FC Chișinău

Sheriff Arena, opened in 2002, has a retractable roof and a hybrid pitch, features that set it apart from most grounds in Moldova, and the club that fills it belongs to Tiraspol, capital of the breakaway Transnistria region, though internationally it is registered with the Moldovan Football Federation under the country code MD. Its official capacity for UEFA fixtures is 12,746.

Sheriff was formed in 1996 as FC Tiras Tiraspol and took its present name in April 1997, once the Sheriff holding company, owned by Viktor Gushan, became its principal backer. The company holds much of Transnistria's retail, energy and security sectors, and the club has grown into something close to a regional symbol, its yellow and black colours giving rise to the nickname the Wasps.

No other Moldovan side comes close to matching its record: 21 league titles, including an unbroken run of ten in a row between 2000-01 and 2009-10, and 13 Moldovan Cups.

European nights carried the club further still. Sheriff reached the Europa League group stage six times, but 2021-22 stood apart as the first Champions League group-stage campaign by a Moldovan club. In Group D they beat Real Madrid 2-1 in Madrid, Sébastien Thill scoring in the 89th minute, then added a 2-0 home win over Shakhtar Donetsk, finishing second in the group before Braga ended their run in the play-off round.

Alexandru Epureanu, the national team's record cap holder, remains the name most closely tied to the club's rise.

Domestically, the fixture that matters is against Zimbru Chișinău, played as El Clasic de Moldova, a derby that carries the weight of the divide between Transnistria and the capital every time the two sides meet.