FCSB and Rapid prepare for high-attendance derby at Arena Națională

FCSB and Rapid are scheduled to play a derby match on Saturday, 24 October 2026, at Arena Națională. The fixture is part of round 13 of the Superliga and is set to kick off at 21:00.

Expectations for crowd size are high. Mihai Stoica announced an expected attendance of around 35,000 spectators for the match. Gigi Mustață stated that over 35,000 spectators are expected, with a possibility of reaching 40,000.

Ticket sales have been steady leading up to the game. By Tuesday, 20 October 2026, over 15,000 tickets had been sold for the FCSB–Rapid match. The current SuperLiga attendance record for the season is 27,696 fans, which was set at the U Craiova–FCSB match on 19 September.

Laurențiu Reghecampf coaches FCSB and Daniel Pancu coaches Rapid for the upcoming derby. Reghecampf has overseen a turnaround in results since his appointment. FCSB had not won a league match since 17 August prior to his arrival.

Under Reghecampf, FCSB earned 6 points from wins against Oțelul and FC Voluntari. The team won 1-0 against Oțelul in the coach's debut match, which was attended by slightly over 10,000 fans. They followed this with a 2-1 victory against FC Voluntari.

Alexandru Stoian scored the winning goal in both FCSB victories against Oțelul and FC Voluntari. These results have helped stabilize the team after a period without league wins.

Rapid enters the match with momentum, having achieved a series of five consecutive victories in the championship prior to the derby. In their previous home match, Rapid defeated Corvinul Hunedoara 2-0, a game attended by slightly over 7,000 fans.

The last league meeting between FCSB and Rapid ended 2-1 on 21 December 2025. The upcoming match features two teams near the top of the table. Before round 13, Dinamo leads the Superliga with 29 points, followed by Rapid with 27 and Universitatea Craiova with 26.

Andrei Cristea provided analysis ahead of the round. He stated that Garita scored in the previous stage before the derby. Cristea also commented on the broader title race, noting that Dinamo had the best start to the SuperLiga season.

Cristea stated it remains to be seen if Dinamo has a squad strong enough to fight for the title until the end. He identified Universitatea Craiova as an important title contender, citing their form recovery and previous year's experience.

Regarding the specific matchup, Cristea said FCSB must show if they are on par with the champion in terms of physical aspect and game organization. He listed Rapid, FCSB, and Universitatea Cluj as teams that can enter the race for the top positions.