The 2025-26 Liga I in review: Universitatea Craiova crowned champions of a tight Romanian season

With a new football season already under way in Romania, it is worth pausing to look back at a memorable campaign. According to the league records, the 2025-26 Liga I delivered a tense and closely fought title race, plenty of goals and several standout runs from the country's biggest clubs, before Universitatea Craiova were confirmed as champions at the end of a long season.

Craiova back on top

The main story of the year was written by Universitatea Craiova. According to the league records, the Oltenia side claimed their fifth championship, having topped the regular season with 60 points before going on to finish the playoff round on 50 points, a performance that reflected both a strong league phase and the ability to hold their nerve when it mattered most.

The title came at the end of a demanding format familiar to Romanian football. According to the league records, sixteen teams competed in the competition, which ran from the eleventh of July 2025 through to the twenty fifth of May 2026, a lengthy calendar that tested squads across the regular season and the playoff that followed.

Rapid and Universitatea Cluj in pursuit

Behind the champions, several clubs pushed hard for the top places. According to the league records, Rapid Bucuresti finished as the leading challengers with 56 points in the regular season, followed by Universitatea Cluj on 54 points, two sides that kept the pressure on Craiova and ensured the race stayed competitive deep into the campaign.

The chasing pack was tightly bunched together. According to the league records, CFR Cluj gathered 53 points, Dinamo Bucuresti collected 52 and Arges Pitesti rounded out the top six on 50 points in the regular season, underlining how narrow the margins were between the teams fighting for the upper half of the table.

A season of streaks and goals

One club in particular caught the eye with its consistency. According to the league records, CFR Cluj produced an eleven match winning streak and a fourteen match unbeaten run during the campaign, the kind of sequence that can define a season and that kept them firmly among the contenders throughout the year.

There were plenty of goals to enjoy across the league as well. According to the league records, the season featured 240 matches and produced 613 goals in total, an average of about 2.55 goals per game, a figure that points to an entertaining campaign for supporters who like to see the ball hitting the back of the net.

Lukic leads the scoring charts

At an individual level, one name stood out above the rest in front of goal. According to the league records, Jovo Lukic finished as the division's top scorer with 18 goals across the campaign, establishing himself as one of the most reliable attacking threats in the league over the course of the season.

A dramatic race for Europe

The final standings also decided who would represent Romania on the continental stage. According to the league records, Universitatea Craiova secured a place in the Champions League, while Universitatea Cluj qualified for the Europa League, rewarding two of the season's strongest performers with European nights to look forward to.

Others earned their own continental adventures. According to the league records, CFR Cluj and FCSB both booked places in the Conference League, extending Romanian representation across the European competitions and giving several clubs the chance to test themselves against opponents from beyond the domestic game.

Heartbreak at the bottom

While the top of the table brought celebration, the foot of the table brought disappointment for three clubs. According to the league records, Metaloglobus Bucuresti, Unirea Slobozia and Hermannstadt were relegated to Liga II, bringing an end to their seasons in the top flight and setting up a battle to return at the first attempt.

Taken as a whole, the 2025-26 Liga I offered a bit of everything for followers of Romanian football. According to the league records, a fifth title for Universitatea Craiova, memorable runs from CFR Cluj, a productive scoring campaign and a full set of European qualifiers made for a season to remember, and with a fresh campaign now in motion, attention turns to whether the champions can do it all again.