2011–12 Liga I

The 2011–12 Liga I was the ninety-fourth season of Liga I, the top-level football league of Romania. It began on 22 July 2011 and ended on 19 May 2012. The defending champions are Oţelul Galaţi.

Since Romania dropped from eighth to fourteenth place in the UEFA association coefficient rankings at the end of the 2010–11 season, the league has lost its UEFA Europa League playoff round berth. Further, the champions will not directly be entered into the group stage of the UEFA Champions League any more, but rather have to begin in the third qualification round.

Teams

The league was originally expected to comprise eighteen teams, fourteen teams from the 2010–11 season and four teams eligible for promotion from the 2010–11 Liga II. However, the exact composition of the league was further affected by the licensing controversies, see below.

Four teams from the 2010–11 season were relegated to their respective 2011–12 Liga II division; these teams are Universitatea Craiova, Unirea Urziceni, Victoria Brăneşti and Sportul Studenţesc. Unirea Urziceni were relegated just two seasons after they won the 2008–09 Liga I. It was the fastest relegation of a former champion, Unirea being also the 2009–10 Liga I runners-up. After the relegation, the team was disbanded. Universitatea Craiova was relegated for the second time in club history, ending a five-year tenure in the highest football league of Romania. After the relegation, the team was temporary excluded by FRF from all internal competitions. Victoria and Sportul was supposed to make their immediate return to the second level, but Sportul remained in Liga I after the relegation of Timişoara and Gloria Bistriţa on licensing problems, see below.

2013–14 Liga I

The 2013–14 Liga I is the ninety-sixth season of Liga I, the top-level football league of Romania. The season began on 19 July 2013 and ended on 21 May 2014.Steaua București are the defending champions.

Since Romania climbed from 22nd to 18th place in the UEFA association coefficient rankings at the end of the 2012–13 season, the winners of the 2013–14 Romanian Cup will start in the third qualifying round of the Europa League instead of second qualifying round. The champions will still enter the second qualifying round of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League, the second-placed team will still enter the second qualifying round of the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League, but third-placed team will enter the second qualifying round instead of first qualifying round.

Teams

The last four teams from the 2012–13 season were initially relegated to their respective 2013–14 Liga II division. Gloria Bistrița, Turnu Severin and CSM Studențesc Iași were relegated after just one season in the top flight, while Concordia Chiajna were to return to Liga II after two years.

2014–15 Liga I

The 2014–15 Liga I was the ninety-seventh season of Liga I, the top-level football league of Romania. The season began on the 25 July 2014 and ended on 30 May 2015.Steaua București successfully defended their title for a record 26th win.

Teams

The last three teams and the 5th position from the 2013–14 season were initially relegated to their respective 2014–15 Liga II division. Săgeata Năvodari, Poli Timișoara, Corona Brașov were relegated and the 5th-placed Vaslui was relegated due to financial problems after 9 seasons in the top flight.

The first two teams from each of the two divisions of 2013–14 Liga II advanced to Liga I. CSMS Iași promoted as the winners of Seria I. It is their second season in Liga I. Rapid București, second place in Seria I, made an immediate return to Liga I. The other two teams are for the first time in Liga I: CS Universitatea Craiova and Târgu Mureș from Seria II.

Rapid București was initially not given licence for the 2014–15 Liga I, but on 30 June 2014, the International Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the appeal of Rapid București and therefore decided that they could promote in Liga I.

Līga

Līga is a Latvian given name. Its nameday is on June 23, which is the Latvian festival day of Līgo.

Persons

See also

2013–14 3. Liga

The 2013–14 3. Liga was the sixth season of the 3. Liga, Germany's third-level football league.

The league consisted of twenty teams: The teams placed fourth through seventeenth of the 2012–13 season, the worst two teams from the 2012–13 2nd Bundesliga, the three promoted teams the 2012–13 Fußball-Regionalliga and the losers of the relegation play-off between the 16th-placed 2nd Bundesliga team and the third-placed 3rd Liga team.

Teams

At the end of the 2012–13 season, Karlsruher SC and Arminia Bielefeld were directly promoted to the 2013–14 2nd Bundesliga. Karlsruhe made an immediate return to the 2nd Bundesliga after being relegated in 2011–12. Bielefeld returned to the 2nd Bundesliga after two seasons in the third tier. The two promoted teams were to be replaced by Jahn Regensburg and SV Sandhausen, who finished in the bottom two places of the 2012–13 2nd Bundesliga table and thus were to be directly relegated. Both Regensburg and Sandhausen were to be relegated after cameo appearances in the 2nd Bundesliga. However, MSV Duisburg were denied a licence for the 2nd Bundesliga (though not the licence for the 3rd Liga) and were relegated. Sandhausen were given the free place in the 2nd Bundesliga.

2015–16 3. Liga

The 2015–16 3. Liga is the eighth season of the 3. Liga.

Teams

A total of 20 teams contest the league, including 14 sides from the 2014–15 3. Liga. Arminia Bielefeld and MSV Duisburg were directly promoted to the 2015–16 2. Bundesliga at the end of the 2014–15 season. Bielefeld made an immediate return to the 2. Bundesliga after being relegated in 2013–14. Duisburg returned to the 2. Bundesliga after two seasons in the third tier. The two promoted teams were replaced by FC Erzgebirge Aue and VfR Aalen, who finished in the bottom two places of the 2014–15 2. Bundesliga table.

At the other end of the table, Borussia Dortmund II, SpVgg Unterhaching and SSV Jahn Regensburg were relegated to the 2015–16 Regionalliga. The three relegated teams were replaced by the three winners of the 2014–15 Regionalliga promotion playoffs. SV Werder Bremen II from the Regionalliga Nord returned to the national level after three seasons in the fourth tier, while 1. FC Magdeburg from the Regionalliga Nordost and Würzburger Kickers from the Regionalliga Bayern are playing their debut seasons in the 3. Liga.