In Romania, football is the nation’s most popular sport, and it is governed by the Federaţia Română de Fotbal, or Romanian Football Federation.
The country’s top league was formed back in 1909 and changed to its current iteration in 2006. There are four tiers to the Romanian football league system, of which Lia I is the top.
Here we’ll give you a little bit more information about that league system as well tell you about its history.
We’ll give you some information about the sorts of stadiums you’ll find in Romania and we’ll also tell you all about the Romanian national side. What could be more fun that that?
Romanian Stadiums
With a population of over 20 million, it’s no real surprise that some of the stadiums in Romania are quite impressive.
There are a couple of stand out grounds around the country, most notably the 55,600 capacity Arena Națională where both Steaua București and the Romanian national football team play their games. The smallest ground is the Stadionul Viitorul, which had 4,500 seats.
Most stadiums in the country have between 10,000 and 20,000 seats, however, meaning that they’re more than capable of welcoming a number of visitors through their doors.
Romanian Leagues
Liga I is the top tier in Romanian football. There are two more branches below it, imaginatively named Liga II and Liga III, as well as numerous county leagues on the fourth tier.
Liga II has two division that run in parallel to each other, whilst Liga III boasts three six divisions with eighteen teams in each.
At the time of writing Steaua București is the country’s most successful domestic team, having picked up 26 league titles and finished as runners-up on a further 12 occasions.
Romanian National Team
The Romanian national team is controlled by the Federația Română de Fotbal, their equivalent to the Football Association. Along with Belgium, France and Yugoslavia, Romania was one of just four European sides to take part in the inaugural World Cup in 1930.
They have since gone on to compete in a further six World Cup tournaments, making it to the quarter-finals of the 1994 competition. They have also reached the quarter-final stage of both the European Championships and the Summer Olympics in the past.
Key Stats
| Romanian National Team Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Year Formed | 1922 |
| Home Stadium | Arena Națională |
| Stadium Capacity | 55,600 |
| Major Honours | None |
| Current Manager | Mirel Matei Rădoi |
| Top Scorer | Gheorghe Hagi / Adrian Mutu (35) |
| Most Caps | Dorinel Munteanu (134) |
| Best Performance at World Cup | Quarter-Finals (1994) |
| Best Performance at European Championships | Quarter-Finals (2000) |
| Kit Colours | Yellow with Red (Home), Red with Yellow (Away) |
History Of Football In Romania
As a country Romania played their first international game in 1922 when they beat Yugoslavia 2-1. That initial success might be part of the reason why football is the most popular sport in the country, though the game actually began at an early date in Romania.
The first professional league was set-up in 1909 when Divizia A was formed.