AFC Hermannstadt was founded in 2015 to continue the long tradition of football in the city of
Sibiu, started in 1913 by
Șoimii Sibiu and continued through other teams such as
Societatea Gimnastică Sibiu (),
Inter Sibiu,
FC Sibiu, or
Voința Sibiu. Even if Hermannstadt is not a "legal" successor to any of these clubs, it can be considered a moral one, as it is currently the only representative of Sibiu in the first three leagues.
Hermannstadt is the equivalent of the city's name in the
German language, which has sometimes stirred controversy. Immediately after the 2015 founding, the club was enrolled in the
Liga IV. It finished first in the league table and subsequently qualified for the
Liga III promotion play-offs. Hermannstadt won the phase without major difficulties, after 6–1 on aggregate against the champion of
Gorj County,
Gilortul Târgu Cărbunești.
Sibienii were also winners of the Liga III – Seria V in the next season and promoted to the
Liga II, the second level of the
Romanian league system. Hermannstadt played its first Liga II match on 5 August 2017, a 3–0 home victory over
CS Balotești. It finished the
campaign as runner-up, and thus achieved promotion to the
Liga I after only three years of existence. The club also managed a notable performance in the
Cupa României, being the first in 36 years to reach the
final despite not playing in the top flight. Hermannstadt upset four Liga I teams en route to the last game of the competition—
Voluntari,
Juventus București,
FCSB and county rival
Gaz Metan Mediaș, respectively. It lost the final 0–2 to
Universitatea Craiova, on 27 May 2018. On 21 July 2018, Hermannstadt won its first ever Liga I match after
Ștefan Blănaru scored the only goal of the opening fixture against
Sepsi OSK. ==Ground==