Sports Weekend

In light of their results this week, all Romanian football sides retain their chance to advance to the next stages of the European competitions.

Florin Orban, 24.07.2026, 13:45

In light of their results this week, all Romanian football sides retain their chance to advance to the next stages of the European competitions.

Three Romanian football teams played in the second qualifying round of the Europa Conference League on Thursday. In Yerevan, CFR Cluj drew against the Armenian side Alashkert. The hosts scored first, 35 minutes into the match, thanks to Rafael Jesus. The Romanian team equalised in the second minute of the second half thanks to Andres Șfaiț. The return match is scheduled for next Thursday in Cluj. If they eliminate the Armenian team, CFR Cluj will face the loser of the match between the Norwegian side Tromsø and the Czech club Hradec Králové, who are competing in the Europa League’s second qualifying round. The Czech side won the first match 1-nil away.

In Sfântu Gheorghe, Universitatea Cluj faced the Norwegian side Brann Bergen, who dominated most of the match and were in the lead 2-nil after goals by Niklas Castro in the 40th minute and Felix Myhre in the 53rd minute. The Romanian side rallied towards the end of the match, scoring thanks to Jovo Lukić in the 85th minute and Pedro Pinho two minutes later, so the final score was 2-all. The return match is scheduled for next week in Bergen. The winner will most likely face the Cypriot team Apollon Limassol in the third qualifying round, with Apollon defeating the Georgian side Dila Gori 4-nil away.

In Bucharest, FCSB lost 3-2 to the Latvian side Auda FK, who scored first in the 5th minute through Eduards Dašķevičs. The Bucharest side equalised in the 23rd minute thanks to Octavian Popescu. The Latvian side then scored in the 32nd minute thanks to Barthelemy Diedhiou. FCSB’s  Aymen Boutoutaou equalised in the 71st minute, with the final score being established in stoppage time by Kader Koné. The return match will take place next Thursday in Riga. The winner will face the winner of the match between the Slovenian team Aluminij and the Albanian side Dinamo Tirana in the third qualifying round of the Conference League, whose first match in Slovenia ended in a 1-all draw.

Matches for the second round of the Romanian Superliga football championship are taking place this weekend. Two matches are scheduled for Friday: UTA Arad vs. Oțelul Galați and FC Argeș vs. Petrolul Ploiești. On Saturday, Farul face Corvinul Hunedoara at home, while Dinamo take on Universitatea Craiova in Bucharest. On Sunday, Sepsi will play against Universitatea Cluj in Sfântu Gheorghe, and Csikszereda will host the Bucharest team FCSB in Miercurea Ciuc. The final two matches of the leg will take place on Monday: CFR Cluj vs. FC Voluntari and FC Botoșani vs. Rapid Bucharest.