Farul Constanța, the club owned by Romanian legend Gică Hagi, has secured the top position in the 2025 Romanian football academy rankings with an impressive score of **91.45**. They are closely followed by Csikszereda Miercurea Ciuc (89.90) and ACS Academia de Fotbal Viitorul Cluj (88.76), establishing Farul as the clear leader in youth development nationwide.
A notable surprise in this year’s classification is the placement of **FCSB**, traditionally one of Romania’s biggest clubs, slipping to 10th place. This puts them behind rivals **Rapid** (8th) and **CSA Steaua** (9th). Last year, FCSB’s academy was ranked 4th, indicating a significant drop in their youth system’s evaluation.
Only six SuperLiga teams made it into the top 10 academies: Farul, Csikszereda, Universitatea Cluj, FC Argeș, Rapid, and FCSB. Meanwhile, Dinamo București’s academy is ranked much lower, at 27th place, reflecting challenges in their youth development.
The overall ranking evaluates 124 football academies across Romania based on seven key criteria essential for youth football success, weighted as follows:
– Strategy and philosophy: 10.98%
– Teams and players: 12.20%
– Technical staff: 18.67%
– Support staff: 7.21%
– Training and matches: 8.92%
– Infrastructure and facilities: 21.51%
– Results: 20.50%
In a strategic move to emphasize youth development, the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has introduced this academy ranking as a **tiebreaker criterion** for the Romanian Cup. If teams finish level on points after the group stage, the higher-ranked academy will have the advantage before resorting to playoff matches.
This integration signals the growing importance of academy performance in Romanian football’s competitive structure, incentivizing clubs to invest more in their youth systems to gain both sporting and administrative benefits.
The rankings highlight a shifting landscape in Romanian football development, with Farul Constanța consolidating its role as a powerhouse for nurturing talent, while traditional giants like FCSB face pressure to enhance their youth setups to regain their former status.