STEAUA BUCHEREST - GHENCEA STADIUM - CAPACITY: 27,063 ALL SEATER
About the Ghencea The Ghencea stadium was a break from the norm when it opened in 1974 as it was one of the first stadiums to open in the Balkans without an Athletics Track. With stands built close to the pitch it was a real break from tradition for Romanian football, and the fans took to the steep terracing immediately, making the stadium a really intimidating place to visit.Originally the stadium was opened as a 30,000 venue, with around 5,000 standing places behind the goal. These were converted into seating areas in 1991 to make the current capacity just over 28,000. Today the stadium still only has a single roofed stand that sits proudly above the others. Basically the stadium is made up of four uniform single tier stands, with the main stand having a double row of executive boxes. As of October 2006 the stadium was upgraded to UEFA 4-star level. The club do have plans to increase the capacity of the stadium by adding a second tier, which would increase the capacity to around 50,000.
Who plays there? - Steaua Bucharest - http://www.steauafc.com FC Steaua Bucuresti were founded on 7 June 1947 as ASA Bucuresti by a group of officers in the Romanian army. Initially the club did not concentrate on football, preferring instead to develop their athletics team. The team were soon renamed as CSCA and they competed in their first major competition, the Romanian Cup in 1948. A year later they won the trophy, beating CSU Cluj 2-1 in the final. The following season, after another name change to CCA - the Central House of the Army, they entered the Romanian League and in their first season won the Championship, following it up with Championships in the next two seasons as well.
In 1961 the club adopted the name Steaua for the first time, which is Romanian for Star - the obvious symbol of any team playing under Soviet rule. The club won the championship again in this year, emphasising their dominance in domestic football. The won the Championship a further three times during the seventies before they started to feel the pressure of some of the newer teams emerging in Romania. At the time money was also very tight within the region, and so investment into football was often ignored. However, at the time money was being diverted into the youth academies which would bear fruits during the 1990's.
Under the leadership of Emerich Jenei and Anghel Iordanescu, Steaua began to build a team to compete at the highest level. In 1985 they won the championship at a canter, and so took their place in the 1985/86 European Cup first round. Previous European campaigns had always been short and sweet, but with a very kind draw the club managed to overcome Vejle, Honved FC, Kuusysi Lahti and Anderlecht, they became the first ever Romanain side to reach the European Cup final. On 7 May 1986, in Seville, they met the mighty Barcelona. After a goalless draw over 120minutes, goalkeeper Duckadam saved all four Barca penalties and in the process delivered the trophy to Steaua. The club followed this up by capturing the European Super Cup by beating Dinamo Kiev in Monaco. Two seasons later they reached the final again, underlining their position as one of Europe's top teams, although they lost to a rampant AC Milan side 4-0. The club continued to dominate domestically with three successive domestic doubles during the late 1980's. In addition, from June 1986 to September 1989, Steaua managed a record 104-match undefeated run domestically, setting a world record for this undefeated stretch that stood until quite recently.
The new breed of young players started to emerge during the late 1980's with future stars such as Hagi, Popescu, Dumitrescu and Raducioui playing a bigger part in the team. The team went on another amazing domestic run with six consecutive championship titles between 1992-93 and 1997-98 including three more domestic doubles. The club also made it into the European Champions League group stages on a number of occasions, although two third places finishes were the best they could muster. As the successful team was broken up again, Steaua needed to regroup and this meant that change its structure from top to bottom.
In came former Italian goalkeeper Walter Zenga as coach, and he immediately took them to the title again in 2005 and 2006, as well as into the UEFA Cup group stages. The managed to reach the semi-finals of the competition where they met Middlesborough, after defeating local rivals Rapid Bucharest in the semi-finals. After a 1-0 home victory, the Romanians took a 2-0 lead at the Riverside and appeared to be coasting to the final in Eindhoven. However a remarkable Middlesborough come back saw them win 4-2 late on and so end Steaua's chances of European glory. Last season they finished runners up in the league, although this has enabled them to attempt to qualify for the Champions League group stages again under the leadership of Romania's finest ever player - Gheorghe Hagi.
The National Stadium, the Lia Manoliu Stadium is currently being redeveloped with a view to re-opening as a UEFA 4 star venue in March 2009. The last game played here was a friendly between Romania and Moldova in February 2007. This means that the national team will be playing their games at the Ghencea Stadium.
How to get there The simplest way of reaching the stadium is to catch a yellow line 3 metro train to Gorjului which is three stops from Eroilor in the centre of the city. Once you leave the station, you will need to catch a number 41 tram that runs from the left. A single ticket will cost €1.
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Getting a ticket The club are currently working on launching a new online portal that will enable fans to book tickets in advance. However, until then tickets can only be purchased from the club store in advanced. You are also able to book seats for the “armchair” zone, an area of the main stand that has 700 comfortable seats in an enclosed zone, with air conditioning and a bar at the end of the game. These seats have to be booked in advance by calling the club on +40 21 411 46 56 or by email at contact@steauafc.com. Tickets for other games start from €30 or 100RON for a normal league game in the Tribuna 0, or €15 or 50RON behind the goals in the Peluze stands.
FC PROGRESUL - THE COTROCENI STADION - 14,300 ALL SEATER
About the Cotroceni The Cotroceni is certainly a more western style ground that you will find elsewhere in the city. It is often used as the home to the Romanian Rugby team as well as the current tenants FC Progresul. The stadium sits in the shadows of the massive People’s Palace, built by the former regime. The stadium is very impressive, having been completely rebuilt in the 1990's thanks to some investment from the local banks.
It is an all seater stadium, with a covered main stand, and three single tier open air stands. Views are good from all areas – the main covered stand offers some great views of the rear of the People’s Palace.
Who plays there? FC National Progresul Bucharest - http://www.fcnational.ro FC National Progresul Bucharesti to give them their full name are the poor cousins in many ways of football in Bucharest. Despite playing in potentially the best stadium, their roll of honours is limited to a single Romanian Cup win back in 1960. They have recently reached two more finals, losing to Dinamo in 2003 and to Rapid in 2006. However, for the remainder of their history they have had to play in the shadows of Steaua, Rapid and Dinamo.
They did play in Europe for the first time in 1996, although their adventure only lasted one round. They qualified again in 2002, although again went out in the first round. Last season’s 16th place finish was just enough to starve off relegation for one more season.
How to get there To reach the stadium, catch the yellow metro line M3 to Eroilor (in the direction of Industrillor) and then head down Strada Dr Lister where the ground is on your left hand side. As long as you can see the back of the Palace of the People you are heading in the right direction.
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Getting a ticket The club are the worst supported in the league, averaging just over 1,500 on a regular basis. Tickets are available from the ticket windows outside the main stadium and you will not pay more than €10 for a seat around the stadium, or €20 for a covered seat in the main stand which is advisable in the winter months.
FC DINAMO- STEFAN CEL MARE "DINAMO" STADIUM - 15,300 ALL SEATER
About the Dinamo Stadium What is it with the Eastern Bloc and their open air grounds. Dinamo’s stadium offers very little cover for spectators despite sitting in one of Europe’s most inhospitable capital cities in terms of harsh weather. How the club gets crowds of 7,000 let alone 70 in the freezing winter months is beyond sense.
However, the stadium is certainly typical of many in this region. It has a wide cinder track around the edge that is occasionally used for athletics, although it actually looks like an American Indy track. Views behind the goals are remote to say the least. Large floodlights dominate the skyline. There has been lots of talk about a complete renovation of the stadium, but apart from an upgrade of facilities in the VIP section nothing has changed.
Who plays there? Dinamo Bucharest - http://www.fcdinamo.ro Amazingly enough Dinamo are still the most successful team in Romanian football. Traditionally they were the team of the secret police – hence the Dinamo name which may have contributed to their early success. The club were formed just after the war, and through a series of local clubs being joined together competed under the Dinamo name in 1947. They initially moved to the Dinamo stadium in 1951 and immediately began to dominate football in the capital, finishing runners up in 1952 and 1953 before they won their first title in 1956.
They also took part in the second ever European Cup, beating Galatasaray in front of 80,000 spectators. Over the next few years success was thin on the ground, but they became league champions again in 1962. They won the title for four consecutive seasons, dominating Romanian football.
The 1970’s were just as successful for the club with four more titles as well as a couple of decent runs in Europe. However it was in the 1980’s that the club will remember most fondly. They won three consecutive titles from 1982 including the double in 1982 and 1984, and reached the semi final of the European Cup, losing to a rampant Liverpool over two legs. Since they have had to take second places to Steaua, especially in terms of their European success. It took a change of management and directors in the latter part of the nineties to rediscover the success on the field.
Starting from 2000 the club have won four championships and five Romanian Cup Finals, eclipsing out their rivals across town. They have also enjoyed some high profile games in Europe, playing (and losing) at Old Trafford, Stadio Olimpico in Rome and Stade Velodrome. They did thrash Everton 5-2 in 2005 in the UEFA Cup. This season an away goals defeat to Swedish champions Elfsborg in the first round brought an early end to their European adventures. Current coach, ex-Italian goalkeeper Walter Zenga has revolutionized the team, bringing in a number of homegrown players who have taken the fight to Steaua.
How to get there The stadium is one of the easiest to find in Bucharest – located just outside the main northern ring road in Sector 2 of the city. Red Metro Line M1 runs every few minutes to the Stefan Cel Mare station which is opposite the south end of the stadium. Journey time is 15 minutes.
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Getting a ticket On match days there are thousands of empty red and white seats and average attendances barely break the 7,000 mark. Therefore it is not necessary to try and pick up a ticket in advance. Tickets for the games versus Steaua and National often attract crowds over 10,000 and so it may be wise to try and track down a ticket in advance if you are in town for one of these games. The best seats are those in the Tribuna Oficiala and the Tribuna a opposite and cost €15. A seat in the Peluza (behind the goals) start from €10.
FC RAPID BUCHARESTI - STADIONUL GIULESTI - 19,100 CAPACITY
About the Stadionul Giulesti The neat and compact Stadion Giulesti has been the home to FC Rapid Bucharest since 1939. It is a basic affair – three almost identical single tier open stands with smart dark red seats, and a single small covered stand that is referred to as the Tribune. The stadium was originally built on a similar design to Highbury. Views are excellent – stands are not too steep and so nobody is very far away from the action. The stadium has recently started on a major redevelopment programme which is due to finish in early 2008.
Who Plays there? Rapid Bucharest - http://www.fcrapid.ro The Giulesti is home to one of Romania’s most famous clubs, FC Rapid Bucharesti. The club are known more as a bridesmaid rather than a bride with 14 runners up spots in the Romanain Championship compared with just 3 wins, although they have won 13 Romanian Cups. They won their first title in 1967, some 40 years after their formation. In the 1970’s they were a regular feature in European football, reaching the quarter finals of the European Cup Winners Cup in. They had to wait nearly 30 more years to win the title again in 1999, and since then have had to make do with success in the Cup. In 2006 they met cross city rivals Steaua Bucharest in the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup.
How to get there The simplest way to reach the home to FC Rapid is by tram number 44 from Gara de Nord station to Calea Giulesti. Journey time is around 10 minutes. The stadium is hemmed in to the south by the main ring road and to the east by the main railway line.
Go to Footiemap.com for an overview of who plays where in Bucharest.
Getting a ticket The 4,000 or so regulars who take their seats in the Giulesti claim to be the most loyal in Romania. However, with only 25% of the stadium being used on a regular basis then it is not hard to get a ticket, €30 will buy you a place in the main Tribune, and under cover whilst for €20 you can get a seat in the open air Peluza behind the goals.
Getting around Bucharest has one of the most developed public transport networks in Europe, comprising of buses, trams and a cheap and efficient metro system which runs for over 63km and covers 45 stations. A ticket for a single journey is L11,000. A one day travel card costs L70,000. For those areas where the network does not reach, taxis are relatively cheap and can be hailed in the street.
The Henri Coandǎ airport is the largest airport in Romania, handling around 3.5million passengers per annum, and growing at around 30% per annum. It is located in the northern part of the city, known as Otopeni. There are plans to build a new airport in the south of the city at Bǎneasa which will handle the planned growth of low cost airlines. The airport currently serves British Airways and TAROM from London Heathrow. Wizzair also fly to Bucharest but use the much smaller Aurel Vlaicu airport located 3km south of the main airport.
The airport is located around 11 miles north of Bucharest and is accessed via the RATB express bus route 783 which runs to the smaller Aurel Vlaicu airport on the way to the city centre terminating at Piata Unirii. Buses run every 30minutes, and the journey is around 35 minutes.
Tickets can be purchased from a RATB booth in the terminal and cost 5 lei or €1.50 return. Avoid the taxi touts outside the arrivals hall and use one of the official ones if you need to, which will cost about €30. Plans have been submitted to link the airport with the current Metro system on line M6 but this is some time off being completed let alone started.
Public transport options in the city are mainly centred on buses, although there is a metro network which links some of the outlying areas. Tickets for all journeys can be purchased from the silver kiosks next to most stops – remember to frank your tickets on boarding though.
About the Ghencea
Who plays there? - Steaua Bucharest - 
About the Cotroceni
About the Dinamo Stadium
Who plays there? Dinamo Bucharest - 
About the Stadionul Giulesti
Who Plays there? Rapid Bucharest - 