Football in Romania has a way of being both predictable and completely unhinged at the same time. If you’ve been tracking the Liga 1 Romania standings lately—or the SuperLiga, as the sponsors want us to call it—you know exactly what I mean. We aren't just looking at a list of teams and points. We’re looking at a dogfight where the traditional giants are getting their shins kicked by teams that, quite frankly, weren't supposed to be here.
Right now, Universitatea Craiova is sitting at the top of the pile. They've got 40 points after 21 matches. But honestly, that lead is as thin as a slice of parizer. Rapid București is breathing down their necks with 39 points. One bad weekend, one missed penalty, and the whole hierarchy flips. It’s the kind of season that makes you want to check the scores every ten minutes because the "safe" bets just don't exist anymore.
The Top of the Table is a Powder Keg
Let's talk about Universitatea Craiova. They’ve managed 11 wins and only 3 losses so far. That’s solid. But look at their ties—7 of them. They are finding ways to drop points in games they should be burying. Under Mirel Rădoi, they’ve developed this grit, but it’s a nervous kind of grit. They have a goal difference of +17, which is the best in the league, largely thanks to Stefan Baiaram and Aimé Steven Nsimba Labe finding the net when it matters most.
Then there’s Rapid. Giulești is rocking this year. Constantin Gâlcă has them playing a brand of football that’s actually fun to watch, which isn’t always a given in this league. Alex Dobre has been a revelation, sitting on 11 goals. But Rapid is Rapid—they’re capable of beating the best team in Europe on a Saturday and losing to a relegation candidate on a Tuesday. That’s why the Liga 1 Romania standings are so volatile right now.
- Universitatea Craiova: 40 points (1st place)
- Rapid București: 39 points (2nd place)
- FC Botoșani: 38 points (3rd place)
- Dinamo București: 38 points (4th place)
Wait, did you see that? Botoșani and Dinamo are tied for third. If you told a Dinamo fan two years ago—when the club was basically a flaming car wreck—that they’d be sitting in a European spot in January 2026, they would have asked you to share whatever you were drinking. Željko Kopić has performed a literal miracle in Bucharest. They aren't just surviving; they are actually good.
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What’s Going Wrong with the Giants?
You’re probably looking for FCSB and CFR Cluj. Usually, they own the top two spots and everyone else fights for scraps. Not this time.
FCSB is stuck in 9th place. 31 points. It’s weird seeing them there. They have the most expensive squad, the biggest stadium (Arena Națională), and the most "stars" like Darius Olaru and Florin Tănase. Tănase has 10 goals, so it’s not like they can't score. The problem is their defense is leakier than a rusted bucket. They’ve conceded 26 goals in 21 games. You can’t win a title if you’re giving up over a goal a game.
And CFR Cluj? They’re in 11th. Total collapse. Dan Petrescu resigned back in August, Andrea Mandorlini came in and got sacked in October, and the revolving door of managers has left the players looking lost. They have a negative goal difference. Let that sink in. The team that dominated Romanian football for half a decade is currently closer to the relegation play-offs than the title.
The Mid-Table Grinders
Between the leaders and the struggling giants, we have the "annoying" teams. The ones nobody wants to play.
Oțelul Galați and Universitatea Cluj are both on 33 points. Oțelul, under László Balint, plays a very physical, suffocating style. They don't care if the game is ugly as long as they get a 1-0 win.
UTA Arad is right there too with 32 points. Valentin Costache has been their spark plug, and Alin Roman is leading the league in assists with 8. They are the definition of a "trap" team.
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The Relegation Nightmare
At the bottom of the Liga 1 Romania standings, things are bleak. Metaloglobus București is in their first-ever top-flight season, and it’s been a baptism by fire. 11 points from 21 games. They’ve lost 14 matches. It’s hard to see them surviving unless they pull off a historical comeback in the second half of the season.
Hermannstadt is also struggling massively with only 13 points. It’s a bit of a shock because they were a top-half team not too long ago. Then you have the newcomers like FK Csíkszereda, who are sitting on 16 points. They’ve shipped 48 goals. That is a staggering number. You simply cannot stay in this league if you're letting in nearly 2.5 goals every time you step on the pitch.
Why These Standings Actually Matter
Most people look at the table and just see numbers. But in Romania, the "Play-off" system means everything. Only the top six teams move on to fight for the title and European spots. Everyone else gets dumped into the "Play-out" to fight for their lives.
If the season ended today, FCSB and CFR Cluj would miss the championship play-offs. That would be a financial disaster for them and a massive power shift for the league. We are seeing the "democratization" of Romanian football. The money is spreading out, and teams like Argeș Pitești (currently 5th) are proving that smart recruitment beats a big ego every time.
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Key Stats to Keep an Eye On
If you're trying to figure out who to back in the coming weeks, keep these figures in your head:
The top scorers are currently Jovo Lukić (U Cluj) and Alex Dobre (Rapid), both tied at 11 goals. It’s a tight race for the Golden Boot.
In terms of goalkeeping, David Lazar at Argeș Pitești has been a wall. He’s got 9 clean sheets. That’s the real reason Pitești is sitting in 5th place.
The "chaos factor" is the disciplinary record. This league is physical. If a team loses their star center-back to a red card suspension, their standing can tank in a fortnight.
What to Do With This Information
If you're following the league, don't just look at the points. Look at the momentum.
Botoșani had an 11-match unbeaten run recently. They are the "form" team. Rapid is shaky away from home but invincible at Giulești. FCSB is likely to spend big in the winter window to try and claw back into the top six, so expect a different-looking squad by February.
Keep a close eye on the February 11th clash between Universitatea Craiova and FCSB in the Cupa României. Even though it's a cup game, it will set the psychological tone for the rest of the league season. If Craiova wins, they'll feel like the new kings. If FCSB wins, it might be the spark they need to save their season.
Monitor the "Play-off" line closely. The gap between 6th and 9th is only two points. Every single matchday for the next month is basically a cup final for those middle teams. It's stressful, it's messy, and it's exactly why we watch.
Check the injury reports for Jovo Lukić and Alex Dobre. If either of the top scorers goes down, their respective teams (U Cluj and Rapid) don't have a Plan B that's nearly as effective. That's where the value in the standings shifts from "who is winning" to "who is about to collapse."
Follow the managerial changes. In Liga 1, a coach has about as much job security as a drummer in Spinal Tap. Any team that loses three games in a row is likely to have a new face on the bench by Monday. Those changes often lead to a "new coach bounce" for one or two games, which can wreck the predictions of even the most seasoned experts.