AFC Metalul Buzău
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| Full name | Asociația Fotbal Club Metalul Buzău | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Buzoienii (The People from Buzău) | |||
| Short name | Metalul | |||
| Founded | 1954 | |||
| Ground | Metalul | |||
| Capacity | 1,606 | |||
| Owners | Buzău County Council Mircea Benga | |||
| Chairman | Gheorghe Guiu | |||
| Head coach | Valentin Stan | |||
| League | Liga II | |||
| 2025–26 | Liga II, 8th of 22 | |||
| Website | https://www.metalulbuzau.ro/ | |||
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Asociația Fotbal Club Metalul Buzău, commonly known as Metalul Buzău, is a Romanian professional football club based in the city of Buzău, Buzău County, that competes in the Liga II.
History
| Name | Period |
| Metalul Buzău | 1954–1996 |
| Metalcord Buzău | 1996–2007 |
| Metalul Buzău | 2007–present |
AFC Metalul Buzău was founded in 1954 as AS Metalul Buzău, under the patronage of the trade union of IUT Buzău. During its early years, the team competed in the local and regional championships. In the autumn of 1966, Metalul earned promotion to Divizia C, returning the city of Buzău to the third tier of Romanian football.
In 1971, as part of a reorganization of football in Buzău, Gloria Buzău was established and took over part of Metalul's squad as well as its place in Divizia C. Gloria went on to win its series in the 1971–72 Divizia C season and subsequently earned promotion to Divizia B following a promotion play-off held at Ploiești.
At the insistence of workers from the IUT factory, the Metalul football team was re-established in 1982. At the time, Steaua Săhăteni, a club from Săhăteni, Buzău County, was competing in Divizia C. Metalul merged with the Săhăteni side and assumed its place in the third tier.
In 1996, following an association with CORD Buzău, the club was renamed Metalcord Buzău. The final season in which the team competed in Divizia C under this name was the 2005–06 Divizia C campaign.
In the summer of 2007, the club reverted to its former name, AS Metalul Buzău, and subsequently competed in the Buzău County Championship, corresponding to Liga IV in the Romanian football league system.
In 2013, the club was taken over by the company Revicom Oil and adopted its current name, AFC Metalul Buzău.[1]
At the end of the 2016–17 season, Metalul won the Buzău County Championship and faced CS Amara, the Ialomița County Championship winners, in the promotion play-off. Metalul won 9–2 on aggregate and returned to Liga III after a ten-year absence.[2]
The 2019–20 Cupa României brought one of the club's most notable cup runs up to that point. Metalul advanced past Olimpic Zărnești 3–0 by federation decision in the second round, local rivals Gloria Buzău on penalties after a 3–3 draw in the third round, CSM Focșani 1–0 after extra time in the fourth round and FK Miercurea Ciuc 1–0 in the Round of 32. The run ended in the Round of 16 with a 0–3 defeat against Politehnica Iași.
During the following seasons, Metalul established itself as one of the stronger sides in Liga III. The club eventually dominated Series II in the 2023–24 season, collecting 49 points during the 18-match regular season before finishing the play-off with 74 points, 21 ahead of second-placed CSM Focșani.[3]
In the first round of the promotion play-offs, Metalul faced FC Bacău. After losing the first leg 0–1 away, Metalul won the return match 2–1 and eventually prevailed 6–4 in the penalty shoot-out.[4] In the decisive round, the Buzău side faced CSM Focșani. Despite losing the first leg 1–2 away, Metalul overturned the deficit with a 2–0 home victory on 5 June 2024, winning 3–2 on aggregate and securing promotion to Liga II for the first time under its current identity.[5] The club subsequently received the federation certificate required to participate in the 2024–25 Liga II.[6]
Metalul's first season after promotion, 2024–25, saw the club remain competitive in the second tier. Although it narrowly missed qualification for the promotion play-off and entered Group A of the play-out, Metalul comfortably retained its Liga II status.
The club enjoyed an exceptional run in the 2024–25 Cupa României. Metalul qualified for the group stage after defeating Universitatea Cluj 1–0 in the play-off.[7] Drawn in Group B alongside FCSB, Universitatea Craiova, Dinamo București, Petrolul Ploiești and Agricola Borcea, the second-tier side produced several notable results. Metalul defeated Universitatea Craiova 1–0, drew 0–0 with Dinamo and beat Agricola Borcea 3–0. With seven points and no goals conceded, Metalul finished top of the group, ahead of Universitatea Craiova and FCSB, and qualified for the quarter-finals.[8] The cup run ended in the quarter-finals.
Metalul remained in Liga II for the 2025–26 season. After the 21-match regular season, the club entered Group A of the play-out and secured its place in the second division for another campaign.[9]
The 2025–26 Cupa României produced another historic campaign. Metalul defeated CSM Râmnicu Sărat 4–3 in the third round and then recorded a 4–0 victory over Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț in the play-off to qualify for the group stage for a second consecutive season.[10][11]
Drawn in Group C alongside Universitatea Cluj, Oțelul Galați, Sepsi OSK, Csikszereda and Sporting Liești, Metalul finished among the top two and reached the quarter-finals for a second successive season, becoming the first Liga II representative to qualify for that stage in the 2025–26 edition.[12] In the quarter-finals, Metalul faced Dinamo București at Arcul de Triumf Stadium on 5 March 2026 and was eliminated after a 0–1 defeat, Alexandru Pop scoring the only goal of the match.[13]
Metalul retained its place in Liga II for the 2026–27 season, being one of fourteen clubs continuing in the second tier from the previous campaign. The season began on 1 August 2026 with 22 participating teams.[14]
In the 2026–27 Cupa României, Metalul entered in the third round and defeated CSO Băicoi 4–2 on 12 August 2026, advancing to the play-off round.
Stadium
The club plays its home matches on Metalul Stadium from Buzău.
Rivalries
Although it is the oldest active football club in the Buzău County, Metalul has always lived in the shadow of Gloria Buzău, thus becoming their rivals.
Honours
Divizia D / Liga IV – Buzău County
Ploiești Regional Championship
- Winners (1): 1965–66
Players
First team squad
- As of 24 August 2026
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club officials
Board of directors
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Current technical staff
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Notable former players
The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or significant caps for AFC Metalul Buzău.
- Romania
Paul Batin- Patrick Benga
- Sebastian Ghinga
- Mihai Ion
- Sorin Ispir
- Vasile Lazăr
- Alin Manea
- Marian Manea
- Vasilică Mihăeș
- Andrei Pavel
- Ștefan Păun
- Ionuț Radu
- Ionuț Spătaru
- Nicola Vasile
Former managers
- Dragoș Cojocaru (1966–1969)
League history
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References
- ↑ Metalul Buzău-History
- ↑ "Metalul a promovat oficial în "C". Neagu face promisiuni în privința viitorului echipei" [Metalul officially promoted to "C". Neagu makes promises about the team's future] (in Romanian). buzau.net. 25 June 2017. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ↑ "LIGA 2 CASA PARIURILOR | Metalul Buzău, peste FCSB și Universitatea Craiova în cupă, țintește play-off-ul în campionat" [Liga 2: Metalul Buzău, above FCSB and Universitatea Craiova in the Cup, targets the championship play-off] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Rezultatele barajului pentru Liga 2: s-au decis echipele care vor lupta pentru promovare!" [Liga 2 promotion play-off results: the teams fighting for promotion have been decided] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Cinci formații au promovat direct în Liga 2 Casa Pariurilor! Care sunt celelalte patru care luptă pentru ultimul loc de promovare" [Five teams promoted directly to Liga 2; the other four fighting for the final promotion place] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Informare privind soluționarea cererilor de acordare a certificatului pentru participarea în Liga 2, sezonul 2024–2025" [Information regarding applications for certificates to participate in the 2024–25 Liga 2 season] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Program" (in Romanian). Cupa României – Romanian Football Federation. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Program" (in Romanian). Cupa României – Romanian Football Federation. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "AVANCRONICĂ ETAPA 1 PLAY-OFF/PLAY-OUT LIGA 2 CASA PARIURILOR" [Liga 2 play-off/play-out round 1 preview] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 20 March 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Rezultatele din turul 3 al Cupei României Betano, ediția 2025-2026" [Results from the third round of the 2025–26 Romanian Cup] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 14 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Tabloul complet al echipelor calificate în grupele Cupei României Betano 2025/2026!" [Complete list of teams qualified for the 2025–26 Romanian Cup group stage] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 28 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "CUPA ROMÂNIEI BETANO | Tabloul complet al sferturilor de finală!" [Romanian Cup: complete quarter-final line-up] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Dinamo avansează în Cupa României Betano! Cum arată tabloul semifinalelor și când se vor disputa" [Dinamo advances in the Romanian Cup; the semi-final line-up and schedule] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Procedura de programare a jocurilor din campionatul Liga 2 Casa Pariurilor, sezon 2026/2027" [Procedure for scheduling matches in the 2026–27 Liga 2 season] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 21 July 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.