2016–17 Liga I facts for kids

The 2016–17 Liga I was a super exciting football season in Romania. Liga I is the top football league in the country. This season was the 99th time the league had been played! It started on July 23, 2016, and finished in May 2017. The big winners were Viitorul Constanța, who won their very first title!

The Teams in Liga I

Fourteen different football teams played in the 2016–17 Liga I season. These teams competed against each other to see who was the best in Romania.

• Astra Giurgiu
• Botoșani
• Cluj
• Concordia Chiajna
• Universitatea Craiova
• Municipal Studențesc Iași
• Dinamo București
• Gaz Metan Mediaș
• Pandurii Târgu Jiu
• Poli Timișoara
• Steaua Bucureşti
• Târgu Mureș
• Viitorul Constanța
• Voluntari

How the Season Worked

The Liga I season was split into two main parts: the Regular Season and the Play-off Rounds.

The Regular Season

In the first part, all 14 teams played against each other twice. This meant each team played 26 games. After these games, the teams were split into two groups based on their points.

• The top six teams went into the Championship Round. These teams would play for the league title and spots in big European competitions like the Champions League and Europa League.
• The remaining eight teams went into the Relegation Round. These teams played to avoid being moved down to a lower league (relegation).

Points in the Regular Season

Here's how the teams finished in the Regular Season:

• 1st place: Viitorul Constanța with 51 points.
• 2nd place: Steaua Bucureşti with 47 points.
• 3rd place: Astra Giurgiu with 44 points.
• 4th place: Cluj with 43 points.
• 5th place: Universitatea Craiova with 43 points.
• 6th place: Dinamo București with 41 points.

These six teams moved on to the Championship Round.

The teams from 7th to 14th place went to the Relegation Round. The teams that finished at the very bottom were Pandurii Târgu Jiu and Târgu Mureș.

The Play-off Rounds

For the Play-off Rounds, the points from the Regular Season were cut in half for all teams. This made the competition even closer and more exciting!

Championship Round: Who Won the League?

In the Championship Round, the top six teams played each other again. Each team played 10 more games.

• Viitorul Constanța won the league title! They finished with 44 points. This was their first-ever Liga I championship, which was a huge achievement!
• Steaua București also finished with 44 points but came in second.
• Dinamo București finished third with 40 points.

Viitorul Constanța and Steaua București qualified for the Champions League qualifying rounds. Dinamo București, Universitatea Craiova, and Astra Giurgiu qualified for the Europa League qualifying rounds. These are big tournaments where Romanian teams play against teams from other European countries.

Relegation Round: Staying in the League

The eight teams in the Relegation Round played to avoid being relegated, which means moving down to a lower football league. Each team played 14 more games.

• Pandurii Târgu Jiu and Târgu Mureș were relegated to Liga II, the second-highest football league in Romania.
• Poli Timișoara finished just above the relegation spots. They had to play in a special play-off game to stay in Liga I.

Relegation Play-offs

ACS Poli Timișoara played against UTA Arad in a two-game play-off. UTA Arad was a team from the Liga II.

• In the first game, Poli Timișoara won 2–1 at home.
• In the second game, Poli Timișoara won again, 3–1, away from home.

Because they won both games, ACS Poli Timișoara stayed in the Liga I for the next season!

See also

In Spanish: Liga I 2016-17 para niños