This article is about the club regarded by LPF, a Romanian football governing body, to be the successor of the original Universitatea Craiova. For the other team which claims the Universitatea Craiova record, see FC U Craiova. For other uses, see Universitatea Craiova.
Initially founded in 1948 as the football section of the CSU Craiova sports organisation, it remained within the structure until 1991, when its league place was taken by FC U Craiova following privatisation. Between 1948 and 1991, the club won four championship titles and five national cups. Following a series of reorganisations and the eventual disaffiliation of FC U, the sports club re-established its football section in 2013. The current entity asserts the honours of the original Universitatea Craiova, a position recognised by several court rulings and the Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal, although they remain disputed by an also re-established FC U Craiova side.
In 2018, the club won the national cup, its first trophy following refoundation, and in 2021 secured its first supercup title. In European competitions, Craiova reached the semi-finals of the 1982–83 UEFA Cup and the quarter-finals of the 1981–82 European Cup. It was the first Romanian team to reach the semi-finals of a UEFA competition and remains the only one to have eliminated teams from each of the five major European leagues—England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. In the 2025–26 season, the club qualified for the league phase of a European competition for the first time, following success in the Conference League play-off round.
"The White-Blues" play their home matches at the Stadionul Ion Oblemenco, which has a capacity of 30,929. They maintain several rivalries, most notably with Dinamo București.
Football in the city of Craiova began in 1921 when the first two teams were founded: Craiovan Craiova and Rovine Grivița Craiova. In 1940, the two sides merged in what resulted to be one of the most successful Romanian clubs of the Interwar period, FC Craiova, who were the first team of the city that won the Romanian football championship. However, the 1942–43 title is not recognized officially by FRF and LPF.
Following the birth of university education in Craiova, a group of teachers and students founded CSU (Club Sportiv Universitar) Craiova in 1948, a sports club with athletics, volleyball, handball, table tennis, chess sections, and under the coordination of the Ministry of Public Education and the Uniunea Națională a Studenților din România (lit. National Union of Students in Romania), the football section was initially formed under the name UNSR Craiova and enrolled in the county championship. The first official match was held at Filiași, aganinst CFR Filiași, on 5 September 1948, with the Students being defeated 3–6. The team, led by head coach Nicolae Polojinski, wore white-and-blue shirts and was composed of Dumitrescu – Rădulescu, Mihăilă I, Carli – Ozon, Mihăilă II – Sabin, Ilie, Bădescu, Tudor, and Serghi.
In 1950, the football section changed its name from UNSR Craiova to CSU Craiova, the same name as its parent club. The early squads coached by Nicolae Polojinski included, among others, Vulpe, I. Popescu, Zorilă, Stănculescu, Brebenaru, Gh. Florigoanță, Șerbu, A. Bratu, Cricitoiu, Florescu, I. Florigoanță, Borosan, Dilă, and Cumpănașu.
In 1951, CSU Craiova recorded a 6–0 victory over Constructorul Craiova in what was also the club’s first official appearance in Cupa României. Two years later, the club was renamed Știința Craiova and reached the Round of 32 of Cupa României, where it was eliminated by Spartac București after a 2–2 draw following extra time, with the away team advancing according to the competition rules. The squad featured players such as Stoica, Dreșcă, Rizu, Pîrvuleț, Firu, Anuțescu, Dan Popescu, Dumitru Popescu, Babarada, Dilă, and Pădureanu.
However, their spell in the second division lasted only one season, as they finished in 12th place in Series I and were relegated to the newly re-established Divizia C, with a squad that included Stoica, Urucu, Vulpe, Dreșcă, Rizu, Pîrvuleț, Razga, Dumitrescu, Ciulava, Anuțescu, Briac, Lambru, Căpitanu, Buldur, Ioniță, D. Popescu, V. Popescu, V. Lupu, Firu, Babarada, Pădureanu, Pantelimon, Iliescu, Coicea, and Matei.
Chronology of names
Name
Period
UNSR Craiova
1948–1950
CSU Craiova
1950–1953
Știința Craiova
1953–1962
CSO Craiova
1962–1963
Știința Craiova
1963–1966
Universitatea Craiova
1966–1991
Universitatea Craiova
2013–present
Universitatea, a rising team (1958–1970)
In the following years, under the guidance of Bondoc Ionescu-Crum, the Students finished in 3rd place in Series IV of the 1956 season before securing a return to the second tier in the 1957–58 campaign. Știința won Series III after a tight battle for first place with Unirea Râmnicu Vâlcea, the two sides finishing tied on 34 points, with the White and Blues clinching promotion on goal average. The promotion-winning squad included Stoica, Matei, Căpitanu, Iliescu, Dumitrescu, Briac, Lambru, Scorțan, Anghel, Buldur, Croitoru, Coicea, Pantelimon, Dică, and Deliu.
In their first season after returning to Divizia B, coach Bondoc Ionescu-Crum was replaced during the first half of the season by Gheorghe Scăeșteanu, who led Știința to a 13th place finish out of 14 teams in Series I, avoiding relegation due to the expansion of the second division. Moved to Series II for the following campaign, the Students gradually established themselves among the division's leading sides, finishing in 10th place in 1959–60 under Scăeșteanu.
League match between Dinamo București and Știința Craiova in August 1959
In 1960–61, Virgil Mărdărescu was appointed as the new head coach, leading the White and Blues to a runner-up finish, nine points behind Dinamo Pitești. In 1961, former Romanian international Valeriu Călinoiu was appointed head coach, guiding the team to a 4th place finish in the 1961–62 season.
In 1962, the team was renamed CSO (Club Sportiv Orășenesc) Craiova, and Călinoiu was replaced after the first half of the season by Nicolae Oțeleanu, who led the team to a 5th place finish in the 1962–63 season.
The reorganization of Divizia B ahead of the 1963–64 season returned Știința to Series I, where the Students became involved in a four-way battle for promotion, finishing first, tied on points with runners-up Metalul Târgoviște and one point ahead of 3rd-place Poiana Câmpina, and three points ahead of 4th-place Dinamo Bacău. The historic promotion to Divizia A was achieved under the guidance of Nicolae Oțeleanu, with a squad that included Dumitrescu, Vasilescu, Geleriu, Lungan, Deliu, Bărbulescu, Tetea, Ganga, Anton, Lovin, Onea, Vișan, Stanciu, Papuc, C. Stănescu, and A. Stănescu.
The first season in Divizia A was challenging for the Students, who avoided relegation in the final rounds, finishing 11th, just one point above the first relegated team, Minerul Baia Mare. By the end of the following season, Știința had climbed to 8th place, laying the foundations of a side capable of challenging for the title.
In the summer of 1966, the club was renamed from Știința Craiova to Universitatea Craiova. Nevertheless, supporters continued to include in their chants and their encouragements the name Știința. Universitatea supporters tend to chant Hei, hei, hai Știința! at times of loss.[citation needed]
As Universitatea experienced seasons of contrasting results, the team alternated between challenging near the top of the table and more modest campaigns, but managed to remain in the first division throughout the period, finishing 3rd in 1966–67, 11th in 1967–68, 7th in 1968–69, and 4th in 1969–70.
Craiova started the 1970s with a team built around Ion Oblemenco, Petre Deselnicu, Teodor Țarălungă, Lucian Strâmbeanu and Dumitru Marcu, among others. The start of the decade had the club in 6th place at the end of the 1970–71 season and 8th place at the end of the 1971–72. In the 1972–73 season, they finished at the same number of points with Dinamo București, but lost the championship on goal difference. The season coined a new nickname, "the Champion of a Great Love", a nickname created by the poet Adrian Păunescu, a big fan of the team from Bănie, named Dinamo only as the champion of the country, indicating that Craiova lost the title.
In the 1973–74 season, the title fight was again between Universitatea and Dinamo. Craiova won the title by a point from Dinamo, with Craiova becoming the first university team to win a national title in Europe. Dinamo was considered to be the pet team of the communist regime, which often influenced the results as well and after the last season's incidents, Universitatea was increasingly seen as a representative of the people and simple man in the struggle with the communist regime, of pure football and football played on the pitch against the one dominated by arrangements and influences, so the nickname had gained a reputation. The squad that won the first title was coached by Constantin Cernăianu and Constantin Oțet and had the following players included: Oprea, Manta – Niculescu, Bădin, Deselnicu, Velea, Strâmbeanu, Ivan, Niță, Balaci, Berneanu, Țarălungă, Oblemenco, Bălan, Pană, Boc, Ștefănescu, Marcu, Stăncescu, Kiss, Chivu, Negrilă and Constantinescu.
The 1974–75 season brought a first UEFA European Cup presence against Swedish team Åtvidaberg, who lost 3–4 on aggregate but ranked third place at the end of the championship. The 1975–76 season had the team rank sixth place and announcing a generational change. For the last season of Ion Oblemenco, the team from Craiova won the Romanian Cup for the first time in its history in a final against Steaua București. In the Divizia A, the team finished in 3rd place.
With the generational exchange made, Universitatea continued to impress in 1978 by defending its Romanian Cup trophy, won a year before against Olimpia Satu Mare and a sixth place in the league. The 1978–79 season ended with fourth place and in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Fortuna Düsseldorf eliminated the team in the first round.
Craiova Maxima (1979–1991)
U Craiova in the 1980–81 season, when they won the Double
In the 1980–81 season, the team was managing the historical double, the cup, and the championship. As a result of this performance, the students qualified for the 1981–82 European Cup, where Craiova Maxima became more and more visible by eliminating Olympiacos and KB, being stopped in the quarter-finals by Bayern Munich, 1–3 in aggregate, a historical performance for the Romanian football at that time.
The long-standing presence in the European Cups affected the team, which finished only on second place. They later qualified in the UEFA Cup throughout the 1982–83 season, being the first team in the history of Romania that qualified in a European Cup semi-finals. Under the management of Constantin Oțet and Nicolae Ivan, the team took out Fiorentina (Serie A runners-up), Bordeaux, and Kaiserslautern. In the semi-final, Universitatea encountered Benfica, two times European champions and three times European Cup finalists at that time. After two draws, the Portuguese side advanced to the final on aggregate away goals. In the Divizia A, the team finished again in second place.
Throughout the rest of the 1980s, Universitatea Craiova ranked in the following places: 1983–84 (3rd), 1984–85 (4th), 1985–86 (3rd), 1986–87 (5th), 1987–88 (5th), 1988–89 (5th), and 1988–89 (3rd). The team had a constant presence in the European Cups eliminating teams such as Real Betis, Olympiacos, AS Monaco and Galatasaray, but they never got past the third round. The Students also lost a Romanian Cup final in 1985, 1–2 against Steaua București.
Chart of CS Universitatea Craiova's league performance 1955–2018
In 1991, Universitatea Craiova conquered its last national title and Romanian Cup, under the management of Sorin Cârțu.
However, in the same year, the CS Universitatea Craiova sports club dissolved its football section, and Fotbal Club Universitatea Craiova continued its tradition until the early 2010s—until 1994, the club was still controlled by the Ministry of National Education. FC U won a Romanian Cup in 1993 and reached three finals, in 1994, 1998, and 2000. There was faulty management during the 1990s and early 2000s, which led to the 2005 relegation, when 41 consecutive years of Divizia A were celebrated.
On 20 July 2011, the club was temporarily excluded by the Romanian Football Federation for failing to withdraw their dispute with former coach Victor Pițurcă from a civil court, as per article 57 of the FRF statute which states that the Football Federation solves all the sports lawsuits. However, the article allows disputes regarding employment contracts to be adjudicated in civil court. The exclusion decision was approved by the FRF General Assembly on 14 May 2012. All of the squad players were declared free agents and later signed with other clubs.
Rebranding (2013–present)
I believe that this team [CS U Craiova] is the successor of the one established in 1948, under the auspices of the Senate of the University of Craiova.
—Corneliu Andrei Stroe, club president during the Craiova Maxima era, on 26 August 2013
On 20 July 2011, the Romanian Football Federation decided to disaffiliate with FC Universitatea Craiova, but the decision was found controversial in court. Consequently, in the summer of 2013, local authorities of Craiova, supported by Pavel Badea and associated with Club Sportiv U Craiova SA (CS U), reestablished the football section of CS U Craiova. CS U claimed that it owns all of the Universitatea honours, and that the sports club did not offer its records to FC U Craiova, which was considered a new club; this was confirmed in justice in June 2016 and reaffirmed by LPF in November 2017. CS Universitatea Craiova is the rightful owner of the brand and records – accepting the 1992–93 Cupa României, claimed but not officially part of CS U's honours.
The striped crest was used on the home shirt between 2013 and 2015, and on the away shirt until 2017.
On 14 August 2013, CS Universitatea Craiova was provisionally affiliated to the Romanian Football Federation, following complications with a licensing file. After resolving the issues, the club was introduced in Liga II, the second tier of the Romanian league system. Universitatea made its season debut on 27 August, with a 6–1 success over Pandurii II Târgu Jiu in the fourth round of the Romanian Cup. In the 2013–14 Liga II season, CS Universitatea Craiova and FC U Craiova met in two direct matches, which hid the true identities of the clubs. CS Universitatea Craiova promoted back to Liga I in 2014 after 23 years of absence, while FC U Craiova was permanently excluded, but later reappeared under the name of FC U Craiova 1948 in 2017.
After the promotion, Universitatea ended the 2014–15 campaign in fifth place. This result was followed by eighth place in the 2015–16 season and a fourth place at the end of the 2016–17 season, the latter ensuring return to European competitions. The comeback in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League was Italian side AC Milan, with Craiova leaving the competition after 0–3 on aggregate. On 27 May 2018, Universitatea won its first trophy since its reinstatement after beating second-tier club Hermannstadt in the Cupa României final. The game ended 2–0 and was hosted by the Arena Națională in Bucharest. One month later, the Romanian Football Federation approved an application to rename the society from Club Sportiv U Craiova SA to U Craiova 1948 Club Sportiv SA. As the winner of Cupa României, Craiova subsequently took part in the 2018 Supercupa României, which they lost 0–1 to CFR Cluj on home ground.
Two years later on 3 August 2020, in a home ground game against CFR Cluj, Universitatea Craiova came close to winning its first national league since the 1990–91 season. Dan Nistor opened the scoring for Craiova in the 11th minute, but their title contenders won the final fixture of the season 3–1, thus becoming champions for a third consecutive year. On 28 August 2025, Craiova secured its first-ever league phase qualification in European competitions, after defeating İstanbul Başakşehir 3–1 at home and 5–2 on aggregate in the Conference Leagueplay-off round.
In the 2025–26 season, the club completed a historic domestic double. They defeated Universitatea Cluj on penalties after a goalless draw in the Cupa României final, before securing their first league title since 1990–91 with a commanding 5–0 victory over the same opponent on the penultimate matchday of the Liga I season.
Stadionul Ion Oblemenco (Ion Oblemenco Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium in Craiova, and it was originally named Central Stadium. It was used mostly for football matches and would hold up to 25,252 people before it was demolished in 2015. The stadium was opened on 29 October 1967, with the national teams of Romania and Poland tying after scoring two goals each.
It hosted many matches during the Craiova Maxima era, such as the 1981–82 European Cup quarterfinal against Bayern Munich and the 1982–83 UEFA Cup semi-final against Benfica. Following the death of Universitatea Craiova legend Ion Oblemenco in 1996, the stadium was renamed in his honour. In 2008, the stadium underwent a major renovation, and in 2015 it was entirely demolished.
Universitatea Craiova has many fans in Craiova. They are the third-most supported team in the country after FCSB and Dinamo București, as shown in a 2016 survey.
Many ultras groups exist, but in 2013, a strong division among the fans occurred due to the uncertainty regarding the true identities of the two clubs which claim the record of Universitatea. Sezione Ultra' 2000 and Utopia from Peluza Nord chose to support CS Universitatea Craiova, while Praetoria and Ultras 2004 from Peluza Sud 97 chose FC U Craiova. Later in 2017, Ultras Craiova 2004 left FC U and decided to remain neutral..
After some time, given the fact that CS Universitatea Craiova acquired most of the records, many new groups were founded: Peluza Nord Craiova:North Lions, Vechiul Spirit Ultras, Perspectiva Ultra', Nord Oltenia, Gruppo Sibiu, Gruppo Capitala, Ponsiona and UNU MAI UNIT.
In March 2018, FC U Craiova supporters attending a friendly game between Romania and Sweden at the Stadionul Ion Oblemenco booed CS U player Alexandru Mitriță upon being substituted out. They also broke chairs, and as a response, CS U fans symbolically used insecticide to "get rid of the stench" left over by Peluza Sud 97 ultras.
Rivalries
Supporters at a match between Universitatea Craiova and Dinamo București in 1973.
Universitatea Craiova is rivals with Dinamo București. It first developed at the end of the 1972–73 season; the two finished with an equal number of points in the national championship, but Dinamo was awarded the title due to having a slightly superior goal difference.
Știința also has less intense rivalries with three other clubs from the capital: Steaua București, FCSB, and Rapid București. Throughout time, the club had local competition with sides such as Extensiv Craiova and, from 2013, FC U Craiova, the aforementioned entity that claims the Universitatea record. The 2010s also saw the start of a minor rivalry against Pandurii Târgu Jiu, another team from Oltenia.
Honours
Note: As of November 2017, LPF attributes all Universitatea Craiova trophies won between 1948 and 1991 to this entity. The ownership of these honours is disputed with FC U Craiova 1948, which acted as the continuation of Universitatea Craiova after the sports club dissolved its football section in 1991. Another court order from 2018 suggested that neither of the current clubs actually hold the original honours. On 10 July 2023, the Timișoara Court of Appeal established that the historical record achieved until the end of 1990–91 season belongs to CS U Craiova.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and significant appearances for CS Universitatea Craiova.
↑The club adopted its current name in 2018, however the following year it formally requested to instead use the "Universitatea Craiova" trademark in all competitions it participates in.
↑As of November 2017, LPF attributes all Universitatea Craiova trophies won between 1948 and 1991 to the CS U entity. FC U's only major trophy is the 1992–93 Cupa României, although this is also claimed by the former. A separate ruling in 2018 indicated that neither entity definitively holds the original honours.
↑"Deciziile Comitetului Executiv din 3 iulie 2019"[The Executive Committee's decisions on 3 July 2019] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. However, this only means they can use this name and NOT that they are Universitatea Craiova. 3 July 2019. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
↑Buzărin, Alin (14 May 2020). "Ce înseamnă promovarea lui FC U Craiova în Liga a 2-a?"[What does FC U Craiova's promotion to the League 2 mean?]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020. This step forward of FC U will ignite the identity flame in Bănie. It always burned, and CS Universitatea, the League 1 team, always felt its flicker, even when Mititelu's side was struggling in the Fourth League.
123456"Istoric". ucv1948.ro. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
123456Rădulescu, Gheorghe; Firescu, Alexandru; Opriș, Nicolae (1981). Fotbalul craiovean de-a lungul anilor[Craiova football over the years]. Editura Scrisul Românesc.
↑"Turneul de calificare pentru categoria B a luat sfârșit"[The qualifying tournament for category B has ended](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul Popular. 15 November 1954. p.3. Archived(PDF) from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2026– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Clasamentele oficiale de fotbal pe 1955"[Official football rankings for 1955](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul Popular. 5 January 1956. p.3. Archived(PDF) from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 19 May 2026– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Toată lumea știe, Cupa-i în Bănie!"[Everyone knows, the Cup is in Bănie!] (in Romanian). CS Universitatea Craiova. 27 May 2018. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
↑"Inaugurare SF pentru OZN-ul Craiovei"[Incredible opening for Craiova's UFO] (in Romanian). ProSport. 10 November 2017. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
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