HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Asociația Clubul Sportiv Petrolul 52, commonly referred to as FC Petrolul Ploiești (), Petrolul Ploiești or simply Petrolul, is a Romanian professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...
,
Prahova County Prahova County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploiești. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 762,886 and the population density was 161/k ...
, that competes in the
Liga I Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...
. Founded in 1924 in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
as ''Juventus'', through the merger of ''Triumf'' and ''Romcomit'', the club won its first league championship in the 1929–30 season. In 1952, it relocated to the industrial city of Ploiești, adopting the name Petrolul in 1957. The club subsequently secured three additional national titles in 1957–58, 1958–59, and 1965–66. Its domestic honours also include three
Cupa României The Cupa României () is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. It is the Romania ...
titles, the most recent in the 2012–13 season. Petrolul made its international debut in the 1958–59 season, facing East German side Wismut Karl Marx Stadt in the preliminary round of the
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...
. The club has since totalled 12 editions of European competitions, eight of which were governed by
UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
. Petrolul's colours are yellow and dark blue, earning players and fans the nickname "the Yellow Wolves". The team plays its home matches at the 15,073-capacity Ilie Oană Stadium, inaugurated in 2011. Its most prominent rivalry is with
Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
, known as the ''Primvs'' derby. Additionally, Petrolul had a short-lived local rivalry with
Astra Giurgiu Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu or simply Astra, was a Romanian football club last based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County. Founded in 1921 in Ploiești as ''Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română'', it spe ...
from 1998 until 2012, when Astra relocated from Ploiești.


History


Founding and early years (1924–1952)

The team was founded in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
in late 1924, when ''Romcomit'' and ''Triumf'' merged into what would become one of the most notable clubs of the capital during the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
, ''Juventus București''. Its Latin identity was illustrated by the crest, which was based on the legend of the
founding of Rome The founding of Rome was a prehistoric event or process later greatly embellished by Roman historians and poets. Archaeological evidence indicates that Rome developed from the gradual union of several hillfort, hilltop villages during the Prehi ...
, where a she-wolf nursed
Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and (, ) are twins in mythology, twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the Founding of Rome, founding of the History of Rome, city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his frat ...
. ''Juventus'' inherited the
stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...
and the red and blue colors of ''Romcomit''. An article relating the event was published on 4 January 1925 in the ''
Gazeta Sporturilor Gazeta Sporturilor () is a Romanian sports website, originally founded in 1924 as a daily newspaper. It was the third-oldest daily newspaper in Europe, with 99 years of uninterrupted publication, before issuing its last edition on 31 October 2023. ...
'' newspaper, under the title "Juventus – A sensational merger" (''Juventus – O fuziune senzațională''). In their first season of existence being led by president Ettore Brunelli and player-coach Ion Motoroi, the team finished on the 4th place in the
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
championship, the first game taking place on 8 March 1925 in a 3–0 victory against Colțea București with goals scored by Bebe Rollea, Antofiloiu ( o.g.) and Török, the team used being: Căpșuneanu – Constantin Vețianu, Sile Georgescu – Schaller, Ion Motoroi, Grigore Grigoriu, Sergiu Petrovici, Victor Block, Bebe Rollea, Török, Aurel Schei. Before the start of the new season, president Brunelli wanted to test the value of his squad, organizing the club's first matches at international level, friendlies which ended with victories against
Slavia Prague Sportovní klub Slavia Praha – fotbal (Sports Club Slavia Prague – Football, ), commonly known as Slavia Praha or Slavia Prague, is a Czech professional football club in Prague. Founded in 1892, they are the second most successful club in t ...
(2–1),
Slavia Sofia PFC Slavia Sofia 1913 () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently competes in the top tier of the Bulgarian football league system, the First League. Slavia's home ground is the Stadion Aleksandar Sh ...
(3–0) and Vasas Budapest (5–2). In the
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
regional championship, the team finished on the 1st place, qualifying for the 1925–26 Divizia A where they lost the final in front of Chinezul Timișoara, being led in the first half of the season by coach Motoroi and in the second by György Hlavay who according to journalist Ioan Chirilă's book, "Zile și nopți pe stadion" ''(Days and nights at the stadium)'' is considered by
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
's coach at the 1930 World Cup, Constantin Rădulescu to be the first coach that brought modern training sessions on the fields of
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
. Their first national title came six years after their establishment, being led in the first half of the season by coach Gyula Feldmann and in the second by Hlavay, as the team won another
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
regional championship, qualifying for the 1929–30 Divizia A where they won the final with a 3–0 victory against Gloria Arad with goals scored by László Raffinsky, Ion Maior and Carlo Melchior, the team used being: Dumitru Bacinschi – Constantin Deleanu, Sile Georgescu – Ștefan Wetzer, Emerich Vogl, Tibor Remeny – Gyula Dobo, Carlo Melchior, Rudolf Wetzer, László Raffinsky, Ion Maior. After the reorganization of the Romanian division structure, the club played seven consecutive campaigns in the
Divizia A Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...
, from 1933 to 1940. Following
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, they were promoted once again to the top tier, having finished first in the final Divizia B season prior to the outbreak of war. The club played its last campaign as ''Juventus'' in 1946–47, after which the name was changed numerous times to ''Distribuția'', ''Petrolul'', ''Competrol'', ''Partizanul'' and ''Flacăra'' respectively.


Move to Ploiești and three national titles (1952–1968)

''Flacăra București'' was moved to
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...
in 1952, and renamed accordingly. Coach Ilie Oană took charge of the team at the half of the 1952 season, but he couldn't manage to spare his team from relegation. He would, however, reach the cup final, lost against CCA București 0–2. In 1957–58, the team became champion of Romania for the second time in its history, despite having the same number of points as CCA București and Știința Timișoara. That was also the season when the present-day name of Petrolul Ploiești was adopted. In the autumn of
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...
, Petrolul made its debut in the
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...
and faced Wismut Karl Marx Stadt of
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
in the preliminary round. After a 4–2 away loss in Aue, the club managed to level on aggregate with a 2–0 victory in Romania. Wismut Karl Marx Stadt qualified further after winning the play-off 4–0 in
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
. The first part of the 1958–59 Divizia A saw Petrolul on the fourth place in the table, but with several good results which followed the team clinched its second consecutive league championship. They were once again unable to go further than the preliminary round of the European Cup, Austrian side
Wiener Sport-Club The Wiener Sport-Club, sometimes abbreviated as WSC, was established in 1883 in Vienna, Austria and is one of the country's oldest athletics clubs. Their traditional home is in the Dornbach quarter of the city ( 17th district). History At vari ...
defeating them 1–2 on aggregate. On 14 July 1963 Petrolul's player Constantin Tabarcea collapsed and died during a
Divizia A Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...
match against Dinamo Bacău. One week later after his death Petrolul won the 1962–63 Cupa României with 6–1 against
Siderurgistul Galați Siderurgistul Galați was a football club based in Galaţi, Romania. It was founded in 1955 and dissolved in 1967. History The club was founded in 1955 as ''Dinamo Galați'' and in 1961 it was renamed to CSO Galați, and afterwards to Siderurg ...
and before the game, at the team photo, the place from the down row in front of goalkeeper Mihai Ionescu was left free in the memory of Tabarcea. In 1965, head coach Ilie Oană left Petrolul for the Romania national team, and assistant Constantin Cernăianu took over the vacant place. At his first season, Cernăianu achieved the club's fourth Divizia A trophy after finishing six points ahead of
Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
. 12 October 1966 has remained an important date in the history of the team; after a 0–2 away defeat, Petrolul won 3–1 at home against the champions of England,
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. The third match in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
was difficult, and "the Reds" went ahead in the European Cup.


A period of decline (1968–1990)

After that period of great form, Petrolul began a period of decline and although the club remained in the first division for many years later, only the 1995 Romanian Cup final reminded their supporters about the years of glory. In 1970, the oilmen finished the first part of the championship on the 2nd place, but it lost that place until the end of the season. 1969–70, 1971–72 were seasons in which Petrolul was at only one step from relegation. After a "resuscitation" ( 1972–73, 15th place occupied after five rounds, the 4th place at the beginning of the winter break), 1973 was quite weak year. In 1974, the people from
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...
suspected a match fixed between Argeş Pitești and
CFR Cluj Fotbal Club CFR 1907 Cluj, commonly known as CFR Cluj ( or ) or simply CFR, is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, that competes in the Liga I. Founded as ''Kolozsvári Vasut ...
, in favor of the team from
Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...
, it was supposed that Petrolul officials have tried to financially stimulate the host, but the authorities discovered the plan and the team has discreetly relegated to Divizia B, this happened in the conditions in which in 1963 Prahova Ploiești and Carpați Sinaia, other two teams from
Prahova County Prahova County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploiești. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 762,886 and the population density was 161/k ...
were relegated by the
Romanian Football Federation The Romanian Football Federation (; FRF) is the governing body of football in Romania. They are headquartered in the capital city of Bucharest and affiliated with FIFA and UEFA since 1923 and 1955 respectively. The Federation organizes the men's ...
to Divizia B due to match-fixing. Arrived in the second division, the most valuable footballers of the club, Crângaşu and Rămureanu left and after 3 rounds the team was the last. The yellow wolves recovered later, but the local coaches did not have the value of Ilie Oană, who also went to Politehnica Iași, then to Universitatea Craiova, Petrolul remaining in some kind of mediocrity. In January 1976, the club brought in Valentin Stănescu to be the coach, and the team tried to promote but lost a home game against FC Brăila. After the game, the supporters showed their dissatisfaction with Dinulescu's refereeing, throwing various objects from the stands. FCM Galaţi then strengthened its nickname as an "ABBA" team (a nickname used in Romania for clubs that frequently alternated between the first and second divisions), promoting in front of Petrolul that year and relegating after only one season in the top flight of Romanian football. Instead, Petrolul had an exceptional 1976–77 season, with 15 wins and 2 draws in the first part of the campaign, finishing in 1st place, far ahead of 2nd place Gloria Buzău. The squad included Gh. Constantin, Mîrzea, Gh. Dumitrescu, Sotir, Ene, Butufei, I. Constantin, Ionescu, Angelescu, N. Florian, Simaciu, Negoiță, D. Georgescu, Fl. Dumitrescu, Pantea, Toporan, State, Pisău, Mînăstire, and Manolache. Unfortunately, the players born in the Prahova County did not have enough experience and at the end of the 1977–78 Divizia A season it was ranked only 17th and relegated back. The immediate promotion was forbidden by Viitorul Scorniceşti, the football club from the native town of
Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( ; ;  – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...
, which was strongly pushed forward to Divizia A by the
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
authorities, in power at the time, a concrete proof being that FC Olt promoted from Divizia C after an 18–0 victory against the team ranked 15th, while Flacăra Moreni won only 2–1, in a match played at the same hour, against ROVA Roșiori. 1979–80 season was also not a very good one for the yellow and blues,
Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
and Progresul București fought for the 1st place, and "the referee" was Metalul Plopeni, who won in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
against Rapid and lost against Progresul. In 1980, Petrolul brought a new coach in the person of Traian Ionescu, a very experienced coach with teams like Dinamo București or Fenerbahçe in his CV, but another thing would ruin the promotion dreams, CS Târgoviște succeeded in that year a sensational transfer, nicknamed as ''The Gander'' or ''The Prince of Trivale'' and being one of the most important names ever given by the Romanian football, Nicolae Dobrin came in
Târgoviște Târgoviște (, alternatively spelled ''Tîrgoviște'') is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Dâmbovița County, Romania. It is situated north-west of Bucharest, on the right bank of the Ialomița (river), Ialomița River. Târgoviște was ...
after 19 years spent in
Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș (river), Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in th ...
, making a decisive contribution for the promotion of his team and ruining the plans of the yellow wolves. In 1982, after 4 years in the second league and 7 out of 8 last years, Petrolul exceeded his great rival,
Rapid Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
and returned to
Divizia A Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...
.
1982–83 Divizia A The 1982–83 Divizia A was the sixty-fifth season of Divizia A, the top-level association football, football league of Romania. Teams League table Results Top goalscorers Champion squad See also * 1982–83 Divizia B * 1982–83 D ...
season was a one full of emotions, avoiding the relegation was the target in the mind of everyone at each of the games played by the team. 1983–84 season send Petrolul back to Divizia B again, but promotion came after a victory at
Galați Galați ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the river Danube. and the sixth-larges ...
against Dunărea, former FCM, the team which forbidding the promotion of the oilmen, ten years earlier. In 1987, the yellow and blues signed another coach, a former team player from years of glory, Constantin Moldoveanu. But Moldoveanu did not have in the squad the players who won against Steaua București or
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in the glory times and Petrolul relegated back to the second league. September 1988 brought Ion Radu as the new chairman, helped by Mihai Cristache. The two were often criticized of the post-
revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...
press, but they did some performances like in the times of Mircea Dridea and Mihai Ionescu. Petrolul promoted in 1989 and finished on the 4th place in its first season, helped also by the dissolution (in the winter of 1990) of Victoria București, club sponsored by the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs (the "Miliția", Police), institution under the former Communist regime.


European participations and cup win (1990–2002)

Petrolul finished the 1989–90 Divizia A on the fourth place, after having just returned from the second division in 1989. Therefore, it qualified for the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
along with Universitatea Craiova and Politehnica Timișoara. "The Yellow Wolves" played against Belgian club
Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...
, which won both legs. At the end of the 1990–91 season, Petrolul finished 7th and in the
Romanian Cup Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
they were eliminated in the second round proper by their bitter rivals Steaua București. In the summer of 1991 the club changed its name to ''FC Ploiești'', but made a very weak season, finishing only 10th in the top flight and in the Romanian Cup, the squad was eliminated again in the second round proper, this time by FC U Craiova. At the end of the season ''FC Ploiești'' changed its name back to Petrolul Ploiești. "The Oilmen" saved from relegation in the last moment at the end of the 1992–93 season, finishing 16th out of 18, with two points over Selena Bacău and four over CSM Reșița. Next season, coach Marin Ion and his players made a very good season and finished in the top 5, more exactly on the 5th place, one point over Farul Constanța, at the same number of points with 4th place (
Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
), two points behind 3rd place ( Dinamo București) and three points behind 2nd place ( FC U Craiova). In the Romanian Cup, "the Yellow Wolves" were eliminated in the second round proper by Inter Sibiu. In the 1994–95 season, despite a mediocre league result (10th place), coached by the same Marin Ion, Petrolul won the 1994–95 Cupa României after defeating their rivals,
Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
, at the
penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
and qualified for the
1995–96 UEFA Cup The 1995–96 UEFA Cup was the 25th season of Europe's then-tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA. It was won by German club Bayern Munich on aggregate over Bordeaux of France. Girondins de Bordeaux went to the final all the way ...
. The team included the following players: PredaD.Chiriță, Grigore, Răchită (C), Bălăceanu – Leahu, Grama, Pârlog, Abăluţă – Zmoleanu, Zafiris. 1995–96 season was started by "the Yellow and Blues" on 3 fronts, League, Cup and UEFA Cup. In the European competition they eliminated Welsh side
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
, in the first round, after a 0–0 on the
Racecourse Ground The Racecourse Ground (), is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales. It is the home of Wrexham A.F.C., Wrexham AFC. It is the largest stadium in North Wales and the List of football stadiums in Wales, fifth-largest in Wales. It is the world's o ...
and 1–0 victory on the Ilie Oană Stadium, goal scored by Pârlog in the 60th minute. The slow start would announce the early elimination, in the second round, when Austrian side
Rapid Wien Sportklub Rapid (), commonly known as Rapid Wien or Rapid Vienna in English, is an Austrian professional football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the f ...
won 3–1 on aggregate after a 3–1 on the Gerhard Hanappi Stadium and a 0–0 draw in
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...
. In the league Petrolul ended again in the top half of the table, on the 6th place and in the cup, was eliminated in the quarter-finals, by Național București, at the
penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
. In the following years Petrolul occupied the following positions at the end of the championship: 1996–97 – 9th, 1997–98 – 14th, 1998–99 – 8th and 1999–2000 – 11th. The late 1990s have been marked by the fierce rivalry with Astra Ploiești, a team that promoted in the first league in 1998.


Second division struggles (2002–2011)

In the early 2000s, Petrolul entered under the ownership of
Petrom OMV Petrom S.A. is a Romanian integrated oil company, controlled by Austria's OMV. It is one of the largest corporations in Romania and the largest oil and gas producer in Southeast Europe. Since 2004 it is a subsidiary of OMV. With 2022 reve ...
's trade union president, Liviu Luca, and ''ploieștenii'' have a peak at the end of the 2000–01 Divizia A, when the team finished on the 2nd place. But the collapse followed. In 2002, the yellow and blues relegated to Divizia B and the city of
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...
, which had 2 teams in Divizia A between 1998 and 2002, remained in the first league only with Astra, a club which had no presence in the top-flight of the Romanian football until 1998. The oilmen promoted back to Divizia A in 2003, after only one season in the second league, but only at one month after promotion, the club's management announced that the funding of the club is under question. In less than 30 days supporters have been announced that there will be a merger between Petrolul Ploieşti and Astra Ploieşti. Astra Ploieşti changed its name to Petrolul Ploieşti and in July 2003 Petrolul Ploiești was unaffiliated from the
Romanian Football Federation The Romanian Football Federation (; FRF) is the governing body of football in Romania. They are headquartered in the capital city of Bucharest and affiliated with FIFA and UEFA since 1923 and 1955 respectively. The Federation organizes the men's ...
, leaving a vacant place in the first league, which was finally occupied by Oțelul Galați, team that lost in that summer a relegation play-out against the second league team FC Oradea. On 28 July 2003, Astra Ploieşti changed its name to FC Petrolul Ploieşti, with Florin Bercea and Ioan Niculae as the owners of the newly formed entity and also the new home becoming Astra Stadium. This alternative was chosen because at that time Petrolul Ploieşti was a nonprofit association and according to the Law of Sport it should have been transformed into SA and a merger with Astra Ploieşti in order to create a new company would have lasted at least seven months. These legal formalities have sometimes been interpreted as a proof of the dissolution of Petrolul, but such an interpretation is wrong because this club took over, according to FRF, Petrolul brand and record. At the end of the 2003–04 Divizia A season, Petrolul relegated to Divizia B, and due to some differences in the ownership, Ioan Niculae gives up the 50% that he held within the club, these were split between Liviu Luca, Florin Bercea and Eduard Alexandru. Subsequently, Ioan Niculae refounded Astra and the new club is considered by LPF as the legal successor of the club before the 2003 merger, strengthening the idea that the 2003 merger result is the successor of the old Petrolul, not Astra. Petrolul also moved back to its old ground, Ilie Oană Stadium, in the summer of 2004. The 2004 relegation was followed by a black period for the yellow wolves, with seven consecutive
Liga II The Liga 2, most commonly spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07 football season. It is currently Sponso ...
season. In the 2004–05 season the club finished on the 4th place at 7 points from the promotion place, occupied at that time by
Pandurii Târgu Jiu The uprising of 1821 was a social and political rebellion in Wallachia, which was at the time a tributary state of the Ottoman Empire. It originated as a movement against the Phanariote administration, with backing from the more conservative b ...
. 2005–06 season brought an extra chance, as a result of the restructuring of the first league from 16 to 18 teams, from the second league could also promote the 2nd place via a play-off tournament, but Petrolul finished only on the 3rd place at 3 points from the 2nd place, occupied by Unirea Urziceni, team that would promote and write history in the Romanian football. In 2006, Petrolul ownership decided that the home games should be played on Flacăra Stadium from Moreni or Mogoșoaia Stadium, motivating the move by the fact that the old Ilie Oană Stadium required repair and modernization work. On 12 October 2006, the supporters organized a protest in the city center of
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...
, asking for the team to be transferred from the private ownership to the Ploiești Municipality and to return on its own home ground. Despite these internal problems Petrolul made a good season, but ended again just below the promotion line, on the 3rd place. The end of the 2007–08 season found the yellow and blues on the 3rd place again, increasing the frustration among supporters and players, 5 points split the team from the 2nd place, a promotable one. Next season, 2008–09 was a disastrous one, Petrolul finished on 4th place, but at great distance from the 2nd ( Astra, named FC Ploiești at that time) and 1st place ( Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț), 22 points respectively 23 points, also with a tense situation at the administrative level and with not many options on the horizon. In 2009 the team was taken over by Ploiești Municipality and Valeriu Răchită, former player of the team, was reconfirmed as the head coach, the squad being also restructured with many young players and after a great campaign in which the hope of promotion was alive until the last second, Petrolul finished 3rd, at only 1 point from the promotion spot, occupied by Sportul Studențesc, which led to a terrible disappointment, making the Ploiești people to wonder whether the team was followed by bad luck. Petrolul started the 2010–11 season with important changes, the young squad has been completed with some experienced players as
Pompiliu Stoica Pompiliu Sorin Stoica (; born 10 September 1976) is a Romanian former footballer and currently a manager. Playing career Club Stoica started his senior career at hometown club Gloria Buzău, and went on to represent Astra Ploiești, Steaua ...
, Florentin Dumitru or Daniel Oprița and moved for its home matches on Conpet Stadium from Strejnicu, near Ploiești, facilitating easier access for the supporters, new Ilie Oană Stadium, being still in construction, also the team was moved from the first to the second series of the second league and after a heavy fight in 3 teams, against FC Bihor Oradea and CS Mioveni, Petrolul promoted from the 1st place, 1 point ahead FC Bihor, team that also occupied a promotable place after 7 consecutive
Liga II The Liga 2, most commonly spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07 football season. It is currently Sponso ...
seasons and 2 points ahead CS Mioveni, which subsequently promoted by taking advantage of the financial problems of FC Bihor. The promotion coincided with the inauguration of the new stadium, all of these brought a great enthusiasm among the Petrolul supporters, players and staff.


Mild success followed by bankruptcy (2011–2016)

Under the management of Cosmin Contra, their second season since return saw them finishing third in the league table, as well as claiming the
national cup The English National Cup is an annual basketball knock-out competition held between professional, semi-professional and amateur teams from the various divisions of the National Basketball League (England), National Basketball League. For most of th ...
for the third time in their history. Consequently, Petrolul earned a spot in the second qualifying round of the
2013–14 UEFA Europa League The 2013–14 UEFA Europa League was the 43rd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the fifth season under its current title. The final was played between Sevilla and Benfica at the Juventus Stadium in Tu ...
, with the club playing its first European match since 1995. After defeating Víkingur Gøta and
Vitesse Arnhem SBV Vitesse Arnhem (''Stichting Betaald Voetbal Vitesse Arnhem, Eng: Professional Football Foundation Vitesse Arnhem''), widely known as Vitesse () or internationally known as Vitesse Arnhem, is a Dutch professional association football, footba ...
, they were eliminated in the play-off round by Swansea City. The team received consistent media attention after signing former Romanian internationals Adrian Mutu and Ianis Zicu in January 2014, a move which would later be considered a "failure". During the same month, it was announced that
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
automobile manufacturer
Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...
would become Petrolul's shirt sponsor. ''Petroliștii'' had the chance to qualify for their second consecutive Cupa României final, but lost the semi-final against rivals
Astra Giurgiu Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu or simply Astra, was a Romanian football club last based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County. Founded in 1921 in Ploiești as ''Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română'', it spe ...
2–1 on aggregate. Petrolul came third in the Liga I once more, while the fans challenged Răzvan Lucescu, considering that he wasn't a suitable replacement for Contra, who left Petrolul in March to join Spanish side
Getafe Getafe () is a municipalities in Spain, municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality. Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city c ...
. In the next season's European participation, "the Yellow Wolves" confronted
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...
club
Viktoria Plzeň Viktoria usually refers to Viktoria, a name which is the same as Victoria (name), but may also refer to: Places * FK Viktoria Stadion, stadium of Viktoria Žižkov * Viktoria-Luise-Platz, building in Berlin * Viktoriastadt, now known as Victor ...
in the Europa League third qualifying round. After a draw in Ploiești, Petrolul impressively beat Viktoria scoring four goals and conceding only one. However, Petrolul yet again missed the chance of advancing to the group stage after losing the play-off against
Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
. In September 2014, head coach Lucescu was sacked and Mutu left the club as a
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
. On 25 November, president Daniel Capră, general director Marius Bucuroiu and five other persons faced
preventive detention Preventive detention is an imprisonment that is putatively justified for non- punitive purposes, most often to prevent further criminal acts. Preventive detention sometimes involves the detention of a convicted criminal who has served their sente ...
for 24 hours, being suspected of tax evasion and money laundering. The criminal offences made by the club's officials caused Petrolul to lose important players and face a period of instability. In February 2015, the club went into
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
and eventually finished the season on the sixth place in Liga I. More players left the club in the summer of 2015 and coach changes became frequent. Petrolul quickly landed on the last place in the league table, where it stayed until the last game of the season. Finally, in the summer of 2016 the team was declared bankrupt.


Reestablishment and recent history (2016 onwards)

After the team was dissolved in 2016 as a result of the SC FC Petrolul SA joint-stock company bankruptcy, club legends and supporter groups associated to promptly reestablish it under the name of ''ACS Petrolul 52 Ploiești'' and enroll it in the Liga A Prahova (
Liga IV Liga IV is the fourth level of the Romanian football league system and is run in all 41 counties and in the Municipality of Bucharest. It was known as the Regional Championship, County Championship, Divizia C – County Phase and Divizia D. Its ...
), the fourth tier of the Romanian league system. During early 2017, French transnational company
Veolia Veolia Environnement S.A., branded as Veolia, is a French transnational company with activities in three main service and utility areas traditionally managed by public authorities – water management, waste management and energy services. In ...
became the financial partner of the club by joining the association. In June 2017, ''ACS Petrolul 52'' leased the club brand identity from the Municipality of Ploiești for €30,000 and began using the former name of FC Petrolul Ploiești. The team managed back-to-back promotions and reached the second division in the summer of 2018. After three failed attempts to return to the Liga I and with worsening competitive results each year, Veolia stopped fully financing Petrolul and only offered to become a sponsor from the 2021–22 season, a position from which it also withdrew at the start of 2022. In spite of the economic issues that arose from Veolia's departure, the squad led by head coach Nicolae Constantin managed to end the Liga II campaign as champions. Petrolul finished on the eighth place in the regular season of the 2022–23 Liga I, and thus started the relegation play-outs from the second place. In March 2023, the association of former players which controlled the club stepped down and former
CFR Cluj Fotbal Club CFR 1907 Cluj, commonly known as CFR Cluj ( or ) or simply CFR, is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, that competes in the Liga I. Founded as ''Kolozsvári Vasut ...
and Universitatea Craiova president Marian Copilu was announced as the new owner. Petrolul also finished the 2022–23 season on the eighth place overall. From the 2024–25 season, Petrolul re-established a reserve team through a partnership with Daniel Chiriță, owner of Liga IV club Petrolul 95 Ploiești. The squad was enrolled in the third league and plays at the Stadionul Conpet in Strejnic.


Grounds

Petrolul Ploiești plays its home matches at the Ilie Oană Stadium. Ranked as a UEFA Category 4 stadium, it can host
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
semi-finals and
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
group stage matches. It was inaugurated in September 2011 and has a current capacity of 15,073 spectators. The construction was raised on the site of the former Ilie Oană Stadium, which was completed in 1937, and is named after Ilie Oană, the most important coach in Petrolul's history.


Milestones

*The first match to be played at the stadium was an
exhibition game An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the playe ...
between a team of former Petrolul Ploiești players, the generation which won the
Romanian Cup Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
in 1995, and a selection of former Romanian internationals, amongst which
Gheorghe Hagi Gheorghe Hagi (; born 5 February 1965) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently the owner of Liga I club Farul Constanța. Deployed as an attacking midfielder, Hagi was considered one of the best players in ...
, Gheorghe Popescu,
Viorel Moldovan Viorel Dinu Moldovan (born 8 July 1972) is a Romanian football manager and former player. A former striker, Moldovan most successful years of his career were playing for Neuchâtel Xamax and Grasshoppers between 1996 and 1998 in Switzerland ...
, Ovidiu Stângă and
Daniel Prodan Daniel "Didi" Claudiu Prodan (23 March 1972 – 16 November 2016) was a Romanian professional association football, footballer who played mainly as a centre-back. In a career marred by injuries, he played mainly for FC Steaua București, Steaua ...
. The former internationals won the match 4–3. The first goal scored on this stadium belonged to Cristian Zmoleanu. *Petrolul's first competitive match at the stadium was a
Liga I Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...
game against Dinamo București on 25 September 2011, which ended 5–1 for the Bucharest team. Dinamo player Cosmin Moți scored the first goal of the game and thus the first official goal at new Ilie Oană Stadium. *The
Romania national football team The Romania national football team () represents Romania in men's international Association football, football, and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation (), also known as FRF. They are colloquially known as ''Tricolorii'' ("the T ...
played its first official match at the Ilie Oană on 29 March 2015, against
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
.


Support

Petrolul Ploiești has a large and steady fan base in Prahova County and its attachment to the team is renowned in Romania, in spite of the ups and downs. The biggest ultras group is called ''Lupii Galbeni'' ("the Yellow Wolves") since 1996, and there are two stands with groups like ''Peluza Latină'' ("The Latin Stand"), with subgroups like Knot04, United or Maniacs, and the ''Peluza 1 Ilie Oană'' ("Peluza 1 Ilie Oană stand") with subgroups like Hooligans, Young Hooligans, Contrasens, Lethalgang or Zona Vest. Other supporter associations, such as ''Liga Suporterilor Constantin Tabarcea (LSCT)'', ''Asociația'' ''Diaspora Galben Albastră (ADGA)'', ''T2'' or ''Young Wolves'' are located in the Second Stand of the stadium. Before and during matches, they sing the club's
chant A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of no ...
, whose lyrics were written by George Nicolescu. Petrolul Ploiești fans have recently established close friendships with the supporters of fellow league club Oțelul Galați, as well as with the ones of foreign clubs Vitesse,
Salernitana Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919 is an Italian professional football club based in Salerno, Campania. The original club was founded in 1919 and has been reconstituted three times in the course of its history, most recently in 2011. The current ...
, and
Genk Genk () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality comprises only the town of Genk itself. It ...
.


Rivalries

Petrolul Ploiești's traditional rival is
Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
. They faced for the first time on 11 November 1931, when Juventus București tied CFR București 3–3 at home, on the Stadionul Romcomit, and have maintained a strong rivalry despite long periods of not meeting when one or the other were playing in the second division. In the 1965–66 season, Petrolul won the Liga I while Rapid finished second. The following year, Rapid won its first national title after a match played on the old Ilie Oană Stadium; these events are believed to have ignited the rivalry further. Due to the fact that this rivalry is the oldest for Romanian teams still active, it entered into the collective consciousness as the ''Primvs derby'' (
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for "first" or "foremost"). Petrolul maintained a milder rivalry with the defunct
Astra Giurgiu Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu or simply Astra, was a Romanian football club last based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County. Founded in 1921 in Ploiești as ''Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română'', it spe ...
, its former local enemy. Astra promoted for the first time to the Liga I in 1998 and played in Ploiești until September 2012, when it was moved to
Giurgiu Giurgiu (; ; ) is a city in southern Romania. The seat of Giurgiu County, it lies in the historical region of Muntenia. It is situated amongst mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city of Ruse on the op ...
. Even after relocation, the rivalry continued between the governances of the clubs, until Astra folded in October 2022. Petrolul fans also hold grudges against the other historically prosperous Bucharest teams, namely
FCSB Fotbal Club FCSB (), formerly named and still sometimes referred to as FC Steaua București, is a Romanian professional football club based in Bucharest. It has spent its entire history in the Liga I, the top flight of the Romanian football le ...
, Dinamo, and CSA Steaua. They sometimes chant against them even outside of direct matches.


Honours


Domestic

* Divizia A / Liga I **Winners (4): 1929–30, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1965–66 ** ''Runners-up (3)'': 1925–26, 1955, 1961–62 * Divizia B / Liga II **Winners (9): 1940–41,
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
, 1976–77, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1988–89, 2002–03, 2010–11, 2021–22 **''Runners-up (1)'': 1980–81 *
Liga III The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. It was founded in 1936 and was called Divizia C until 2006. An exception was the seasons 1992–93 to 1996–97, in which the league was call ...
**Winners (1): 2017–18 *
Cupa României The Cupa României () is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. It is the Romania ...
**Winners (3): 1962–63, 1994–95, 2012–13 ** ''Runners-up (1)'':
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...
*
Supercupa României The Supercupa României () is a Romanian football (soccer), football championship contested by the winners of the Liga I and the Cupa României. It is usually played at the Arena Națională in Bucharest. The competition started off in 1994 Supe ...
** ''Runners-up (2)'':
1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...


Regional

* Liga IV – Prahova County **Winners (1): 2016–17 *
Cupa României The Cupa României () is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. It is the Romania ...
Prahova County Prahova County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploiești. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 762,886 and the population density was 161/k ...
** Winners (1): 2016–17


Invitational

* Bangladesh President's Gold Cup **Champions (1): 1993


Players


First-team squad


Other players under contract


Out on loan


Club officials


Board of directors

* Last updated: 7 October 2024 * Source:


Current technical staff

* Last updated: 3 June 2025 * Source:Technical staff
/ref>


Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors


European record

Petrolul Ploiești has participated in eight editions of the club competitions governed by
UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
, the chief authority for football across Europe, and 12 editions of European competitions overall. Notable wins


League history


Notable former players

The footballers enlisted below have had international caps for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or more than 100 caps for FC Petrolul Ploiești. ;Romania * Marcel Abăluță * Alexandru Badea * Dragu Bădin * Eugen Baștină * Alexandru Benga * Florea Birtașu * Alexandru Boc * Alexandru Borbely * Iuliu Borbely * Jean-Claude Bozga * Gheorghe Brandabura * Constantin Budescu * Daniel Chiriță * Grigore Ciupitu * Vasile Cosarek * Anghel Crețeanu * Adrian Cristea * Octavian Dincuță * Mircea Dridea * Virgil Dridea * Florian Dumitrescu * Florentin Dumitru * Florea Fătu * Mihai Flamaropol * Alexandru Fronea * Octavian Grigore * Gheorghe Grozea * Bujor Hălmăgeanu * Ovidiu Hoban * Petre Ivan * Mihai Ionescu *
Nicolae Ionescu Nicolae Ionescu (1820 in Bradu, Neamț County – January 24, 1905 in Bradu) was a Romanian politician, jurist and publicist, brother of the agronomist Ion Ionescu de la Brad. He was leader of the Free and Independent Faction, serving se ...
* Costel Lazăr * Gheorghe Leahu * Gheorghe Liliac *
Cătălin Liță Cătălin Nicolae Liță (born 23 March 1975) is a Romanian former footballer who played as a midfielder. Honours Național București *Cupa României runner-up: 1996–97 Steaua București *Divizia A: 2000–01 *Supercupa României: 2001 M ...
* Marius Măldărășanu * Marcel Marin * Laurențiu Marinescu * Iulian Mihăescu * Dragoș Mihalache * Bujorel Mocanu * Mihai Mocanu * Constantin Moldoveanu * Anton Munteanu * Dumitru Munteanu * Adrian Mutu * Ion Neacșu * Dumitru Nicolae * Ilie Oană * Daniel Oprița * Gheorghe Pahonțu * Aurel Panait * Gabriel Paraschiv * Florin Pârvu * Gheorghe Petrescu * Ștefan Preda * Valeriu Răchită * Adrian Ropotan * Vasile Sfetcu *
Pompiliu Stoica Pompiliu Sorin Stoica (; born 10 September 1976) is a Romanian former footballer and currently a manager. Playing career Club Stoica started his senior career at hometown club Gloria Buzău, and went on to represent Astra Ploiești, Steaua ...
* Constantin Tabarcea * Dinu Todoran * Adrian Ursea *
Cristian Vlad Cristian Nicolae Vlad (born 18 February 1977 in Boldești-Scăeni, Prahova County) is a retired Romanian football player. He played as a midfielder. Club career He made his debut in the Divizia A at 20 years old for Petrolul Ploiești where h ...
* Ion Zaharia * Constantin Zamfir ;Algeria *
Karim Ziani Karim Koceila Yanis Ziani (; born 17 August 1982) is a former professional footballer. He played in different midfield positions but was best known as a playmaker. Born in France, he represented Algeria at international level. Ziani is conside ...
;Albania * Armando Vajushi ;Armenia * Edgar Malakyan ;Belarus * Vasil Khamutowski ;Bolivia *
Gualberto Mojica Gualberto Mojica Olmos (, born 7 October 1984) is a Bolivian football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He is the current manager of Oriente Petrolero. Club career Mojica was one of the most promising prospects ...
;Brazil *
Jair In the Hebrew Bible, Biblical Book of Judges, Jair or Yair ( ''Yā’īr'', "he enlightens") was a man from Gilead. He was of the Tribe of Manasseh and also descended from the Tribe of Judah (Numbers 32:39-41, 1 Chronicles 2:21-23). Jair Hebrew ...
* Peçanha ;Cameroon *
Nana Falemi Ngassam Nana Falemi (born 5 May 1974) is a Romanian-born Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Club career Nana Falemi was born on 5 May 1974 in Bucharest, Romania, starting to play junior level foo ...
;Central African Republic * Manassé Enza-Yamissi ;Congo * Férébory Doré ;Croatia * Kristijan Ipša ;Curaçao * Gevaro Nepomuceno ;Czech Republic * Lukáš Zima ;DR Congo * Jeremy Bokila ;France * Jean-Alain Fanchone ;Ghana * Amidu Salifu ;Ivory Coast * Ismaël Diomandé ;Haiti * Jean Sony Alcénat * Soni Mustivar ;Israel * Toto Tamuz ;Italy * Michele Paolucci ;Japan * Takayuki Seto ;Moldova * Eugeniu Cebotaru * Petru Racu ;Netherlands * Bart Meijers ;Poland *
Łukasz Szukała Łukasz Szukała (born 26 May 1984) is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. After starting out his career at Metz B in France, Szukała went on to compete professionally in Germany, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Tur ...
;Portugal *
Filipe Teixeira Filipe Andrade Teixeira (; born 2 October 1980) is a Portuguese retired footballer. Born in France, he was regarded as technical and creative, being capable of playing in several midfield positions. Teixeira started out as a senior at Felguei ...
;Tunisia * Hamza Younés ;Uruguay * Juan Albín


Notable former managers

* Ioan Andone * Constantin Cernăianu * Cosmin Contra * Nicolae Constantin * Mircea Dridea * Virgil Dridea * Octavian Grigore * Marin Ion * Traian Ionescu * Răzvan Lucescu *
Viorel Mateianu Viorel Mateianu (1 June 1938 – 25 November 1997) was a Romanian football (soccer), football player and coach. Club career Mateianu was born in Lipănești, Prahova County, Prahova and started playing football in the Romanian lower leagues at F ...
* Mihai Mocanu * Gheorghe Mulțescu * Ilie Oană * Valeriu Răchită * Mircea Rednic * Victor Roșca * Valentin Stănescu


Women's football

From the 2020–21 season, Romanian first league clubs have been required to field women's football teams to secure a licence from the Romanian Football Federation (FRF), including registering at least 20 players for the U15 Women's National Championship. Since the 2021–22 season, clubs must also enter a women's team in a senior championship (1st, 2nd, or 3rd league). From 2022–23, this mandate expanded to include 20 U15 players, 15 U13 players, and a senior team. In 2022–23, Petrolul Ploiești partnered with ACS Student Sport Alba Iulia to compete in the women's third league under Petrolul's name, while its Ploiești-based junior and senior teams played only friendly matches. In 2023–24, Petrolul ended this partnership and established its first official women's team in the Women's third League, playing at the Vega, Soceram Pleașa, and Chimia Brazi stadiums in Ploiești. After the FRF restructured the women's leagues, Petrolul was invited to join the women's second league for the 2024–25 season.


Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors


Managers

: ''Depending on when they became coaches at Petrolul Ploiești'' :* 2022 Cristian Iordache


League history


References


Further reading

* * *


External links

* * *
FC Petrolul Ploiești
at UEFA.com
FC Petrolul Ploiești
at LPF.ro {{DEFAULTSORT:Petrolul Ploiesti Football clubs in Prahova County Association football clubs established in 1924 Liga I clubs Liga II clubs Liga III clubs Liga IV clubs Sport in Ploiești Sports team and club relocations Football in Bucharest 1924 establishments in Romania