Universitatea Cluj

Universitatea Cluj was founded in 1919 within the city’s university community through the initiative of Iuliu Hațieganu. Its student identity, the letter U and black and white colours accompanied the team through political and administrative changes. During the Second World War, the club operated in Sibiu. CSU and Știința were later used as names before Universitatea returned in 1966. The Romanian Cup won in 1965 remains the principal trophy in its history. The team has reached further finals and developed numerous Romanian internationals without winning the national league championship. Its university connection and rivalry with CFR have maintained a distinctive identity within Cluj football across different divisions. Financial difficulties culminated in the old company’s bankruptcy in 2016. The municipality, university and supporters backed a new organisation, ACSF Alb-Negru al Studenților Clujeni. According to the consulted account, the municipality controlled the identity rights and made them available to this project. The FC Universitatea Cluj name returned in 2017; this does not mean the bankrupt company continued to exist legally. The rebuilt team climbed from the fourth division and returned to the top flight in 2022. Romanian Cup finals in 2023 and 2026 brought it back into contention for the competition’s trophy. In the 2026–2027 season, Universitatea competes in the Superliga and uses Cluj Arena as its principal home ground.