| Season: | 2012–13 |
| League Topscorer: | Gheorghe Boghiu (16 goals) |
| Matches: | 191 |
| Total Goals: | 500 |
| Highest Attendance: | 6,000 Zimbru 0–2 Sheriff (16 May 2013) |
| Nextseason: | 2013–14 |
The 2012–13 Moldovan National Division (Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Divizia Națională) is the 22nd season of top-tier football in Moldova. The competition began on 13 July 2012 and ended in May 2013.
The league comprises 12 teams, 11 from the 2011–12 season and one promoted site from 2011–12 A Division.[1] Sheriff Tiraspol are the defending champions.
CSCA–Rapid Chişinău and FC Costuleni were originally relegated on competitive grounds at the end of the 2011–12 season as they finished in the bottom two places of the league table. However, both clubs were eventually spared after Sfintul Gheorghe Suruceni did not obtain a National Division licence for 2012–13 and only one team, runners-up Speranţa Crihana Veche, could be promoted from the top four 2011–12 A Division sides on the same grounds.
In further changes, FC Academia UTM Chişinău were renamed FC Academia Chişinău.[2]
| Team | Home city | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academia | Chișinău | Volodymyr Knysh | Radu Gînsari | Macron | - | |
| Costuleni | Costuleni | Marcel Reşitca | Andrei Solodchi | Joma | Cavio | |
| Rapid | Ghidighici | Sergiu Secu | Andrei Bugneac | Legea | - | |
| Dacia | Chișinău | Igor Dobrovolski | Eugen Matiughin | Puma | - | |
| Iskra-Stal | Rîbnița | Iurie Blonari | Andrei Porfireanu | Puma | AOMMZ | |
| Milsami | Orhei | Ştefan Stoica | Valentin Furdui | Joma | Dufremol | |
| Nistru | Otaci | Oleksandr Holokolosov | Alphonse Sopho | Legea | - | |
| Olimpia | Bălţi | Albert Solomonov | Nicolae Orlovschi | Acerbis | Simtravel | |
| Sheriff | Tiraspol | Mihai Stoichiță | Miral Samardžić | Adidas | IDC | |
| Speranţa | Crihana Veche | Igor Ursachi | Ghenadie Ochincă | Jako | - | |
| Tiraspol | Tiraspol | Vlad Goian | Vitalie Bulat | Adidas | Tirotex | |
| Zimbru | Chișinău | Oleg Fistican | Oleg Şişchin | Puma | CFM |
Promoted sides Speranţa Crihana Veche play their home matches in the nearby town of Cahul.
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academia Chişinău | Dinamo Stadium | 2,888 | ||
| Costuleni | CSR Orhei | 2,539 | ||
| Ghidighici | Ghidighici Stadium | 1,500 | ||
| Dacia Chişinău | Chişinău | Zimbru Stadium | 10,600 | |
| Iskra-Stal Rîbnița | Rîbnița | Stadionul CPSM, Vadul lui Vodă | 1,000 | |
| Milsami Orhei | Orhei | CSR Orhei | 2,539 | |
| Nistru Otaci | Otaci | Călărăşăuca Stadium | 2,000 | |
| Olimpia Bălţi | Bălţi | Olimpia Bălţi Stadium | 5,953 | |
| Speranţa Crihana Veche | Crihana Veche | Stadionul CPSM | 1,000 | |
| Sheriff Tiraspol | Tiraspol | Sheriff Stadium | 13,460 | |
| Tiraspol | Sheriff Stadium | 13,460 | ||
| Zimbru Chişinău | Chişinău | Zimbru Stadium | 10,600 |
The following table represents the teams position after each round in the competition.
The schedule consists of three rounds. During the first two rounds, each team plays each other once home and away for a total of 22 matches. The pairings of the third round will then be set according to the standings after the first two rounds, giving every team a third game against each opponent for a total of 33 games per team.
Key numbers for pairing determination (number marks position after 22 games):
| 23rd round | 24th round | 25th round | 26th round | 27th round | 28th round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – 12 | 12 – 7 | 2 – 12 | 12 – 8 | 3 – 12 | 12 – 9 | |
| 2 – 11 | 8 – 6 | 3 – 1 | 9 – 7 | 4 – 2 | 10 – 8 | |
| 3 – 10 | 9 – 5 | 4 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 5 – 1 | 11 – 7 | |
| 4 – 9 | 10 – 4 | 5 – 10 | 11 – 5 | 6 – 11 | 1 – 6 | |
| 5 – 8 | 11 – 3 | 6 – 9 | 1 – 4 | 7 – 10 | 2 – 5 | |
| 6 – 7 | 1 – 2 | 7 – 8 | 2 – 3 | 8 – 9 | 3 – 4 |
| 29th round | 30th round | 31st round | 32nd round | 33rd round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 – 12 | 12 – 10 | 5 – 12 | 12 – 11 | 6 – 12 | |
| 5 – 3 | 11 – 9 | 6 – 4 | 1 – 10 | 7 – 5 | |
| 6 – 2 | 1 – 8 | 7 – 3 | 2 – 9 | 8 – 4 | |
| 7 – 1 | 2 – 7 | 8 – 2 | 3 – 8 | 9 – 3 | |
| 8 – 11 | 3 – 6 | 9 – 1 | 4 – 7 | 10 – 2 | |
| 9 – 10 | 4 – 5 | 10 – 11 | 5 – 6 | 11 – 1 |
Updated to matches played on 1 June 2013.[3]
| Key | |
|---|---|
| 4 | Player scored four goals |
| 5 | Player scored five goals |
| Player | Home | Away | Result | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 4 | FC Academia Chişinău | 5–0 | |||
| | FC Iskra-Stal Rîbnița | 4–3 | |||
| FC Tiraspol | 5–0 | ||||
 | FC Zimbru Chişinău | 1–8 |
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgi Georgiev | FC Tiraspol | 17 |
| 2 | Andrian Negai | FC Milsami | 15 |
| 3 | Eugen Matiughin | FC Dacia Chișinău | 10 |
| Artiom Gaiduchevici | FC Dacia Chișinău | 10 | |
| Nicolae Calancea | FC Zimbru Chișinău | 10 | |
| 6 | Alexandru Zveaghințev | FC Sheriff Tiraspol | 9 |
| 7 | Vladislav Stoyanov | FC Sheriff Tiraspol | 8 |
| 8 | Denis Cristofovici | FC Olimpia | 7 |
| 9 | Serghei Juric | FC Iskra-Stal | 6 |
| Vladimir Livşiţ | CSCA–Rapid Chișinău | 6 | |
| Gheorghe Tonu | FC Costuleni | 6 |
Final classification.
| Rank | Player | Club | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dumitru Bogdan | FC Academia Chișinău | 12 | 1 | 15 | |
| 2 | Alexandru Vremea | FC Academia Chișinău | 8 | 2 | 14 | |
| 2 | Valerian Gârlă | FC Milsami | 8 | 2 | 14 |
