Clubul Sportiv Municipal Victoria Carei, commonly known as Victoria Carei, is a Romanian football club based in Carei, Satu Mare County and currently playing in the Liga III, the third tier of the Romanian football league system, following their promotion from the Liga IV – Satu Mare County in the 2021–22 season. Founded in 1923 Victoria Carei played sixteen seasons in Liga II and thirty-seven seasons in Liga III. Their highest league finish is third, in the 1935–36 season of Divizia B.
History
First years and ascension (1923–1990) The first appearance in the Romanian divisional system football is recorded in the 1935–36 season of Divizia B - 3rd place. Follow another four consecutive seasons in the second division: 1936–37 - 13th place; 1937–38 - 9th place; 1938–39 - 8th place and 1939–40 in which withdrew at the start of the second half and lost the remaining nine matches with 0–3, ranking last and relegated. Also qualified to the second round proper of the 1937–38 Cupa României, eliminated after losing 0–7 with Unirea Tricolor București.
Victoria Carei moved in the Hungarian football league system due to the Second Vienna Award which was signed on 30 August 1940, territory of Northern Transylvania being assigned from Romania to Hungary.
Renamed as Victoria CFR Carei, the club returned to the Romanian football league system for 1946–47 Divizia C, the first season of the third division after the World War II, finishing 6th in the VI series. With the exception of the 1948–49 Divizia C season, in which it finished 4th in Series 2 of Divizia C, the team from Carei, renamed in the meanwhile as CFR and then as Recolta, played in the following seasons in the Regional Championship, due to the Divizia C was not organized until 1956.
Followed three seasons in the third tier, in which Recolta was ranked as follows: 10th in 1956 season, 10th in 1957–58 season and 3rd at the end of 1958–59 season. Due to expansion of second division from two series to three series of 14 teams, the teams ranked 3rd in all six series of Divizia C played a promotion play-off, Recolta promoted to Divizia B, after nineteen years of absence, after 1–1 with Aurul Brad and 1–0 with Textila Sfântu Gheorghe. The club remained in the second division for the next four seasons finished 5th in 1959–60, 9th in 1960–61, 9th in 1961–62 and 11th in 1962–63 relegated to the third division due to another format change of the second tier.
The 1963–64 season saw the club promoted back to second division winning the North Series of Divizia C and reached the first round proper of Cupa României losing 0–4 to Rapid București.
In the 1964–65 season in Divizia B finishing 12th barely avoided relegation and reached again the first round of Cupa României this time losing 0–1 in front of Farul Constanța. The following year Recolta were relegated to Divizia C at goal difference, finishing in 13th place out of 14 with 21 points tied with Minerul Lupeni and CSM Sibiu.
In the 1966–67 season occupied the 3rd place in the North Series of the third division, and in the summer of 1967, the club reverted to its old name, Victoria Carei, finishing again in 3rd position at the end of the 1967–68 season.
Ups and downs (1990–2007) In the next four seasons, the club continue to challenge for promotion, finishing 2nd in 1968–69 and 1969–70 seasons, 3rd in 1970–71 and 1st in 1971–72 season, missing the promotion after lost the play-off played against Metrom Brașov (1–3) and Industria Sârmei Câmpia Turzii (0–4). In the 1972–73 season promoted to Divizia B, ending seven consecutive seasons in the third tier, after won the 10th series of Divizia C.
Victoria spent the next three seasons in the second division finishing 7th in 1973–74 season, 14th in 1974–75 season and 17th in 1975–76 season relegated back to third division. The 1976–77 campaign saw the club win the Series IX of Divizia C secured an immediate return to the second division. However, at the end of the next season they were relegated again after finishing 17th out of 18.