Universitatea Craiova
CS Universitatea Craiova, commonly known as Universitatea Craiova, is a Romanian professional football club based in Craiova, Dolj County, founded in 1948. The club competes in Liga I, the top tier of the Romanian league system, and plays their home matches at the Stadionul Ion Oblemenco, which has a capacity of 30,929. Throughout their history, they have won four national titles and seven Romanian Cups, with their most notable European achievement being reaching the semi-finals of the 1982–83 UEFA Cup, making them the first Romanian team to reach the semi-finals of a UEFA tournament.
History
Overview
General information about the club
CS Universitatea Craiova was initially founded in 1948 as the football section of the CSU Craiova sports club. The club was part of CSU until 1991, when its berth in the league championship was taken by FC U Craiova following privatisation. Between 1948 and 1991, Universitatea had won four national titles and five national cups. In 2013, the sports club reinstated its football department, which asserts the history and trophies of the original Universitatea Craiova, backed up by several court orders and the Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal.
Most recent season and achievements
In the 2025–26 season, Craiova reached the league phase of a European competition for the first time, after defeating İstanbul Başakşehir in the Conference League play-off round. The club's recent trophy successes include winning the Cupa României in 2018, representing their first trophy following refoundation, and their first Supercupa României in 2021.
History
Early years
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 to form FC Craiova, who became the first team of the city to win the Romanian football championship, though the 1942–43 title is not officially recognized by FRF and LPF.
Immediately after the foundation of the Institute of Machines and Electric Devices, a group of teachers and students founded CSU Craiova in 1948. Under the coordination of the Ministry of Public Education, the football team UNSR Craiova was formed and enrolled in the county championship. The first official match was held at Filiași on 5 September 1948, with "the Students" being defeated 6–3.
In 1953, the club was renamed to Știința Craiova, and in 1954 they promoted for the first time to the second echelon under coach Nicolae Oțeleanu. The club relegated back to Divizia C after only one season and remained at that level until 1958.
Successful period
In 1958, Știința was promoted for the second time to the second league. The 1963–64 Divizia B season saw a four-way fight for promotion, with the Students winning promotion under head coach Nicolae Oțeleanu. In the summer of 1966, the club was renamed from Știința Craiova to Universitatea Craiova.
Craiova started the 1970s with a team built around Ion Oblemenco, Petre Deselnicu, and Teodor Țarălungă. In the 1972–73 season, they finished with the same number of points as Dinamo București but lost the championship on goal difference, earning the nickname "the Champion of a Great Love" created by poet Adrian Păunescu.
In the 1973–74 season, Universitatea won their first title by a point from Dinamo, becoming the first university team to win a national title in Europe. The squad was coached by Constantin Cernăianu and Constantin Oțet.
Crisis and recovery
Craiova Maxima was the second generation of Universitatea, composed of players including Ilie Balaci, Rodion Cămătaru, Costică Ștefănescu, and Silviu Lung. At the end of the 1979–80 season, they were crowned champions for the second time under coaches Valentin Stănescu and Ion Oblemenco.
In the 1980–81 season, the team achieved the historical double, winning both the cup and championship. The 1982–83 season saw them become the first Romanian team to reach a European Cup semi-final, eliminating Fiorentina, Bordeaux, and Kaiserslautern before losing to Benfica on away goals.
In 1991, the CS Universitatea Craiova sports club dissolved its football section, and Fotbal Club Universitatea Craiova continued until the early 2010s. On 20 July 2011, the club was temporarily excluded by the Romanian Football Federation, and all squad players were declared free agents.
Current period
In the summer of 2013, local authorities of Craiova reestablished the football section of CS U Craiova. CS U claimed ownership of all Universitatea honours, which was confirmed in justice in June 2016 and reaffirmed by LPF in November 2017.
CS Universitatea Craiova was introduced in Liga II and promoted back to Liga I in 2014 after 23 years of absence. After promotion, they ended the 2014–15 campaign in fifth place. On 27 May 2018, Universitatea won its first trophy since reinstatement, beating Hermannstadt 2–0 in the Cupa României final.
Achievements and Honors
Domestic competitions
Divizia A / Liga I - Winners (4): 1973–74, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1990–91 - Runners-up (4): 1972–73, 1981–82, 1982–83, 2019–20
Divizia B / Liga II - Winners (2): 1963–64, 2013–14 - Runners-up (1): 1960–61
Divizia C / Liga III - Winners (1): 1957–58
Cupa României - Winners (7): 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1990–91, 2017–18, 2020–21 - Runners-up (2): 1974–75, 1984–85
Supercupa României - Winners (1): 2021 - Runners-up (1): 2018
Continental and global competitions
UEFA Cup / Europa League - Semi-finalist: 1982–83
European Cup / Champions League - Quarter-finalist: 1981–82
Symbols and Colors
Current logo and logo history
The club maintains its traditional identity through its logo and branding, though specific details about logo evolution are not provided in the source material.
Traditional home and away kits colors
Universitatea Craiova is known as "the White and Blues" due to their traditional white and blue colored shirts. The players have historically dressed in white-blue shirts since the club's early days, with this color combination becoming synonymous with the team's identity.
Traditional club anthem
Supporters continue to include in their chants the name Știința, and Universitatea supporters tend to chant "Hei, hei, hai Știința!" at times of loss, maintaining connection to the club's historical identity.
Traditional Rivals
Dinamo București
Universitatea Craiova has their most notable rivalry with Dinamo București. The rivalry first developed at the end of the 1972–73 season when the two teams 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. Another significant event occurred on October 21, 2004, when "Poștașu", a Craiova gallery leader, entered the field and threw a Craiova scarf at Claudiu Niculescu, who had transferred from Craiova to Dinamo, with his gesture being a reaction to what supporters considered a betrayal.
Steaua București
Știința has less intense rivalries with Steaua București, one of the clubs from the capital. The teams have faced each other in important matches throughout history, including cup finals.
FCSB
The club maintains a rivalry with FCSB, another team from Bucharest, though this rivalry is considered less intense than the one with Dinamo.
Rapid București
Universitatea Craiova also has a rivalry with Rapid București, representing another connection with teams from the capital city.
Club Traditions and Behind the Scenes
Sponsors
Specific sponsor information is not detailed in the provided source material.
Nicknames
The club is known by several nicknames including "the Students," "the White and Blues," and historically "the Champion of a Great Love" - a nickname created by poet Adrian Păunescu after the 1972–73 season when they lost the championship to Dinamo București on goal difference despite finishing with equal points.
Ownership and finances
In the summer of 2013, local authorities of Craiova, supported by Pavel Badea and associated with Club Sportiv U Craiova SA, reestablished the football section. One month after winning the 2018 Cupa României, the Romanian Football Federation approved an application to rename the society from Club Sportiv U Craiova SA to U Craiova 1948 Club Sportiv SA.
Traditions and culture
Universitatea Craiova has many fans in Craiova, especially in the region of Oltenia. In Romania, 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, including Sezione Ultra' 2000 and Utopia from Peluza Nord, who chose to support CS Universitatea Craiova. Later, many new groups were founded including Peluza Nord Craiova: North Lions, Vechiul Spirit Ultras, Nord Oltenia, Gruppo Sibiu, Gruppo Capitala, Ponsiona and UNU MAI UNIT.
Stadium
Stadionul Ion Oblemenco (1967) The original Stadionul Ion Oblemenco was a multi-purpose stadium originally named Central Stadium, opened on 29 October 1967 with a match between the national teams of Romania and Poland that ended 2–2. It held up to 25,252 people before being demolished in 2015. The stadium hosted many important matches during the Craiova Maxima era, including 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 honor.
Renovated Stadionul Ion Oblemenco The new Ion Oblemenco Stadium, with a capacity of 30,929 seats, was inaugurated on 10 November 2017 with a friendly match between Universitatea Craiova and Czech club Slavia Prague.
Universitatea Craiova
Club Information
Official Name
Universitatea Craiova
Founding Year
2013
Tactical Formation
4-3-3
Stadium Information
Stadium Name
Stadionul Ion Oblemenco (Craiova)
Capacity
30.944
City
Craiova, Romania
Surface
Key Personnel
Captain
Nicușor Silviu Bancu
Captain's Stats
182cm, 65kg
Head Coach
Head Coach Age
45 Age
Coach Nationality
PT
Coach Contract
11/11/2025 - 30/06/2027
Recent Honours
| Season | Competition | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | VĐQG Romania | 🏆 2 |
| 2020-2021 | Cúp Quốc Gia Romania | 🏆 1 |
| 2020-2021 | Cúp Quốc Gia Romania | 🏆 2 |
| 2021-2022 | Super Cup | 🏆 1 |
Current Season Stats
| Competition | Rank | Matches | W-D-L | Points |
|---|
Goal Statistics
Liga 1 (ROM)
53 Scored - 27 Conceded
Liga 1 (ROM)
12 Scored - 6 Conceded
Europa Conference League (UEFA)
6 Scored - 8 Conceded
Romania Cup (ROM)
10 Scored - 3 Conceded
Romania Cup (ROM)
4 Scored - 1 Conceded