Liga I (women's football)


The Liga I is the top level women's football league in Romania. The champion team qualifies for UEFA Women's Champions League.
After the fall of communism, organised women's football started to take off, and the founded clubs were distributed into 2 leagues - Divizia A with 12 teams and Divizia B with 30 teams grouped into 3 series, following a tournament called Cupa Libertății. In 2006, the league was rebranded as Liga I along with its male counterparts, since the name Divizia A was found to already be trademarked.
The top league was renamed Superliga for 4 seasons between the 2013–14 season, when the league-system was restructured, and until the 2016-17 season. Between these seasons, the name Liga I was given to the second-tier league.

Format

The league started with 12 teams at its creation in 1990. It has suffered various format changes since. In some years, a play-off was held to decide the champion. For the 2011–2012 season, the league was split into East and West divisions. Teams played each other twice with the top two teams advancing to the championship round. In 2012–13 the teams were split into three divisions, after which the top two teams each advanced to the championship round. Points from the regular season were reset to zero for that round. Starting from 2013-14 and until 2015–16 eight teams played each other twice- and the top four teams played the championship play-off, while the bottom four played a relegation play-off. The last two places in the relegation play-off got relegated.
For 2016–17 the league was expanded to 10 teams, with no play-off. A play-off was reintroduced in the 2018–19 season, but since the 2019–20 season the league was expanded to 12 teams, dropping the play-off altogether.
Due to the 2019–20 edition being frozen halfway thanks to the 2019-20 Coronavirus pandemic, no teams were relegated and the league is being expanded to 14 teams temporarily for the 2020–21 season.

Winners

The following is a list of all Romanian women's top football league winners. The national champion is presented with the Romanian League trophy, and the top three teams currently receive gold, silver and bronze medals from the Romanian Football Federation.
Ed.SeasonChampionsRunner-upThird placeNo. TeamsSystem
11990–91 Divizia AICIM Brașov12
21991–92 Divizia ACFR Craiova
31992–93 Divizia AICIM Brașov
41993–94 Divizia AFartec Brașov
51994–95 Divizia AFartec Brașov
61995–96 Divizia AInterindustrial Oradea
71996–97 Divizia AMotorul Oradea
81997–98 Divizia AMotorul Oradea
91998–99 Divizia AConpet Ploiești
101999–2000 Divizia AConpet Ploiești
112000–01 Divizia ARegal București7
122001–02 Divizia ARegal BucureștiȘantierul Naval ConstanțaMotorul Oradea72 divisions with 3/4 teams each- playing a double round robin. First two places in each division qualify to the final tournament.
132002–03 Divizia AClujana ClujȘantierul Naval ConstanțaSmart Sport Bucharest82 divisions with 4 teams each- playing a sextuple round robin. First two places in each division qualify to the final tournament.
142003–04 Divizia AClujana ClujCrișul AleșdPandurii Târgu Jiu
152004–05 Divizia AClujana ClujPandurii Târgu JiuMotorul Oradea
162005–06 Divizia AClujana ClujPandurii Târgu JiuCSȘ Târgoviște82 divisions with 4 teams each- playing a double round robin. First two places in each division qualify in the Championship play-off.
172006–07 Liga IClujana ClujPandurii Târgu JiuCSȘ Târgoviște9Double round-robin. First 4 teams qualify in the Championship play-off.
182007–08 Liga IClujana ClujCSȘ TârgovișteSmart Sport Bucharest8Double round-robin.
192008–09 Liga IClujana ClujRipensia TimișoaraCSȘ Târgoviște12Double round-robin.
202009–10 Liga IFCM Târgu MureşSporting CraiovaClujana Cluj12Double round-robin.
212010–11 Liga IOlimpia ClujFCM Târgu MureşReal Craiova13Double round-robin.
222011–12 Liga IOlimpia ClujFCM Târgu MureşReal Craiova202 divisions with 10 teams each- playing a double round robin. First two places in each division qualify in the Championship play-off.
232012–13 Liga IOlimpia ClujFCM Târgu MureşCFR Timișoara183 divisions with 6 teams each- playing a double round robin. First two places in each division qualify in the Championship play-off. Third place in each division qualifies in the Superliga qualification play-off. Last two places in each division qualify in the play-out.
242013–14 SuperligaOlimpia ClujFCM Târgu MureşReal Craiova8Double round-robin. First 4 teams qualify for the Championship play-off, while the last 4 teams play in the Relegation play-off.
252014–15 SuperligaOlimpia ClujASA Târgu MureşHeniu Prundu Bârgăului8Double round-robin. First 4 teams qualify for the Championship play-off, while the last 4 teams play in the Relegation play-off.
262015–16 SuperligaOlimpia ClujASA Târgu MureşNăvobi Iași8Double round-robin. First 4 teams qualify for the Championship play-off, while the last 4 teams play in the Relegation play-off.
272016–17 SuperligaOlimpia ClujNăvobi IașiCFR Timișoara10Double round-robin.
282017–18 Liga IOlimpia ClujVasas Femina OdorheiCFR Timișoara10Double round-robin.
292018–19 Liga IU Olimpia ClujFortuna Becicherecu MicHeniu Prundu Bârgăului10Double round-robin. First 3 teams qualify for the Championship play-off, next 3 teams qualify for a mid-table tournament, while the remaining teams play in the play-out.
302019–20 Liga IU Olimpia ClujUniversitatea GalațiFortuna Becicherecu Mic12Double round-robin planned, but only single round-robin completed due to the 2019-20 Coronavirus pandemic.
312020–21 Liga I14Double round-robin.

Record Champions