FC Voluntari

Football in Voluntari before 2010

Organised football in Voluntari dates back to 1987, when Inter Voluntari was founded, competing in the Ilfov County championships and spending two seasons in Divizia C as CS Voluntari before later competing in Liga IV Bucharest until disappearing in 2012.

Foundation and rise through the divisions

FC Voluntari was founded in the summer of 2010, when the club took over the place of Petrolul Berca in Liga III. Several players and head coach Romeo Bunică also moved from Berca to the newly formed Ilfov club, which assembled a new squad and played its home matches at Viscofil Stadium in Popești-Leordeni. In their debut season in the third tier, the club finished 6th in Series II.

In the 2011–12 season, Bunică left in October after nine rounds to join Otopeni and was replaced by Robert Niță, who was succeeded in January 2012 by Bogdan Andone. Under Andone's leadership, the Ilfov-based side again finished 6th in Series II.

In the 2012–13 season, the club was placed in Series III and moved its home matches to the newly opened Niță Pintea Stadium in Voluntari. Poor results left the team bottom of the standings after five rounds, leading to the dismissal of Bogdan Andone. Romeo Bunică returned as head coach in early October 2012 and guided the team to a 7th-place finish.

Following the establishment of the FC Voluntari Academy in 2012 and the adoption of a development model inspired by the Gheorghe Hagi Academy, the club entered a partnership with Viitorul Constanța. As part of the project, Adrian Iencsi was appointed head coach for the 2013–14 campaign, with Ilie Poenaru as assistant, and several young players, including Florin Tănase, Cosmin Achim, Bogdan Vasile, Bogdan Mitache and Bogdan Țîru, joined the senior squad. The team also included players such as Paul Botaș, Cristian Irimia, Florin Maxim, S. Rădoi, Dinu Todoran, Ad. Bălan, George Călințaru, Ad. Voicu and Mihai Voduț. Voluntari dominated Series II, finishing first in both the regular season and the play-off and securing promotion to Liga II.

Following promotion, Ilie Poenaru was appointed head coach after Adrian Iencsi's departure. In the 2014–15 season, Voluntari continued its strong form in Series I, finishing first in both the regular season and the play-off, thirteen points ahead of second-placed Academica Argeș and thirty points ahead of third-placed Gloria Buzău, thereby securing promotion to Romania's top flight. The squad included Botaș, Hînțescu, Crăciun, C. Roșu, Lircă, Achim, Poverlovici, Maxim, Mitache, S. Rădoi, Novac, B. Barbu, A. Cârstocea, G. Deac, E. Stan, Leasă, M. Ene, Todoran, Ad. Bălan, Călințaru, M. Matei, Ad. Voicu and Voduț.

Top-flight years and first trophies

Its debut season in Liga I proved difficult, as numerous technical and administrative changes left the club involved in the relegation battle. After finishing 12th, Voluntari faced UTA Arad in a promotion/relegation play-off and won 3–1 on aggregate, retaining its place in the top flight.

With experienced players such as Vasile Maftei, Florin Cernat and Laurențiu Marinescu in the squad, Voluntari improved during the 2016–17 season, finishing 9th and avoiding a second consecutive promotion/relegation play-off. The club also achieved the first major success in its history by winning the 2016–17 Cupa României. In the final against Astra Giurgiu, the match ended 1–1 after extra time before Voluntari won the penalty shoot-out 5–3.

The success was followed by another trophy at the beginning of the 2017–18 season, when Voluntari defeated reigning champions Viitorul Constanța 1–0 in the Supercupa României, with Costin Lazăr scoring the only goal. It was the second major trophy in the club's history.

Voluntari remained in the top flight during the following seasons, generally competing in the lower half of the standings. One of its strongest campaigns came in 2021–22, when the club qualified for the championship play-off and also reached the final of the 2021–22 Cupa României. In the final, played at Giulești Stadium in Bucharest, Voluntari was defeated 2–1 by Sepsi OSK, finishing as runners-up for the first time in the competition.

After nine consecutive seasons in the first division, Voluntari was relegated at the end of the 2023–24 season, finishing in one of the two direct relegation positions in the play-out and returning to Liga II for the first time since 2015.

Return to Liga II and promotion (2024–2026)

In the 2024–25 season, Voluntari qualified for the promotion play-off and earned a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off against Unirea Slobozia. Voluntari won the first leg 2–1 at home, but lost the return match 0–1 after extra time. With the aggregate score level, Unirea won the penalty shoot-out 4–3, leaving Voluntari in the second tier for another season.

Voluntari again reached the promotion play-off in the 2025–26 season and remained in contention for a return to the top flight throughout the campaign. The club eventually qualified for the promotion/relegation play-off against Hermannstadt. Hermannstadt won the first leg 3–2 in Sibiu, despite Voluntari recovering from a three-goal deficit to reduce the difference to one goal. In the return leg at the Anghel Iordănescu Stadium, Voluntari won 3–0 through two penalties scored by Matko Babić and a late goal from Ioan Tolea, winning the tie 5–3 on aggregate and securing promotion back to the SuperLiga after two seasons in Liga II.

FC Voluntari returned to the top flight for the 2026–27 season, making its first SuperLiga appearance in two years.