Since then, Progresul has experienced various successes and setbacks, in total spending no less than 32 seasons in the top flight, being ranked 15th in the Liga I All-Time Table.

București on 10 May 1944 at the initiative of Nicolae Pop Sr. and Traian Pătrașcu, who proposed the creation of a football team to the National Bank of Romania at a meeting at the I. Vidrighin Hotel in Rășinari.

Initially, no formal constitution was signed, an issue which remained unresolved for several years, until one was informally written by a local writer Valentin Căltuț, based on the wishes of Nicolae Pop Jr. (son of Nicolae Pop Sr.) and founding members Peter Lambru, Iosif Micu, Petre Mihăilescu, Ernest Rădulescu, and Constantin Stoian.

The squad of Progresul in the first season of Divizia A was composed of: Popovici, Gică Andrei, Bratu, Paraschiv, Soare, Colosi, Ciocea, Banciu, Cosma, Știrbei, Cacoveanu, Fusulan, Dragomir, Dobrescu, Cruțiu, M. Smărăndescu, Tănase, Mihăilescu, E. Iordache and Ioan Lupaș (head coach).

At the 1958–59 season, the team was ranked 6th and reached the semi-finals of the Romanian Cup; there Progresul missed the chance to play the final, losing the match against Baia Mare with 1–2.

In the 1959–60 season, the team was ranked 9th with a squad led by international players such as Mândru, Karikaș, Soare and Oaidă, Progresul conquered the Romanian Cup, achieving a great performance: 15 goals scored and only one conceded.

At the promotion round, Progresul entered in the first eleven players such as Mateianu, Mândru, Oaidă, Baboie, Unguroiu, Colceriu, Adrian Constantinescu or Mafteuță.

At second-to-last place, the team played a promotion/relegation play-off where, together with Crișul Oradea, they qualified for the next season of Divizia A, to the detriment of Steagul Roșu Brașov and Politehnica Galați.

[2] Despite the fact that during the second part of the 1970–71 season, Progresul housed one of the most talented teams in its history, with a middle line comprising Kassai and Beldeanu, a forward line composed of Sandu Ion, Dudu Georgescu, Mircea Sandu and Viorel Năstase, and a defensive comprising Tănăsescu and Filipescu, the weak results from autumn sentenced them to relegation.

Mircea Sandu and Viorel Năstase were transferred in the summer; at the end of the season, the team took second place behind Sportul Studențesc, resulting in the losses of Paul Manta, Adalbert Kassai, Nicolae Tănăsescu, Gabriel Raksi and Aurel Beldeanu.

[2] Twelve players left the club afterwards, in their place arriving at least twenty-five, many of them having been promoted from youth squads, or having returned after completing military service.

Very few of them succeeded; among the valuable players were Liviu Ciobotariu, Cristian Diaconu, Carol Marina and Valentin Oprea, who each stayed for at least five consecutive years and later went on to contribute to the return of Progresul in the first division.

[2] The club's next season, in the Divizia C, was started under the name of Progresul Energia București, with a new chairman, Dan Ionescu, and a new manager, Paul Popescu.

With new institutional support, Gheorghe Cristoloveanu as a new manager, and a squad debuting the young striker Florin Cârstea, Progresul won the series with five points ahead of second place.

Progresul started well in the season, but the second part proved to be more difficult, as Gloria CFR Galați was also in the fight for the first place with the threat of an impressive comeback.

During the 1993–94 season, Simionaș left the club, but in his place appeared three important coaches: Jackie Ionescu, Viorel Kraus and Gelu Cristoloveanu.

From an administrative point of view, Cornel Dinu was named as chairman of SC Progresul SA, an entity which aimed to bring the team up to European standards.

The team, led from the bench by Liță Dumitru, had an impressive start of the season by defeating Petrolul Ploiești 4–1, Universitatea Craiova 3-2 and Gloria Bistrița 3-1 (at home); Oțelul Galați 5–2, UTA Arad and FC Argeș Pitești 3-0 (away).

Former player of the team, Gino Iorgulescu, as also elected chairman that season, and Marin Dună was very close of being the goalscorer of the Romanian championship, ending at the third position of the podium.

From the first round of the 1995–96 season, FC Național practiced at the recently built Cotroceni Stadium, which had covered stands, electronic scoreboards and modern floodlights.

After obtaining 7th place at the end of the 2000–01 season, FC Național started the 2001–02 edition of Divizia A with a new ownership and new hopes to repeat the peaks achieved during the 90s.

The next day, the executive committee of the Romanian Football Federation withdrew Hadzibegović's license, and the team went back to its old leadership, with Gino Iorgulescu as president and Cosmin Olăroiu manager.

After a summer that brought important names to the Sycamore Park, such as Cătălin Cursaru, Erik Lincar, Claudiu Drăgan, Florentin Dumitru, the club reached 3rd place in the new season.

Eugen Nae was appointed as an interim coach, but FC Național nonetheless could not avoid relegation, finally finishing in 16th place.

Supported financially by Gabriel Rădulescu, Andrei Erimia, coach of a youth squad, founded on 14 June 2014 a new club, AFC Progresul Spartac 1944 București.

[10] The new entity does not claim the record, logo or the succession of FC Progresul,[11] but nonetheless uses some elements of the original brand (bleu and blue colors; the sycamore leaf).

In the summer of 2017, due to the lack of funding and of a proper stadium, the double split, conflicts with the leadership of the Bucharest Football Association, and its abandonment by its former fans, AS Progresul withdrew from Liga IV and was dissolved.

Dr. Staicovici Stadium, with a capacity of 8,000 seats, situated on the street with the same name, and in the center of the capital, became the home ground of the barbers for more than 40 years, when it was closed and decommissioned in September 1986.

The first stadium built after the Romanian Revolution of 1989, it was regarded as a jewel for its time, with a capacity of 14,542 seats, covered stands, electronic scoreboards, and modern floodlights.

Their home ground comprised various stadiums in Bucharest, among them: Autobuzul, Giulești, ICSIM, Mecanica Fină, Metalul, 23 August or Voința.