Sport
Popular sports, leagues, and teams in Romania — with a focus on Bucharest.
Most Popular Sports
Football dominates Romanian sport, but the country has strong traditions in handball, rugby, gymnastics, tennis and volleyball.
- Football — by far the most popular; over half of Romanians follow it
- Handball — deep roots; the men's national team is a four-time world champion
- Tennis — surged in popularity thanks to Simona Halep; several ATP/WTA tournaments hosted
- Rugby — a historic stronghold; Steaua is the most decorated club in Europe
- Basketball — growing fast; U-BT Cluj has dominated the domestic league
- Volleyball — Romania co-hosts the 2026 Men's European Championship
- Gymnastics — legendary Olympic tradition (Nadia Comăneci, Ecaterina Szabo)
Football — SuperLiga
Romania's top football division, the SuperLiga (formerly Liga I), features 16 teams. The season splits into a Championship Play-off (top 6) and a Play-out (bottom 10) after 30 regular rounds.
- Most titles: FCSB / Steaua București — 28
- Reigning champion: FCSB (2024–25)
- 2025–26 leader (play-off): Universitatea Craiova (30 pts), Rapid (28), U Cluj (27), CFR Cluj (27), Dinamo (26)
- Bucharest clubs: FCSB, Dinamo București, Rapid București
Handball — Liga Națională (Liga Zimbrilor)
The men's Liga Națională has 14 teams playing a regular season (26 rounds) followed by play-offs. Romania co-hosts the 2026 Women's European Championship.
- Most titles: Steaua București — 28
- Reigning champion: Dinamo București (2025–26, 10th consecutive title)
- Women's champion: CSM București — 7 titles, EHF Champions League winner 2016
- Bucharest clubs: Dinamo (men), Steaua (men), CSM București (women), Rapid (women)
Rugby — Liga Națională de Rugby
Seven teams contest the top flight in a regular season plus semi-finals and a final. Steaua București is the most successful club in Romanian rugby history.
- Most titles: Steaua București — 24
- Reigning champion: CSM Știința Baia Mare (10 titles)
- Bucharest clubs: Steaua, Dinamo, Rapid
Basketball — Liga Națională de Baschet (LNBM)
The top men's league has 15 teams (with U-BT Cluj-Napoca entering directly in the play-off). At least two Romanian players must be on court at all times.
- Most titles: Dinamo București — 22
- Reigning champion: U-BT Cluj-Napoca (5 consecutive titles, 2021–2025)
- Bucharest clubs: Dinamo, Steaua, Rapid
Volleyball — Divizia A1
Romania co-hosts the 2026 Men's European Volleyball Championship alongside Bulgaria, Finland and Italy. The domestic league has 11–12 teams.
- Most titles: Dinamo București — 19
- Reigning champion: Dinamo București (2025 — first title in 30 years)
- Bucharest clubs: Dinamo, Rapid, Steaua
Tennis
Romania hosts several professional tournaments and has produced world-class players.
- Țiriac Open (ATP 250, Bucharest) — 2026 champion: Mariano Navone (ARG)
- Transylvania Open (WTA 250, Cluj-Napoca) — 2026 champion: Sorana Cîrstea (ROU)
- Iași Open — ATP Challenger + WTA 250
- Notable players: Simona Halep (2 Grand Slams), Sorana Cîrstea, Jaqueline Cristian
Bucharest Teams
A selection of the city's major clubs across the top sports.
| Team |
Sport |
Venue |
Honours |
| FCSB |
Football |
Arena Națională (55,634) |
27 titles, European Cup 1986 |
| Dinamo București |
Football |
Arcul de Triumf / Arena Națională |
18 titles, European Cup semi-final 1984 |
| Rapid București |
Football |
Rapid-Giulești (14,048) |
3 titles, UEFA Cup QF 2006 |
| Dinamo (handball) |
Handball |
Sala Dinamo (2,538) |
22 titles, 10 consecutive since 2016 |
| CSM București |
Handball |
Sala Polivalentă (5,300) |
7 titles (women), EHL Champions 2016 |
| CSA Steaua (rugby) |
Rugby |
Stadionul Steaua (31,254) |
24 titles, most successful rugby club in Romania |
| Dinamo (volleyball) |
Volleyball |
Sala Dinamo |
19 titles, champions in 2025 |
| Dinamo (basketball) |
Basketball |
Sala Dinamo |
22 titles (all-time leader) |
Formula 1
Broadcasting rights for the 2026 season are held by Antena Group.
Coverage is shared across several of its channels:
- Antena 1 — the race (Sunday) for select Grands Prix
- Antena 3 CNN — qualifying, the sprint race and some Grands Prix
- AntenaPLAY — all sessions (practice, qualifying, race) live online
For the full season, AntenaPLAY provides complete coverage: practice,
qualifying and the race for every Grand Prix.
Alternatively, fans can use the official F1 TV platform
(F1 TV Pro — €74.99/year, F1 TV Premium — €99.99/year).
Information updated May 2026. League standings and champions reflect the most recent completed seasons. The split between Antena 1 and Antena 3 CNN may vary per Grand Prix.
