FC Petrà ¾alka is a Slovak football club based in Bratislava. The club was founded in 1898 and it was promoted twice to the top flight 1. liga in the Czechoslovakia during the 1980s (for the 1981âÂÂ82 season and 1984âÂÂ85 season) and spent another 14 consecutive seasons in the Slovak first league from 1996âÂÂ97 to 2009âÂÂ10. The biggest international success of Petrà ¾alka was participation in the group stage of the 2005âÂÂ06 UEFA Champions League and Round of 32 of the 2005âÂÂ06 UEFA Cup. Several years later, after losing its owner, a different company took over the piece of land under the club's old home ground à  tadión Petrà ¾alka for commercial building and the stadium was demolished.
The football club founded in 1898, from the previous sport club Pozsonyi Torna Egyesület which was grounded in 1880, initially played in the regional Hungarian league. The club has been known by 17 names in its history, including Artmedia Bratislava (after their advertising agency sponsors). Artmedia played in the top flight Slovak league from its inception in 1993 until 2010. The club achieved its biggest success in the mid-2000s (decade), while playing under the coach VladimÃÂr Weiss. The club won the Corgoà  Liga title in 2005 and later qualified for the group stage of the Champions League, where it achieved the biggest success of all the Slovak clubs. Later, in 2008 the club won the double, but during the next season most of the squad left the club.
The club plays its home matches at its own new stadium with a capacity of 1600. The team wears white and black striped shirts.
In 2025, the club expressed interest in building a new stadium.
They famously reached the lucrative group stage of the UEFA Champions League in 2005âÂÂ06 after wins over Kairat Almaty, Celtic and Partizan Belgrade. They beat Almaty 4âÂÂ3 on aggregate in the 1st qualifying round despite a 2âÂÂ0 defeat in the first leg since they won second leg by 4âÂÂ1. However it was on 27 July 2005 that they made their mark on the tournament, producing one of the shock results of Champions League history as they beat 2003 UEFA Cup finalists and 1967 European Cup winners Celtic 5âÂÂ0 in the first leg of their Champions League 2nd qualifying round match. The stunned Celtic side could not quite recover, only managing to win the return leg 4âÂÂ0, and Artmedia held on to progress in the tournament. On 23 August 2005 they clinched a place in the group stages after overcoming Serbian club Partizan Belgrade 4âÂÂ3 on penalties after a 0âÂÂ0 aggregate scoreline thus becoming the second Slovak club after 1. FC Koà ¡ice in 1997âÂÂ98 to reach the coveted Champions League proper. Their success was even more remarkable considering Artmedia's entire annual budget is just over ã1m.
Artmedia also made history by becoming one of the first two clubs ever to advance from the first qualifying round into the Champions League group stage. The other club to do so was 2004âÂÂ05 winners Liverpool, who were given a special entry into the first qualifying round of the 2005âÂÂ06 event, and joined Artmedia in the group stage.
Artmedia played their Champions League fixtures at the Tehelné pole ground of crosstown rivals Slovan Bratislava because their own ground does not meet UEFA standards for Champions League play.
On 28 September 2005, Artmedia made history once again by becoming the first Slovak side to collect a point in the Champions League group stage (in the eighth attempt by a Slovak side to do so). In another famous upset, they came back from a 2âÂÂ0 first-half deficit to defeat 2004 Champions League winners Porto 3âÂÂ2 at Porto's home ground.
Eventually, they finished third in the group, parachuting them into the UEFA Cup, but not before missing a late chance to score a goal in the return fixture against Porto that would have sent them to the round of 16 at Rangers' expense.
In December 2005 the goalkeeper Juraj ÃÂobej underwent a complicated brain surgery attempting to remove a malign tumor. Fortunately, he has fully recovered and has already stood a firm ground in goal during the first rounds of the 2006âÂÂ07 season.
Artmedia lost the home leg of their UEFA Cup round of 32 tie with Levski Sofia 1âÂÂ0 and were knocked out of the tournament after an away defeat of 2âÂÂ0.
After the successful season the coach VladimÃÂr Weiss left to join FC Saturn Ramenskoe. Several players left the club, among others Ján ÃÂurica to FC Saturn Ramenskoe, Balázs Borbély to 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Blaà ¾ej Vaà ¡ÃÂák to Treviso FBC.
The club reassigned VladimÃÂr Weiss as head coach for the 2007âÂÂ08 season. Some of the players came back, the club's captain Ján Kozák returned from a loan at WBA, Aleà ¡ Urbánek, Branislav Fodrek and Branislav Obà ¾era returned, and the new faces in the club, among others, included Czech fullback Radek Dosoudil, Brazilian midfielder Cléber and Czech striker ZbynÃÂk PospÃÂch.
The club went on to win the title in the Slovak league for the second time, beating rivals Mà  K à ½ilina in the important matches and in the final table as well. Before the new season the club owner Ivan KmotrÃÂk and the main sponsor left the club, which left later impact on the team. During the 2008âÂÂ09 UEFA Champions League qualification round Artmedia won over Valletta F.C. and Tampere United, but lost to Juventus, with which the club suffered 0âÂÂ4 loss in the first leg and later only drew 1âÂÂ1. During the next stages several players left the club (4 of them to local rivals à  K Slovan Bratislava).
Prior to the 2009âÂÂ10 season a huge number of players left the club, most of them were replaced by youngsters and players from the Inter Bratislava.
After a decent first half of the season, where MFK Petrzalka played in the region of sixth place, the team fell apart in the second half of the season, and eventually the club were relegated at the end of the season.
During the summer of 2014 was in Petrà ¾alka found the successor of the traditional club â team FC Petrà ¾alka akadémia. This club applied for the 5th division (5. liga) and in its premiere season 2014âÂÂ15 has won the competition. Due to the reorganisation of divisions in Slovak football did't get the promotion at that year. Season 2015âÂÂ16 Petrà ¾alka started 5th division horrible â in 6 games they suffered 4 losses got only 6 points. But after noticeable serie without loss they won the 5. liga again and promoted to the 4th one. In 2016âÂÂ17 Petrà ¾alka started the competition in the 4. liga similar way as it finished the previous one. Petrà ¾alka suffered the first and only loss of the season in its 27th match which means that Petrà ¾laka was unbeatable for 46 consecutive competitive league matches from loss at FA Bratislava (2âÂÂ3) until loss at Veþké Leváre (0âÂÂ1) in the 27th round of 2016âÂÂ17. After 25 wins in 30 matches Petrà ¾alka won the 4. liga and promoted to the 3rd division for 2017âÂÂ18 season. Since the beginning of the 3rd division 2017âÂÂ18 was Petrà ¾alka among the candidates for promotion to the 2nd division. After unbeaten autumn part of the season was Petrà ¾alka on the 2nd place during winter break behind Rohoà ¾nÃÂk with the same point level. Decisive match came in the beginning of the spring part of the season. Petrà ¾alka beat Rohoà ¾nÃÂk at home 3âÂÂ0 and got the advantage in the table. In addition, Petrà ¾alka has won 15 out of last 16 games in the 3rd division (they lost only at field of reserve team of city rivals Slovan U21 0âÂÂ1 in the game, which had Slovan U21 in the line-up 5 players from the first team including former national players Róbert Vittek and Kornel Saláta) and in the 29th round clinched promotion after win in Most 5âÂÂ0 and return to 2nd division after 2209 days. On 20 July 2018 played Petrà ¾alka its 1st match in the 2nd division after 6 years and in the first game after promotion reached its 1st win.
Czechoslovakia
Slovakia
Slovak League Top scorer since 1993âÂÂ94
Slovak League only (1993âÂÂpresent)
The first sample football match of Pozsonyi Torna Egyesület (PTE) was announced to be played on 25 September 1898, but due to the tragic matters in the Emperors' family (Elisabeth of Bavaria died on 10 September 1898) was postponed to 2 October 1898. The rules of the game were explained to the audience before the match in October. The match was played between members of PTE in both teams at the Ligetfalu highschool playground. There was no regular football pitch in Pressburg at that time, so PTE used the plain terrain to play its home matches in the early years.
During the extra ordinary club meeting on 29 September 1899 the decision to build the regular pitch for PTE near the Danube river, railway to the Wien and City Park was made. The stadium was built at the end of the 19th century for PTE in a year. The grand opening of the new stadium was officially on 25 September 1900. PTE won the match against Magyar Football Club Budapest 3âÂÂ2, the first PTEs' win ever against the team from Budapest. This stadium was used for Bratislava regional championship until the stadium for I. ÃÂsl. à  K Bratislava was built in the end of the 1920s. More than 100 years later Artmedia still used to play their home matches at the same place â named à  tadión za Starým mostom.
Today's estimated capacity is 10,000; it is however impossible to give the exact value, because older part of the stadium still remains for standing visitors. The average attendance of league matches at this stadium is floating above 4,000, one of the highest in Slovakia. However, the stadium does not meet some of the UEFA criteria, therefore the club has been forced to play its international matches elsewhere. Notably, they played their 2005âÂÂ06 UEFA Champions League campaign at Tehelné pole, home venue of crosstown rivals Slovan Bratislava. Stadium was closed in 2009 and demolished in 2012.
In 2011, a new stadium called Stadium FC Petrà ¾alka 1898 (Slovak: à  tadión FC Petrà ¾alka 1898) was built on Sklodowskej street, Petrà ¾alka, Slovakia. Originally it served as home stadium for football club FC Petrà ¾alka 1898. After its bankruptcy in 2014 it became home for FC Petrà ¾alka akadémia and later for the team FC Petrà ¾alka. The stadium was officially opened in 2012. The first match was between the home club FC Petrà ¾alka 1898 and FC Nitra B (1âÂÂ3), on 5 August 2012. After its opening the stadium had a single grandstand with 800 seats along its West side. Later upgrades, including adding bleechers on the East side, have increased the capacity to 3000 seats.
Petrà ¾alka have produced numerous players who have gone on to represent the Slovak national football team. Over the last period there has been a steady increase of young players leaving Petrà ¾alka after a few years of first team football and moving on to play football in leagues of a higher standard, with the German Bundesliga (Balázs Borbély to 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 2006), Italian Serie A (Blaà ¾ej Vaà ¡ÃÂák to A.C.D. Treviso in 2006), French Ligue 1 (ýuboà ¡ Kamenár to FC Nantes in 2009), Russian Premier League (Ján ÃÂurica, Branislav Fodrek, Branislav Obà ¾era, Peter PetrÃ¡à ¡ all to Saturn in 2006), Austrian Football Bundesliga (Filip à  ebo to FK Austria Wien in 2005). The top transfer was agreed in 2008 when Balázs Borbély joined Romanian FC Politehnica TimiÃÂoara for a fee of â¬0.8 million
<small>*-unofficial fee</small>
Updated 18 January, 2026
For recent transfers, see List of Slovak football transfers summer 2024.
Players whose name is listed in bold are still active.
Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Petrà ¾alka.