Universitatea Alba Iulia

In Alba Iulia the fixture that matters runs against CSM Unirea Alba Iulia, and the meetings between the two are called simply the Derby of Alba Iulia. CSU Alba Iulia has fielded a squad drawn largely from students at the 1 Decembrie 1918 University ever since — a detail that also explains the nickname, Studenții.

The club started in Liga V, the fifth tier, and won the Alba County championship in its first full season, 2018–19, to move up to Liga IV. The 2021–22 season brought the Liga IV Alba County title and, alongside it, the Alba County Cup, beaten out over Voința Stremț 4–0 in the final. Both wins came in the same campaign, and together they carried the club into Liga III.

Blue and orange, the colours the club plays in, are taken from the university rather than chosen for their own sake. For years the team was based at Stadionul Cetate in Alba Iulia itself; since the spring of 2024 it has played its home games at Baza Sportivă Pielaru in neighbouring Sebeș, a ground that holds around 500. Among the current squad, Andrei Banyoi finished as top scorer in Liga III Seria VII for 2024–25, while Fabian Himcinschi carries a family name from the county's football past through his father, Adrian Himcinschi, once capped for Romania.

CSU Alba Iulia now sits in Liga III, Seria VII, still a student side by makeup, with the derby against Unirea the fixture that sets the tone for its season.