Article by Andrei Crăiţoiu – Published Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 12:50 / Updated Tuesday, January 20, 2026 12:51
Justin Ștefan, the general secretary of the LPF reacts to GSP.RO and states that the Superliga will remain at 16 teams and there will be no change to the competitive system in Romanian football.
The number 2 man in the Professional Football League, Justin Ștefan, says in a reaction to Gazeta Sporturilor that the president Gino Iorgulescu did not take any additional steps in terms of changing the number of teams in the Super League.
And he declares for GSP.RO that the statements of the head of the LPF represent “only an ideal situation”.
– Mr. Stefan, I called you…
– Ask me if the Superliga will have 12 teams?!
– Yes. What is the situation at the moment?
– There is no question of reducing the number of teams at this moment. However, it is a decision that can only be taken by the General Assembly of the Professional League. And only after consulting media partners and the Romanian Football Federation.
– There was a statement by Mr. Iorgulescu about reducing the number of teams.
– As far as we know, at the moment everyone appreciates the current system. Mr. Iorgulescu's statements had in mind only an ideal situation from the point of view of his lordship.
Gino Iorgulescu and Răzvan Burleanu at the Fanatik Gala / photo: Silviu Enache
– I mean, not a change of teams, but just a variant where we wouldn't have problems?
– An ideal situation compared to how a football man with old states sees the current situation.
– Do you see this change possible in the future?
– Without a consultation of the eAd rights holder and the Romanian Football Federation, we cannot take any step in this direction.
– I wanted to ask you.
– I would have one more clarification to make. The current system discourages any behind-the-scenes games and ensures the full fairness of the competition.
If we put on paper and are bright to perform as well, they should accept a 12-team championship. We are going to go to licensing, to set much tougher conditions so that it can work in League 1
Gino Iorgulescu, president of the LPF (for Prosport)
What the Super League system looks like now
- The current system, one with play-off / play-out, brings to the start 16 teams that play in a round-robin format in the regular season
- At the end of the regular season, the points are halved, and the top 6 teams enter the play-off for the fight for the title, and 10 teams enter the play-out for the fight to avoid relegation.
- At the end of the play-out, the last two teams are relegated directly, and the next two go to the play-offs.
- The first echelon of Romania has 16 teams from the 2020-2021 season at the start.
Up-to-date standings in the Superliga
