Founding and early years (1924–1952) The team was founded in
Bucharest in late 1924, when
Romcomit and
Triumf merged into what would become one of the most notable clubs of the capital during the
interwar period,
Juventus București. Its Latin identity was illustrated by the crest, which was based on the legend of the
founding of Rome, where a she-wolf nursed
Romulus and Remus.
Juventus inherited the
stadium and the red and blue colors of
Romcomit. An article relating the event was published on 4 January 1925 in the
Gazeta Sporturilor newspaper, under the title "Juventus – A sensational merger" (
Juventus – O fuziune senzațională). In their first season of existence being led by president Ettore Brunelli and player-coach Ion Motoroi, the team finished on the 4th place in the
Bucharest championship, the first game taking place on 8 March 1925 in a 3–0 victory against
Colțea București with goals scored by Bebe Rollea, Antofiloiu (
o.g.) and Török, the team used being: Căpșuneanu – Constantin Vețianu, Sile Georgescu – Schaller, Ion Motoroi,
Grigore Grigoriu, Sergiu Petrovici, Victor Block, Bebe Rollea, Török, Aurel Schei. Before the start of the new season, president Brunelli wanted to test the value of his squad, organizing the club's first matches at international level, friendlies which ended with victories against
Slavia Prague (2–1),
Slavia Sofia (3–0) and
Vasas Budapest (5–2). In the
Bucharest regional championship, the team finished on the 1st place, qualifying for the
1925–26 Divizia A where they lost the final in front of
Chinezul Timișoara, being led in the first half of the season by coach Motoroi and in the second by
György Hlavay who according to journalist
Ioan Chirilă's book, "Zile și nopți pe stadion"
(Days and nights at the stadium) is considered by
Romania's coach at the
1930 World Cup,
Constantin Rădulescu to be the first coach that brought modern training sessions on the fields of
Bucharest. After the reorganization of the Romanian division structure, the club played seven consecutive campaigns in the
Divizia A, from 1933 to 1940. Following
World War II, they were promoted once again to the top tier, having finished first in the final
Divizia B season prior to the outbreak of war. The club played its last campaign as
Juventus in 1946–47, after which the name was changed numerous times to
Distribuția,
Petrolul,
Competrol,
Partizanul and
Flacăra respectively.
Move to Ploiești and three national titles (1952–1968) Flacăra București was moved to
Ploiești in 1952, and renamed accordingly. Coach
Ilie Oană took charge of the team at the half of the
1952 season, but he couldn't manage to spare his team from relegation. He would, however, reach the
cup final, lost against
CCA București 0–2. In
1957–58, the team became champion of Romania for the second time in its history, despite having the same number of points as CCA București and
Știința Timișoara. That was also the season when the present-day name of
Petrolul Ploiești was adopted. In the autumn of
1958, Petrolul made its debut in the
European Cup and faced
Wismut Karl Marx Stadt of
East Germany in the preliminary round. After a 4–2 away loss in
Aue, the club managed to level on aggregate with a 2–0 victory in Romania. Wismut Karl Marx Stadt qualified further after winning the play-off 4–0 in
Kyiv. The first part of the
1958–59 Divizia A saw Petrolul on the fourth place in the table, but with several good results which followed the team clinched its second consecutive league championship. They were once again unable to go further than the preliminary round of the European Cup, Austrian side
Wiener Sport-Club defeating them 1–2 on aggregate. On 14 July 1963 Petrolul's player
Constantin Tabarcea collapsed and died during a
Divizia A match against
Dinamo Bacău. One week later after his death Petrolul won the
1962–63 Cupa României with 6–1 against
Siderurgistul Galați and before the game, at the team photo, the place from the down row in front of goalkeeper
Mihai Ionescu was left free in the memory of Tabarcea. In 1965, head coach Ilie Oană left Petrolul for the
Romania national team, and assistant
Constantin Cernăianu took over the vacant place. At
his first season, Cernăianu achieved the club's fourth Divizia A trophy after finishing six points ahead of
Rapid București. 12 October 1966 has remained an important date in the history of the team; after a 0–2 away defeat, Petrolul won 3–1 at home against the champions of England,
Liverpool. The third match in
Brussels was difficult, and "the Reds" went ahead in the European Cup.
A period of decline (1968–1990) appeared in 273 league matches for Petrolul between 1956 and 1971. After that period of great form, Petrolul began a period of decline and although the club remained in the first division for many years later, only the
1995 Romanian Cup final reminded their supporters about the years of glory. In 1970, the oilmen finished the first part of the championship on the 2nd place, but it lost that place until the end of the season.
1969–70,
1971–72 were seasons in which Petrolul was at only one step from relegation. After a "resuscitation" (
1972–73, 15th place occupied after five rounds, the 4th place at the beginning of the winter break), 1973 was quite weak year. In 1974, the people from
Ploiești suspected a match fixed between
Argeş Pitești and
CFR Cluj, in favor of the team from
Cluj-Napoca, it was supposed that Petrolul officials have tried to financially stimulate the host, but the authorities discovered the plan and the team has discreetly relegated to
Divizia B, this happened in the conditions in which in 1963
Prahova Ploiești and Carpați Sinaia, other two teams from
Prahova County were relegated by the
Romanian Football Federation to Divizia B due to match-fixing. Arrived in the second division, the most valuable footballers of the club, Crângaşu and Rămureanu left and after 3 rounds the team was the last. The yellow wolves recovered later, but the local coaches did not have the value of
Ilie Oană, who also went to
Politehnica Iași, then to
Universitatea Craiova, Petrolul remaining in some kind of mediocrity. In January 1976, the club brought in
Valentin Stănescu to be the coach, and the team tried to promote but lost a home game against
FC Brăila. After the game, the supporters showed their dissatisfaction with Dinulescu's refereeing, throwing various objects from the stands.
FCM Galaţi then strengthened its nickname as an "ABBA" team (a nickname used in Romania for clubs that frequently alternated between the first and second divisions), promoting in front of Petrolul that year and relegating after only one season in the top flight of Romanian football. Instead, Petrolul had an exceptional
1976–77 season, with 15 wins and 2 draws in the first part of the campaign, finishing in 1st place, far ahead of 2nd place
Gloria Buzău. The squad included Gh. Constantin, Mîrzea, Gh. Dumitrescu, Sotir, Ene, Butufei, I. Constantin, Ionescu, Angelescu, N. Florian, Simaciu, Negoiță, D. Georgescu,
Fl. Dumitrescu,
Pantea, Toporan, State, Pisău, Mînăstire, and Manolache. Unfortunately, the players born in the Prahova County did not have enough experience and at the end of the
1977–78 Divizia A season it was ranked only 17th and relegated back. The immediate promotion was forbidden by
Viitorul Scorniceşti, the football club from the native town of
Nicolae Ceaușescu, which was strongly pushed forward to Divizia A by the
communist authorities, in power at the time, a concrete proof being that FC Olt promoted from
Divizia C after an 18–0 victory against the team ranked 15th, while
Flacăra Moreni won only 2–1, in a match played at the same hour, against ROVA Roșiori. . The
1979–80 season had also been disappointing for Petrolul.
Rapid București and
Progresul București battled for first place, while Metalul Plopeni, the kingmaker, defeated Rapid in
Bucharest but lost to Progresul. In 1980, Petrolul appointed
Traian Ionescu as their new coach, a highly experienced manager who had previously led clubs like
Dinamo București and
Fenerbahçe. However, another challenge threatened Petrolul's promotion dreams. That year,
CS Târgoviște made a sensational signing:
Nicolae Dobrin, nicknamed "The Gander" or "The Prince of Trivale," one of the most important figures in Romanian football, joined Târgoviște after spending 19 years in
Pitești. Dobrin played a decisive role in his team's promotion, thwarting the plans of the Yellow Wolves. In 1982, after spending most of the previous eight seasons—including four consecutive years—in the second league, Petrolul finally surpassed their great rival
Rapid and returned to
Divizia A. The
1982–83 Divizia A season, was a one full of emotions, avoiding the relegation was the target in the mind of everyone at each of the games played by the team.
1983–84 season send Petrolul back to Divizia B again, but promotion came after a victory at
Galați against
Dunărea, former FCM, the team which forbidding the promotion of the oilmen, ten years earlier. In 1987, the yellow and blues signed another coach, a former team player from years of glory,
Constantin Moldoveanu. But Moldoveanu did not have in the squad the players who won against
Steaua București or
Liverpool in the glory times and Petrolul relegated back to the second league. September 1988 brought Ion Radu as the new chairman, helped by Mihai Cristache. The two were often criticized of the post-
revolutionary press, but they did some performances like in the times of
Mircea Dridea and
Mihai Ionescu. Petrolul promoted in 1989 and finished on the 4th place in its first season, helped also by the dissolution (in the winter of 1990) of
Victoria București, club sponsored by the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs (the "Miliția", Police), institution under the former Communist regime.
European participations and cup win (1990–2002) Petrolul finished the
1989–90 Divizia A on the fourth place, after having just returned from the second division in 1989. Therefore, it qualified for the
UEFA Cup along with
Universitatea Craiova and
Politehnica Timișoara. "The Yellow Wolves" played against
Belgian club
Anderlecht, which won both legs. At the end of the
1990–91 season, Petrolul finished 7th and in the
Romanian Cup they were eliminated in the second round proper by their bitter rivals
Steaua București. In the summer of 1991 the club changed its name to
FC Ploiești, but made a very weak season, finishing only 10th in the top flight and in the Romanian Cup, the squad was eliminated again in the second round proper, this time by
FC U Craiova. At the end of the season
FC Ploiești changed its name back to Petrolul Ploiești. "The Oilmen" saved from relegation in the last moment at the end of the
1992–93 season, finishing 16th out of 18, with two points over
Selena Bacău and four over
CSM Reșița. Next season, coach
Marin Ion and his players made a very good season and finished in the top 5, more exactly on the 5th place, one point over
Farul Constanța, at the same number of points with 4th place (
Rapid București), two points behind 3rd place (
Dinamo București) and three points behind 2nd place (
FC U Craiova). In the Romanian Cup, "the Yellow Wolves" were eliminated in the second round proper by
Inter Sibiu. in 1995. In the
1994–95 season, despite a mediocre league result (10th place), coached by the same
Marin Ion, Petrolul won the
1994–95 Cupa României after defeating their rivals,
Rapid București, at the
penalty shootout and qualified for the
1995–96 UEFA Cup. The team included the following players:
Preda –
D.Chiriță,
Grigore,
Răchită (C), Bălăceanu –
Leahu, Grama, Pârlog,
Abăluţă – Zmoleanu, Zafiris.
1995–96 season was started by "the Yellow and Blues" on 3 fronts, League, Cup and UEFA Cup. In the European competition they eliminated
Welsh side
Wrexham, in the first round, after a 0–0 on the
Racecourse Ground and 1–0 victory on the
Ilie Oană Stadium, goal scored by Pârlog in the 60th minute. The slow start would announce the early elimination, in the second round, when Austrian side
Rapid Wien won 3–1 on aggregate after a 3–1 on the
Gerhard Hanappi Stadium and a 0–0 draw in
Ploiești. In the league Petrolul ended again in the top half of the table, on the 6th place and in the cup, was eliminated in the quarter-finals, by
Național București, at the
penalty shootout. In the following years Petrolul occupied the following positions at the end of the championship:
1996–97 – 9th,
1997–98 – 14th,
1998–99 – 8th and
1999–2000 – 11th. The late 1990s have been marked by the fierce rivalry with
Astra Ploiești, a team that promoted in the first league in 1998.
Second division struggles (2002–2011) In the early 2000s, Petrolul entered under the ownership of
Petrom's trade union president, Liviu Luca, and
ploieștenii have a peak at the end of the
2000–01 Divizia A, when the team finished on the 2nd place. But the collapse followed. In 2002, the yellow and blues relegated to
Divizia B and the city of
Ploiești, which had 2 teams in Divizia A between 1998 and 2002, remained in the first league only with
Astra, a club which had no presence in the top-flight of the Romanian football until 1998. The oilmen promoted back to Divizia A in 2003, after only one season in the second league, but only at one month after promotion, the club's management announced that the funding of the club is under question. In less than 30 days supporters have been announced that there will be a merger between Petrolul Ploieşti and
Astra Ploieşti. Astra Ploieşti changed its name to Petrolul Ploieşti and in July 2003 Petrolul Ploiești was unaffiliated from the
Romanian Football Federation, leaving a vacant place in the first league, which was finally occupied by
Oțelul Galați, team that lost in that summer a relegation play-out against the second league team
FC Oradea. On 28 July 2003,
Astra Ploieşti changed its name to FC Petrolul Ploieşti, with Florin Bercea and
Ioan Niculae as the owners of the newly formed entity and also the new home becoming
Astra Stadium. This alternative was chosen because at that time Petrolul Ploieşti was a nonprofit association and according to the Law of Sport it should have been transformed into
SA and a merger with Astra Ploieşti in order to create a new company would have lasted at least seven months. These legal formalities have sometimes been interpreted as a proof of the dissolution of Petrolul, but such an interpretation is wrong because this club took over, according to
FRF, Petrolul brand and record. At the end of the
2003–04 Divizia A season, Petrolul relegated to
Divizia B, and due to some differences in the ownership,
Ioan Niculae gives up the 50% that he held within the club, these were split between Liviu Luca, Florin Bercea and Eduard Alexandru. Subsequently,
Ioan Niculae refounded Astra and the new club is considered by
LPF as the legal successor of the club before the 2003 merger, strengthening the idea that the 2003 merger result is the successor of the old Petrolul, not Astra. Petrolul also moved back to its old ground,
Ilie Oană Stadium, in the summer of 2004. The 2004 relegation was followed by a black period for the yellow wolves, with seven consecutive
Liga II season. In the
2004–05 season the club finished on the 4th place at 7 points from the promotion place, occupied at that time by
Pandurii Târgu Jiu.
2005–06 season brought an extra chance, as a result of the restructuring of the first league from 16 to 18 teams, from the second league could also promote the 2nd place via a play-off tournament, but Petrolul finished only on the 3rd place at 3 points from the 2nd place, occupied by
Unirea Urziceni, team that would promote and write history in the Romanian football. In 2006, Petrolul ownership decided that the home games should be played on
Flacăra Stadium from
Moreni or
Mogoșoaia Stadium, motivating the move by the fact that the old
Ilie Oană Stadium required repair and modernization work. On 12 October 2006, the supporters organized a protest in the city center of
Ploiești, asking for the team to be transferred from the private ownership to the Ploiești Municipality and to return on its own home ground. Despite these internal problems Petrolul made a good season, but ended again just below the promotion line, on the 3rd place. The end of the
2007–08 season found the yellow and blues on the 3rd place again, increasing the frustration among supporters and players, 5 points split the team from the 2nd place, a promotable one. Next season,
2008–09 was a disastrous one, Petrolul finished on 4th place, but at great distance from the 2nd (
Astra, named FC Ploiești at that time) and 1st place (
Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț), 22 points respectively 23 points, also with a tense situation at the administrative level and with not many options on the horizon. In 2009 the team was taken over by Ploiești Municipality and
Valeriu Răchită, former player of the team, was reconfirmed as the head coach, the squad being also restructured with many young players and after a great campaign in which the hope of promotion was alive until the last second, Petrolul finished 3rd, at only 1 point from the promotion spot, occupied by
Sportul Studențesc, which led to a terrible disappointment, making the Ploiești people to wonder whether the team was followed by bad luck. Petrolul started the
2010–11 season with important changes, the young squad has been completed with some experienced players as
Pompiliu Stoica,
Florentin Dumitru or
Daniel Oprița and moved for its home matches on
Conpet Stadium from
Strejnicu, near Ploiești, facilitating easier access for the supporters, new
Ilie Oană Stadium, being still in construction, also the team was moved from the first to the second series of the second league and after a heavy fight in 3 teams, against
FC Bihor Oradea and
CS Mioveni, Petrolul promoted from the 1st place, 1 point ahead FC Bihor, team that also occupied a promotable place after 7 consecutive
Liga II seasons and 2 points ahead CS Mioveni, which subsequently promoted by taking advantage of the financial problems of FC Bihor. The promotion coincided with the inauguration of the new stadium, all of these brought a great enthusiasm among the Petrolul supporters, players and staff.
Mild success followed by bankruptcy (2011–2016) in
Bucharest Under the management of
Cosmin Contra, their second season since return saw them finishing third in the
league table, as well as claiming the
national cup for the third time in their history. Consequently, Petrolul earned a spot in the second qualifying round of the
2013–14 UEFA Europa League, with the club playing its first European match since 1995. After defeating
Víkingur Gøta and
Vitesse Arnhem, they were eliminated in the play-off round by
Swansea City. The team received consistent media attention after signing former
Romanian internationals Adrian Mutu and
Ianis Zicu in January 2014, a move which would later be considered a "failure". During the same month, it was announced that
German automobile manufacturer
Opel would become Petrolul's shirt sponsor.
Petroliștii had the chance to qualify for their second consecutive
Cupa României final, but lost the semi-final against rivals
Astra Giurgiu 2–1 on aggregate. Petrolul came third in the Liga I once more, while the fans challenged
Răzvan Lucescu, considering that he wasn't a suitable replacement for Contra, who left Petrolul in March to join Spanish side
Getafe. In the next season's European participation, "the Yellow Wolves" confronted
Czech club
Viktoria Plzeň in the
Europa League third qualifying round. After a draw in Ploiești, Petrolul impressively beat Viktoria scoring four goals and conceding only one. However, Petrolul yet again missed the chance of advancing to the group stage after losing the play-off against
Dinamo Zagreb. In September 2014, head coach Lucescu was sacked and Mutu left the club as a
free agent. On 25 November, president Daniel Capră, general director Marius Bucuroiu and five other persons faced
preventive detention for 24 hours, being suspected of tax evasion and money laundering. The criminal offences made by the club's officials caused Petrolul to lose important players and face a period of instability. In February 2015, the club went into
administration and eventually finished the season on the sixth place in Liga I. More players left the club in the summer of 2015 and coach changes became frequent. Petrolul quickly landed on the last place in the league table, where it stayed until the last game of the season. Finally, in the summer of 2016 the team was declared bankrupt.
Reestablishment and recent history (2016 onwards) in the
2023–24 Liga I season After the team was dissolved in 2016 as a result of the SC FC Petrolul SA joint-stock company bankruptcy, club legends and supporter groups associated to promptly reestablish it under the name of
ACS Petrolul 52 Ploiești and enroll it in the Liga A Prahova (
Liga IV), the fourth tier of the Romanian league system. In June 2017,
ACS Petrolul 52 leased the club brand identity from the Municipality of Ploiești for €30,000 and began using the former name of
FC Petrolul Ploiești. The team managed back-to-back promotions and reached the
second division in the summer of 2018. After three failed attempts to return to the Liga I and with worsening competitive results each year, Veolia stopped fully financing Petrolul and only offered to become a sponsor from the
2021–22 season, a position from which it also withdrew at the start of 2022. In spite of the economic issues that arose from Veolia's departure, the squad led by head coach
Nicolae Constantin managed to end the Liga II campaign as champions. Petrolul finished on the eighth place in the regular season of the
2022–23 Liga I, and thus started the relegation play-outs from the second place. In March 2023, the association of former players which controlled the club stepped down and former
CFR Cluj and
Universitatea Craiova president Marian Copilu was announced as the new owner. Petrolul also finished the 2022–23 season on the eighth place overall. From the 2024–25 season, Petrolul re-established a reserve team through a partnership with
Daniel Chiriță, owner of Liga IV club Petrolul 95 Ploiești. The squad was enrolled in the third league and plays at the
Stadionul Conpet in
Strejnic. ==Grounds==