Asociația Club Sportiv Colțea 1920 Brașov, commonly known as Colțea Brașov or simply Colțea, is a Romanian football club based in Brașov, Brașov County. The present organisation was founded in 2015 and revived the name and identity of the historic Colțea Brașov, a separate club established in 1920 which won the Romanian national championship in 1927–28.
The original Colțea Brașov was created as a Brașov branch of Colțea București and became one of the strongest Romanian teams of the second half of the 1920s. It finished runners-up in 1926–27 before winning the national title the following season, defeating Jiul Lupeni 3–2 in the final. The historic club disappeared in the early 1930s.
A new organisation named ACS Colțea 1920 Brașov was established in 2015 to revive the historic identity. The modern club has concentrated strongly on youth development while also fielding a senior team in the Brașov county leagues. In 2025–26, Colțea competed in Liga IV Brașov and finished 11th.
Contents
History
Origins as a branch of Colțea București (1920–1925)
The original Colțea Brașov was founded in 1920 as a local branch of Colțea București, one of the prominent Romanian clubs of the immediate post-First World War period. The initiative was associated with Vintilă Cristescu, Puiu Pavel and Iacobescu, players connected with the Bucharest organisation who helped establish the new team in Brașov.
The team entered organised regional competition in 1921. During its first years, Brașov football also included important clubs such as Brașovia Brașov, Olympia Brașov and CFR Brașov.
Colțea gradually developed into one of the strongest teams in the district. The club was closely associated with the military environment and became known for attracting talented players from different parts of the country.
Rise to national prominence (1925–1927)
Colțea won the Brașov district championship for the first time in the 1925–26 season, ending a period of local dominance by Brașovia.
The district title qualified Colțea for the national championship tournament. In 1925–26, however, the club was eliminated before reaching the final stages.
Colțea retained the Brașov championship in 1926–27 and this time made a major national breakthrough.
In the quarter-finals, Colțea travelled to Galați and defeated Dacia Vasile Alecsandri 7–1. In the semi-finals, the Brașov side beat Unirea Tricolor București 4–1 and qualified for the national championship final.
The final against Chinezul Timișoara was played in Arad. The first match ended 2–2 after extra time, with Ștefan Auer scoring both goals for Colțea. A replay was held the following day, when Chinezul won 4–3 after extra time.
Colțea therefore finished as Romanian championship runners-up.
Romanian champions (1927–1928)
The 1927–28 season became the greatest in the history of the club.
Colțea again dominated the Brașov regional championship, winning all of its recorded matches and qualifying for the national tournament.
In the national quarter-finals, Colțea faced former Romanian champions Olympia București in Bucharest and won 3–2 after extra time.
The semi-final was played on 15 July 1928 at the ONEF Stadium in Bucharest against Mihai Viteazul Chișinău. In one of the highest-scoring major matches of the period, Colțea won 6–4 and qualified for its second consecutive national final.
The championship final was played on 29 July 1928 in Brașov against Jiul Lupeni. Colțea won 3–2 and became Romanian champions for the first and only time in the club's history.
The title represented the first Romanian national football championship won by a club from Brașov.
During this period Colțea was considered one of the strongest teams in Romania. A notable international friendly came against Wiener AC, one of the leading Austrian sides of the era. The Viennese club had won its previous matches during a Romanian tour but was defeated 3–2 by Colțea.
Final national appearance and decline (1928–1931)
Colțea remained Brașov regional champion in 1928–29. It finished the surviving regional programme with a perfect record of seven victories from seven matches, scoring 23 goals and conceding four.
In the national tournament, Colțea defeated Șoimii Sibiu 2–1 in the preliminary round before being eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Venus București, losing 1–3.
The club subsequently declined rapidly. Its military-based structure meant that players frequently moved as their service postings changed, making it increasingly difficult to maintain the exceptional squad that had won the national championship.
Colțea disappeared from the leading national and regional competitions in the early 1930s, with 1931 generally regarded as the end of the original organisation.
Its disappearance allowed clubs such as Brașovia Brașov and IAR Brașov to take a more prominent place in local football during the following years. Colțea itself had no organisational continuity with those clubs.
Revival of the name (2015)
After more than eight decades, the historic Colțea identity was revived in the summer of 2015 through the establishment of a new organisation, ACS Colțea 1920 Brașov.
The modern club was founded as a separate legal and sporting entity and should therefore not be regarded as the uninterrupted continuation of the organisation dissolved in the early 1930s. Its name, colours and public identity were deliberately chosen to commemorate the 1928 Romanian champions.
The new club was led by Ciprian Jurubescu and initially concentrated heavily on children and junior football. The Brașov County Football Association records 2015 as the foundation year of the present ACS Colțea 1920 Brașov.
Partnership with Celta Vigo
A major part of the new project's early development was its association with Spanish club RC Celta de Vigo.
In 2016, Colțea entered a youth-development partnership with Celta Vigo and established the Celta Brașov Academy. The project was intended to implement training methodology associated with the Spanish club and improve youth development in Brașov.
The Romanian Football Federation subsequently described Colțea 1920 as the club carrying the identity of the former Romanian champions and reported on the development of the Celta Brașov academy. In September 2018, former Romanian international Marian Ivan became general director of Colțea 1920 Brașov and the Celta Brașov Academy.
Youth development remained a central component of the modern club's activity in the following years.
Senior football and county competitions
Alongside its academy, ACS Colțea established a senior team in the Brașov county league system.
The club competed in Liga IV Brașov and produced one of its strongest campaigns in the curtailed 2019–20 season, finishing runners-up in the county championship.
In 2023–24, Colțea's senior team finished 4th in Liga IV Brașov, collecting 51 points from 28 matches.
The association also fielded a team in Liga V during the same season, illustrating the broader senior and development structure operated by the club.
For the 2024–25 season, Colțea competed in the Liga V Brașov zone and won the championship. The team finished 1st with 48 points from 20 matches, eight points ahead of Recolta Budila and Prejmer.
Colțea was also the competition's highest-scoring team, with 61 goals.
The title resulted in a return to Liga IV for the following season.
2025–26 season
Colțea competed in Liga IV Brașov during the 2025–26 season.
The team struggled in the league and finished 11th of 13 clubs, recording 21 points from 24 matches.
The club enjoyed a considerably stronger run in the Brașov county stage of the Cupa României. Colțea reached the quarter-finals, where it eliminated SR Brașov, before advancing to the semi-finals against CSM Făgăraș.
Colțea lost the first semi-final leg 1–4 away but won the return match 2–1. CSM Făgăraș therefore advanced 5–3 on aggregate.
As of August 2026, ACS Colțea 1920 Brașov remains an active football organisation. AJF Brașov continues to list the club as affiliated and maintains an active player registration list for it. However, the composition of the 2026–27 senior county competitions had not yet been officially published, so the club's participation in Liga IV for that season was not yet formally confirmed.
Historic club and modern club
The historic Colțea Brașov and the present ACS Colțea 1920 Brașov should be distinguished in an encyclopedic context.
The original club was established in 1920 as a Brașov branch of Colțea București, won the Romanian championship in 1928 and disappeared in the early 1930s.
The present organisation was founded in 2015 and uses the Colțea name and identity as a revival of that football tradition. AJF Brașov records 2015 as the foundation year of the current legal entity. There is therefore no continuous organisational existence between the championship-winning club of the 1920s and the modern association.
Ground
The modern club is registered by the Brașov County Football Association as playing its home matches at the Tărlungeni Synthetic Ground in the Brașov area.
The venue should not be confused with the former Stadionul Comunal, which has been used by several other local clubs.
Honours
Historic Colțea Brașov
Romanian Championship
Winners (1): 1927–28
Runners-up (1): 1926–27
Brașov Regional Championship
Winners (3): 1925–26, 1926–27, 1927–28
ACS Colțea 1920 Brașov
Liga IV Brașov
Runners-up (1): 2019–20
Liga V – Brașov Zone
Winners (1): 2024–25