans, the fantastic atmosphere and the drama of the matches – particularly the bronze-medal match. There was also a surprise in the final, especially in terms of the advantage Fortis Bilard Kielce managed to build in the decisive match before ultimately claiming the Polish championship title.
It was the true essence of sport and a great spectacle. Players from all the teams gave us reasons to be proud – both those competing for medals, those finishing in the middle of the table and those who will leave the league after this season.
I hope, together with the entire pool community, that the sporting level will continue to develop at this pace. After what we managed to organise this year, next year’s Bilardowa Ekstraklasa hosts will certainly have the bar set very high,” added the President of the Polish Billiards Association.
The final arena featured players with World and European Championship titles to their names, as well as winners of some of the biggest international tournaments. Fans were able to watch, among others, two-time World Champion Wojciech Szewczyk, Daniel Macioł, Karol Skowerski, Mariusz Skoneczny, Sebastian Batkowski and some of the rising stars of international pool.
The Bilardowa Ekstraklasa is organised by the Polish Billiards Association. A total of 78 teams compete across the four levels of the Polish Billiards League.
Partners: ML Bilard, Mezz Cues, Aramith, Iwan Simonis, Clash Steel, RS Active, Galeria Silesia City Center in Katowice, City of Katowice, GKS Katowice, JJ Energy Group, OBI, SportKlub, Ministry of Sport and Tourism, Galeria Echo Kielce, Galeria Łódzka, Strefa Łódź, Kieleckie Centrum Bilarda, Marshal’s Office of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, City of Kielce, EXPO Kielce.
Media partners: AzBilliards (USA), Pro9 (Great Britain), Alison CHANG (Taiwan), 77.billiards (Philippines), Wiadomosci-Lodz.pl, Podlaski Sport, tcz.pl, WKatowicach.eu, Echo Dnia, Radio Kielce, TVP3 Kielce, Radio FAMA, Eska2, Telewizja Tetka, Telewizja Świętokrzyska, Radio eM Kielce, Radio Rekord, wKielcach, CKsport.pl, On Cue Podcast bilardowy, LoveKrakow.pl, Radio Tczew, Gazeta Tczewska, Tczewska.pl, TVP3 Katowice.