FC Argeș Pitești Defeats Universitatea Craiova to Reopen Romanian Title Race

FC Argeș Pitești defeated Universitatea Craiova in the first round of the Romanian Superliga play-off on March 13, 2026, delivering the opening surprise of the post-season. The result moved FC Argeș to within two points of the league title, according to Ziare.com. The victory also dramatically widened the championship race, with six teams now holding a mathematical chance to win the Superliga, as reported by Adevarul.ro. Universitatea Craiova, based in Craiova, Dolj County, entered the play-off as one of the competition's stronger sides but was unable to hold off the challenge from the Pitești club.

Liga I, officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is the top tier of Romanian professional football and is contested by 16 clubs. FC Argeș Pitești is based in Pitești, Argeș County, while Universitatea Craiova competes out of Craiova, Dolj County. The Romanian league system features a split-season format in which clubs are divided into a championship play-off and a relegation play-out after the regular season concludes.

In the play-out, UTA Arad defeated FC Hermannstadt 3-2 in the first round on March 13, 2026. The win allowed UTA Arad to move past FCSB in the standings, according to Ziare.com. A notable moment in the match was an own goal scored by a player identified as Generic, as reported by Ziare.com. FC Hermannstadt, based in Sibiu, Sibiu County, was unable to recover from the deficit despite the close final scoreline.

Superliga Play-out, Round 1 — March 13, 2026: UTA Arad 3:2 FC Hermannstadt

UTA Arad, FC Hermannstadt, FCSB, FC Argeș Pitești, CS Universitatea Craiova