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There will be an unexpected quarter-finalist in the Polish Cup, as clubs from lower leagues, including Polonia Środa Wielkopolska and Siarka Tarnobrzeg, which eliminated Ekstraklasa teams, were drawn in the pairs for the Round of 16. #PucharPolski #Ekstraklasa #SiarkaTarnobrzeg (translated)

The favorites were eliminated from the Polish Cup, and Avia Świdnik advanced to the Round of 16 after a dramatic match against Radomiak Radom, which was decided in extra time due to a controversial referee decision regarding a penalty kick. #PucharPolski #AviaŚwidnik #kontrowersje (translated)

In this year's edition of the Polish Cup, 13 teams from the top league have surprisingly been eliminated, including the most titled Legia Warsaw and the Polish champion Lech Poznań, which lost to the third-division Siarka Tarnobrzeg. #PucharPolski #SiarkaTarnobrzeg #LechPoznań (translated)

Radomiak Radom was eliminated from the Polish Cup after a controversial loss of 1:2 to Avia Świdnik, which was decided by penalties, and the club expressed outrage at the referees' decision, emphasizing the lack of contact in the key situation. #PucharPolski #Radomiak #sędziowanie (translated)

Jarosław Królewski opposed the introduction of seeding in the Polish Cup. He compared the competition to an Olympic sprinter's start, who has only one attempt after years of preparation, and argued that in sports the outcome should be determined by who proves to be the best at the crucial moment. Królewski pointed out that an open draw, where anyone can face anyone, is part of the cup's identity, and seeding would protect the favorites from the outset. He noted that five teams competing in European cups begin their competition from the round of 16. Despite this relief, Lech, the Polish champion, lost in this round 0:1 to the third-division Siarka, and Legia was eliminated after a 0:3 loss to Motor. According to Królewski, the reason was poor performance, not the draw. He also recalled that in December 2025, Wisła, the leader of the first league, lost in the round of 16 1:4 to the third-division Zawisza Bydgoszcz. He wrote that the club did not blame the draw or the format at that time, but itself. As an example of another solution, he mentioned the FA Cup, where — as he pointed out — there is no seeding, and the host is determined by the order of the draw regardless of the league. Królewski assessed that a single defeat of a favorite by a lower-ranked team does not prove that the outcome depended on luck. Assuming an 80% chance of the favorite winning, such a team would have, according to his example calculations, a 20% chance of losing. On the other hand, the probability that a lower league team would defeat three Ekstraklasa teams in a row solely due to luck would be 0.2³, which is 0.8% — less than 1 in 100. As evidence of the sporting value of the cup, he cited Wisła Kraków, which as a first-league team won the competition in 2024 after defeating Widzew, Piast, and Pogoń in the final. According to Królewski, Wisła was better in each of those matches, and later achieved results in Europe that Ekstraklasa clubs sometimes could not attain for many years. Królewski also stated that the UEFA coefficient depends on the strength of the clubs, not the format of the domestic cup, so protecting favorites will not strengthen them in European competitions. He added that upsets, such as the match between Siarka and Lech, attract more excitement, media attention, and fans than predictable matches involving top teams. He believed that seeding would serve budgets and predictability at the expense of sporting competition, and protecting the stronger teams from risk would limit the chances of weaker ones on their best day. #PucharPolski #sport #piłka_nożna (translated)

This year's Polish Cup surprises with its results, as ten teams from the Ekstraklasa, including Legia Warsaw and Wisła Kraków, have been eliminated from the competition, and a surprise was the defeat of GKS Katowice by the second league team Górnik Łęczna. #PucharPolski #Futbol #SensacjeSportowe (translated)