The volatile evolution of Romania's third-tier football league
In short: For much of its early history, the Romanian Liga III was a ghost competition. It vanished for years at a time, only resurfacing in fits and starts before settling into a complex, multi-stage system that balances regional geography with high-stakes promotion play-offs.
Founded in 1936 as Divizia C, the league served as the national third tier between Divizia B and regional championships. However, its early existence was defined by instability rather than continuity. The competition was held irregularly for decades; after only two seasons (1936–1938), it was discontinued until 1946–47. It faced further interruptions, including a season in 1948–49 that was abandoned midway through.
Stability finally arrived in the 1960s. During the 1963–64 season, the tournament resumed featuring twelve-team groups across four regions: East, West, South and North. Since then, it has been held every season, though its structure has undergone constant metamorphosis. It was renamed Divizia B during a 1992 reorganization, only to have its traditional names restored in 1997. By the 2006–07 season, the name Liga III became official.
Modern iterations are characterized by extreme structural complexity. During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–21), it was expanded to ten series of ten teams each. The current format, which will remain through 2026–27, features eight geographical series of twelve clubs. This system splits into a regular season followed by separate play-offs and play-outs. Teams in the promotion play-offs carry forward only points earned against other qualifiers from their original series, creating a unique competitive dynamic where past results are selectively weighted.
The stakes are high: winners of the four eight-team play-off groups earn direct promotion to Liga II, while runners-up enter a knockout tournament for the final spot. Conversely, the play-out system determines relegation to Liga IV, involving a single round-robin where teams keep their regular-season points but face additional matches to determine their survival.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Liga III
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