Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Wednesday, 27 May 2026, 10:57 / Updated on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 10:57
The University of Craiova ended a dream season in the Super League, crowned with the title of champion, and the officials from Bănie immediately went to work. After they crushed U Cluj 5-0 in the 9th stage of the play-off and started the fiesta, the Oltenians got down to business: the “Ion Oblemenco” stadium went into repairs, the lawn having already been uncovered to be replaced with a state-of-the-art playing surface.
The students trained by Filipe Coelho achieved a historic event. Just a few days before the categorical success in the championship, on May 13, the “lions” had won the Romanian Betano Cup, also in front of the “Red Caps”, after the penalty kicks.
PHOTO. The old lawn from the “Ion Oblemenco” stadium ended up on a boulevard in Craiova: “It will contribute to the arrangement and beautification of the green space in the area”
At the moment, the “Ion Oblemenco” stadium looks like a real construction site. The playing surface has been fully uncovered as the club prepares for the new season and Champions League qualifiers.
The mayor of Craiova, Lia Olguța Vasilescu, published photos from the scene and revealed that the old turf, the one on which the title was celebrated, was not thrown away, but had already been relocated and installed on a main avenue in the city.
Work has begun on the modernization of the playing surface at the Ion Oblemenco stadium in Craiova.
The old surface has been completely uncovered and will be replaced, but the intervention is much more extensive than a simple change of turf. The contaminated substrate will be completely replaced, a new drainage system for irrigation and rainfall water will be created, and the lawn heating system will be completely changed.
The works come at an important moment for Craiova football, after an extraordinary season in which the city's team won both the championship and the Romanian Cup, going on to represent Craiova in European cups.
The old lawn surface has already been installed on the median area of Râului Boulevard, where it will contribute to the arrangement and beautification of the green space in the area.– Lia Olguța Vasilescu, on social networks
Filipe Coelho's team will enter the 1st round of the UCL preliminaries with a coefficient of 10,500, which would place them somewhere in the middle of the first value urn. And it would make the first round opponent a handy one for the blue and white.
On a current simulation, among the most complicated opponents would be Levski Sofia (champion of Bulgaria) or Sabah FK (champion of Azerbaijan).
With whom the University of Craiova could play in the 1st round of the UCL:
