Liga III explained

Country:	Romania
Founded:	1936
Organiser:	FRF
Teams:	100 (10x10)
Promotion:	Liga II
Relegation:	Liga IV
Levels:	3
Domest Cup:	Cupa României Supercupa României
Champions:	Bucovina Rădăuți, Metalul Buzău, Afumați, CS Dinamo București, Câmpulung Muscel, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Ghiroda, Bihor Oradea, Gloria Bistrița-Năsăud, Zalău
Season:	2023–24
Current:	2024–25 Liga III
Website:	frfotbal.ro

The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. It was founded in 1936 and was called Divizia C until 2006. An exception was the seasons 1992–93 to 1996–97, in which the league was called Divizia B. Its name was changed from Divizia C to Liga III before the start of the 2006–07 season.^[1]

History

Divizia C was founded in 1936 with the task of forming both an organizational and managerial buffer between national and regional football. In this sense, it was abolished several times, when a totally local management was opted for. Even on other occasions, its format was highly unstable.

Until 1963 the competition was only held irregularly. After the first two seasons in 1936–37 and 1937–38, the Divizia C was discontinued and only resumed for one season in 1946–47. After another year's break, a new attempt was made in 1948–49, which was canceled after the first half of the season. The fourth edition of the Divizia C took place in 1956, which was followed by the two seasons 1957–58 and 1958–59. After a further four-year break, the next season only came in 1963–64, since which the Divizia C has now been held annually.

Current format

Since the 2021–2022 season Liga III was reorganized from 5 to 10 groups, each with 10 teams, based on the geographic position. In each group, teams play each other twice, before the play-off, with the 4 best teams, and the play-out, with the remaining 6 teams, starts.

The top 2 teams form each group goes in the promotion semi-final, first in group 1 plays second in group 2 and vice versa all the way to group 9 and group 10, and then the final, winners of the games between the group 1 and group 2 teams all the way to groups 9 and 10, ending with 5 winners getting promoted to Liga II.

The bottom two teams from each group are relegated at the end of the season to the Liga IV. From the 4th placed teams in the play-out, the team with the least points is relegated.

List of champions and promoted teams

Source:^[2] ^[3]

Divizia C (–1992)

Seria I	Seria II	Seria III	Seria IV	Seria V	Seria VI	Seria VII	Seria VIII	Seria IX	Seria X	Seria XI	Seria XII
Chimia Fălticeni	Partizanul Bacău	Olimpia Râmnicu Sărat	Unirea Slobozia	Metalul Plopeni	Chimia Turnu Măgurele	Constructorul TCI Craiova	CFR Caransebeș	Minerul Lupeni	CFR Cluj-Napoca	Avântul Reghin	Nitramonia Făgăraș
CFR Pașcani	FEPA 74 Bârlad	Metalul Mangalia	AS Mizil	Mecanica Fină București	Flacăra-Automecanica Moreni	Drobeta-Turnu Severin	Mureșul Deva	Strungul Arad	Sticla Arieșul Turda	Unirea Alba Iulia	Tractorul Brașov
Minerul Vatra Dornei	Aripile Bacău	Delta Tulcea	Dunărea Călărași	ICSIM București	Muscelul Câmpulung	Electroputere Craiova	Metalul Bocșa	Înfrățirea Oradea	CIL Sighet	Mecanica Orăștie	ICIM Brașov
Minerul Gura Humorului	Unirea Dinamo Focșani	FEPA 74 Bârlad	Unirea Slobozia	Autobuzul București	ROVA Roșiori	Gloria Pandurii Târgu Jiu	Minerul Paroșeni	Steaua CFR Cluj-Napoca	Unio Satu Mare	Inter Sibiu	Poiana Câmpina
Siretul Pașcani	Inter Vaslui	Petrolul Ianca	Sportul 30 Decembrie	Metalul București	Sportul Muncitoresc Caracal	Gloria Reșița	Progresul Timișoara	Sticla Arieșul Turda	Minerul Baia Sprie	Electromureș Târgu Mureș	Metalul Plopeni
ASA Explorări Câmpulung-Moldovenesc	Aripile Victoria Bacău	Metalul Mangalia	Dunărea Călărași	Metalul Mija	Dacia Pitești	Minerul Motru	CFR Timișoara	Minerul Cavnic	Unirea Alba-Iulia	Avântul Reghin	Poiana Câmpina
Foresta Fălticeni	Viitorul Vaslui	Olimpia Râmnicu Sărat	Unirea Slobozia	Autobuzul București	Mecanică Fină București	Constructorul TCI Craiova	Vagonul Arad	Mureșul Explorări Deva	IMASA Sfântu Gheorghe	Steaua CFR Cluj-Napoca	Someșul Satu Mare
Fortus Iași	Borzești	Gloria CFR Galați	Callatis Mangalia	Progresul București	Electroputere Craiova	Șoimii IPA Sibiu	Montana Sinaia	Vulturii Lugoj	Aurul Brad	Metalurgistul Cugir	CIL Sighet
Relonul Săvinești	FEPA 74 Bârlad	Petrolul Ianca	Portul Constanța	Metalul București	Metrom Brașov	Olt Scornicești	Jiul IEELIF Craiova	Electromureș Târgu Mureș	Minerul Cavnic	CFR Cluj-Napoca	UM Timișoara
CFR Pașcani	Cotidianul Bacău	Delta Tulcea	Metalul Plopeni	Electrica Fieni	Dunărea Călărași	Dacia Pitești	Mureșul Toplița	Minerul Mătăsari	Arsenal Reșița	Șoimii Lipova	Cuprom Baia Mare
Due to the reorganization of the competitive system in the summer of 1992, dictated by the Romanian Football Federation, no team promoted from the third tier.

Divizia B (1992–1997)

Seria I	Seria II	Seria III	Seria IV
Constructorul Iași	Metalul Plopeni	Gaz Metan Mediaș	Phoenix Baia Mare
Cetatea Târgu Neamț	Poiana Câmpina	Dacia Pitești	Unirea Dej
Foresta Fălticeni	Oțelul Târgoviște	Minerul Motru	Minaur Zlatna
Other promoted teams: Electro Mecon Onești (I), Dunărea Călărași (II), ARO Câmpulung (III), Olimpia Satu Mare (IV).
Petrolul Moinești	Danubiana București	Precizia Săcele	CFR Cluj-Napoca
Nitramonia Făgăraș	Midia Năvodari	Vega Deva	UM Timișoara

Divizia C (1997–2006)

Seria I	Seria II	Seria III	Seria IV
Laminorul Roman	Cimentul Fieni	Rulmentul Alexandria	Bihor Oradea
Other promoted teams: Chimica Târnăveni (I), Drobeta-Turnu Severin (III)
Diplomatic Focșani	Callatis Mangalia	Electro Bere Craiova	UM Timișoara
Other promoted teams: Juventus București (II), Flacăra Râmnicu Vâlcea (III)

Season	Seria I	Seria II	Seria III	Seria IV	Seria V	Seria VI	Seria VII	Seria VIII
2000–01	Petrolul Moinești	Dacia Unirea Brăila	Inter Gaz București	Electromagnetica București	Inter Pitești	Minaur Zlatna	Industria Sârmei Câmpia Turzii	Universitatea Cluj
2001–02	Politehnica Unirea Iași	Gloria Buzău	Medgidia	Rulmentul Alexandria	Minerul Motru	Corvinul Hunedoara	Metrom Brașov	CFR Cluj-Napoca
	Petrolul Moinești	Unirea Urziceni	Juventus București	Dacia Mioveni	Rarora Râmnicu Vâlcea	Jiul Petroșani	Oltul Sfântu Gheorghe	Armătura Zalău
	Other promoted teams: Laminorul Roman (I), FC Vaslui (I), Poiana Câmpina (II), Callatis Mangalia (III), Electrica Constanța (III), Chindia Târgoviște (IV), Building Vânju Mare (V), Certej (VI), ACU Arad (VI), Precizia Săcele (VII), Tricotaje Ineu (VIII), Oașul Negrești (VIII).

Season	Seria I	Seria II	Seria III	Seria IV	Seria V	Seria VI	Seria VII	Seria VIII	Seria IX
2003–04	Botoșani	Dunărea Galați	Otopeni	Ghimbav	Oltul Slatina	Politehnica Timișoara	Unirea Sânnicolau Mare	Unirea Dej	FC Sibiu
2004–05	Cetatea Suceava	Portul Constanța	Dunărea Giurgiu	Poiana Câmpina	Râmnicu Vâlcea	CFR Timișoara	Minerul Lupeni	Forex Brașov	Gloria Bistrița II
	Politehnica Iași II	Delta Tulcea	Snagov	Chimia Brazi	Building Vânju Mare	Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea	Auxerre Lugoj	Baia Mare	Ghimbav
	Other promoted teams: Ghimbav were not eligible for promotion, runners-up Tractorul Brașov promoted.

Liga III (2006–2022)

Season	Seria I	Seria II	Seria III	Seria IV	Seria V	Seria VI
	Focșani	Dinamo București II	Concordia Chiajna	Drobeta-Turnu Severin	Arieșul Turda	Liberty Salonta
	Other promoted teams: Inter Gaz București (II), Mureșul Deva (V).
	Cetatea Suceava	Snagov	FC Ploiești	Internațional Curtea de Argeș	Unirea Sânnicolau Mare	Luceafărul Lotus Băile Felix
	Other promoted teams: Buftea (III), ACU Arad (V).
	Râmnicu Sărat	FCSB II	Victoria Brănești	Gaz Metan CFR Craiova	Fortuna Covaci	Baia Mare
	Other promoted teams: Tricolorul Breaza (III), Silvania Șimleu Silvaniei (VI).
	Dacia Unirea Brăila	Viitorul Constanța	Juventus București	Alro Slatina	Pandurii Târgu Jiu II	Voința Sibiu
	Other promoted teams: Pandurii Târgu Jiu II were not eligible for promotion, runners-up ACU Arad promoted.
2010–11	FCM Bacău	Callatis Mangalia	Chindia Târgoviște	Slatina	Luceafărul Oradea	FCMU Baia Mare
2011–12	Rapid CFR Suceava	Unirea Slobozia	Buftea	Damila Măciuca	Recaș	Corona Brașov
2012–13	SC Bacău	Gloria Buzău	Berceni	Minerul Motru	Olimpia Satu Mare	Unirea Tărlungeni
2013–14	Dorohoi	Voluntari	Balotești	Caransebeș	Șoimii Pâncota	Fortuna Poiana Câmpina

Season	Seria I	Seria II	Seria III	Seria IV	Seria V
2014–15	Bucovina Pojorâta	Dunărea Călărași	Chindia Târgoviște	UTA Arad	Baia Mare
2015–16	Sepsi OSK	Juventus București	Afumați	ASU Politehnica Timișoara	Luceafărul Oradea
2016–17	Știința Miroslava	Metaloglobus București	SCM Pitești	Ripensia Timișoara	Hermannstadt
2017–18	Aerostar Bacău	Farul Constanța	Petrolul Ploiești	Șirineasa	Universitatea Cluj
2018–19	SCM Gloria Buzău	Rapid București	Turris-Oltul Turnu Măgurele	Reșița	Miercurea Ciuc
	Aerostar Bacău	Unirea Slobozia	Slatina	FC U Craiova 1948	Comuna Recea
	Season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Romania.

Seria I	Seria II	Seria III	Seria IV	Seria V	Seria VI	Seria VII	Seria VIII	Seria IX	Seria X
Bucovina Rădăuți	Oțelul Galați	Afumați	Steaua București	Corona Brașov	Vedița Colonești	Viitorul Șelimbăr	Șoimii Lipova	Cugir	Minaur Baia Mare
Promoted teams via play-offs: Dacia Unirea Brăila, Steaua București, Corona Brașov, Viitorul Șelimbăr, Unirea Dej
Dante Botoșani	Oțelul Galați	Afumați	Progresul Spartac	Odorheiu Secuiesc	Slatina	Reșița	Dumbrăvița	Hunedoara	Minaur Baia Mare
Promoted teams via play-offs: Oțelul Galați, Progresul Spartac, Slatina, Dumbrăvița, Minaur Baia Mare
Foresta Suceava	Metalul Buzău	Afumați	Tunari	Blejoi	Alexandria	Deva	Reșița	Corvinul Hunedoara	Bihor Oradea
Promoted teams via play-offs: Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț, Tunari, Alexandria, Reșița, Corvinul Hunedoara
Bucovina Rădăuți	Metalul Buzău	Afumați	CS Dinamo București	Câmpulung Muscel	Râmnicu Vâlcea	Ghiroda	Bihor Oradea	Gloria Bistrița-Năsăud	Zalău
Promoted teams via play-offs: Metalul Buzău, Afumați, Câmpulung Muscel, Bihor Oradea, Unirea Ungheni, Focșani

References

Summary Liga III Romania, us.soccerway.com

Notes and References

[Cotidianul]
Web site: Romania – List of Second Division Final Tables. RSSSF. 27 October 2015.
Web site: Divizia B – Istorie – statistics. romaniansoccer.ro. 27 October 2015.