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Romania national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Romania women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Romania
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Tricolorii (The Tricolours)
Association Romanian Football Federation (FRF)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Mircea Lucescu
Captain Nicolae Stanciu
Most caps Dorinel Munteanu (134)
Top scorer Adrian Mutu
Gheorghe Hagi (35)
Home stadium Various
FIFA code ROU
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 25 Decrease 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 3 (September 1997)
Lowest 57 (February 2011, September 2012)
Elo ranking
Current 33 Increase 13 (3 March 2019)
Highest 5 (June 1990)
Lowest 49 (10 June 2017)
First international
 Kingdom of SCS 1–2 Romania 
(Belgrade, Kingdom of SCS; 8 June 1922)
Biggest win
 Romania 9–0 Finland 
(Bucharest, Romania; 14 October 1973)
Biggest defeat
 Hungary 9–0 Romania 
(Budapest, Hungary; 6 June 1948)
World Cup
Appearances 7 (first in 1930)
Best result Quarter-finals (1994)
European Championship
Appearances 6 (first in 1984)
Best result Quarter-finals (2000)
Medal record
Balkan Cup
Gold 1929–31 Team
Gold 1933 Romania Team
Gold 1936 Romania Team
Gold 1980 Turkey Team
Silver 1976 Romania Team
Bronze 1932 Yugoslavia Team
Bronze 1934–35 Greece Team
Bronze 1946 Albania Team
Bronze 1947 Team

The Romania national football team (Romanian: Echipa națională de fotbal a României) represents Romania in men's international football, and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation (Romanian: Federația Română de Fotbal), also known as FRF. They are colloquially known as Tricolorii ("the Tricolours").

Romania is one of only four national teams from Europe—the other three being Belgium, France, and Yugoslavia—that took part in the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930. Including that participation, Romania has qualified for seven World Cup editions, the latest in 1998. The national team's finest hour came in 1994, when led by playmaker Gheorghe Hagi it defeated Argentina 3–2 in the round of 16, before being eliminated by Sweden on a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals.

At the European Championships, Romania's best performance was in 2000 when they advanced to the quarter-finals from a group with Germany, Portugal, and England, before falling to eventual runners-up Italy. They also reached the last eight in 1960, 1972 and 1984, and have qualified for a total of six tournaments.

History

Main article: History of the Romania national football team

Early years

Perurumania1930
Romania playing against Peru at the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay

The Romanian Football Federation (Federația Română de Fotbal) was established in October 1909 in Bucharest. Romania played their first international match on 8 June 1922, a 2–1 win over Yugoslavia in Belgrade, being coached by Teofil Moraru. Several temporary coaches were employed, before Moraru resumed control in August 1924, managing the side for nearly four years. Romania enjoyed some success during the 1930s; manager Costel Rădulescu took them to the first three FIFA World Cup tournaments, a feat matched only by Brazil, Belgium and France.

World Cups in the 1930s

At the 1930 World Cup, Romania won their first match against Peru, 3–1, with goals from Adalbert Deșu, Constantin Stanciu, and Nicolae Kovács and Samuel Zauber as goalkeeper, before being thrashed 4–0 by hosts and eventual winners Uruguay.

Romania qualified for the next World Cup in 1934 after beating Yugoslavia 2–1 in a repeat of their first international. At the finals, Romania played only one game in a new knock-out format, losing 2–1 to Czechoslovakia in Trieste, Italy, with Ștefan Dobay scoring their only goal of the tournament.

Romania qualified by default for the 1938 World Cup after their qualifying playoff opponents Egypt withdrew. They suffered a shock defeat in the finals in France, losing to minnows Cuba, who, like Romania, had only qualified due to the withdrawal of their qualifying opponents, the United States. The first match at the Stade du T.O.E.C. in Toulouse ended 3–3 after extra time, but Cuba won the replay four days later 2–1.

1970 World Cup

Despite a 3–0 thrashing by Portugal in Lisbon and two unconvincing draws against unfancied Greece, Romania was able to qualify for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Angelo Niculescu's promising side were given the toughest of draws, in Group 3 with holders England, giants Brazil and Czechoslovakia.

A Geoff Hurst goal gave England a narrow victory in Romania's first match at the Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara in what was a very physical game. Chances were improved with a 2–1 win over the Czechs. After going behind early to a Ladislav Petráš goal, Romania turned it around after half-time with Alexandru Neagu and Florea Dumitrache scoring to give them two vital points. Even then, only a win over the Brazilians would take them into the quarter-finals.

There were rumours before the match that Brazil might prefer Romania to progress than world champions England; after beating them 1–0 in their previous match in Guadalajara, the South American giants still viewed England as one of its biggest obstacles to tournament victory. But Brazil played some of the best football of the competition, with Pelé scoring twice and a Jairzinho goal in between. Romania battled bravely; Dumitrache pulled the score back to 2–1 before the break and a late Emerich Dembrowski goal made it 3–2, but they were out.

1972 to 1978

Oefenwedstrijd WK voetbal, Nederland tegen Roemenië 0-0 Piet Keizer in actie, Bestanddeelnr 927-2330
Romania and the Netherlands drawing goalless at De Kuip, 1974

On 26 September 1972, under new coach Valentin Stanescu, Romania suffered a significant defeat to East Germany in Leipzig. The East Germans won 2–0 to effectively seal their first ever qualification for the World Cup, which would be held over the border in West Germany. With East Germany scoring a predictable 4–1 win in Albania, Romania were out, despite a huge 9–0 win over Finland in Bucharest.

Romania continued to suffer poor form in the UEFA European Championship. In their qualifying group for the 1976 European Football Championship, they were out-qualified by Spain despite an impressive 1–1 draw in the away match. Romania failed to win matches, drawing twice with Scotland and Spain and dropping points in Denmark with a dismal goalless draw.

Romania were again beaten by Spain for a place in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. After a 1–0 win in Bucharest, Romania lost a match at home to Yugoslavia 6–4 having led 3–2 at half time. Spain won 1–0 in Belgrade to seal passage to Argentina.

1984 European Championship

Main article: UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying Group 5

Romania's sole successful qualifying campaign between 1970 and 1990 was for the European Championships in 1984 in France. At the finals, Romania were drawn with Spain, holders West Germany and Portugal. Under head coach Mircea Lucescu, an encouraging opening game in Saint-Étienne saw them draw with the Spanish. Francisco José Carrasco opened the scoring from the penalty spot but Romania equalized before half-time with a goal from Laszlo Bölöni.

Against the Germans in Lens, Marcel Coraș scored an equalizer in the first minute of the second half in response to Rudi Völler's opener, but Völler would score a winning goal. Their last match in Nantes was a must-win match, but Nené's late winner meant Portugal progressed with Spain, who netted a dramatic late winner against West Germany at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

Romania stuttered throughout the rest of the decade, but a stronger squad at the end of the decade saw them qualify for their fifth World Cup in 1990. A win over Denmark in their last match took Emerich Jenei's side to the finals for the first time in 20 years.

Golden Team era

1990 World Cup

See also: 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 1

With an increasing trend for big clubs in Italy and Spain buying up the best foreign talent, Romania's squad was entirely domestic-based. Midfielder Ilie Dumitrescu, striker Florin Răducioiu and genius playmaker Gheorghe Hagi, were in the squad. After world champions Argentina stunned by Cameroon in the tournament's opening match, Romania did their chances no harm with a convincing win over the Soviet Union at the San Nicola in Bari, with Marius Lăcătuș scoring in each half. The result was all the more impressive given the absence of Hagi. There was controversy, however, as Lăcătus' second was a penalty given for a handball by Vagiz Khidiatullin that television replays clearly showed to be some way outside the penalty area.

Romania lost to Cameroon next; cult hero Roger Milla, aged 38, came on as a substitute for Emmanuel Maboang Kessack and scored twice before Gavril Balint pulled one back. Romania needed a point in their last match against improving Argentina at the San Paolo in Naples; Pedro Monzón gave Argentina the lead after an hour, but Balint quickly equalized and Romania held on to reach Round 2.

Against Jack Charlton's Republic of Ireland side in Genoa, Romania did not have the quality to break down a defensive opposition. Daniel Timofte was the only player to miss in the penalty shoot-out – his kick saved by Packie Bonner – and Romania were out.

1994 World Cup

ROM 1994 MiNr4992 pm B002
1994 FIFA World Cup stamp issued by Poșta Română

Romania missed out on Euro 1992. Scotland qualified after Romania drew a must-win last match in Sofia against Bulgaria, with Nasko Sirakov's equalizer sealing their fate.

Romania was successful, however, in reaching another World Cup in the United States in 1994. After losing in Belgium and suffering a heavy 5–2 defeat in Czechoslovakia, Romania went into their last match at Cardiff Arms Park with Wales needing a win to pip them to a place in the finals. Goals from Gheorghe Hagi and Dean Saunders meant the game was finely balanced, before Wales were awarded a penalty. Paul Bodin of Swindon Town stepped up but hit the woodwork and Romania went on to win 2–1, Florin Răducioiu's late goal proving unnecessary as Czechoslovakia dropped a point in Belgium and were eliminated.

At the finals, Romania were one of the most entertaining teams in the early stages, with Gheorghe Hagi, Florin Răducioiu and Ilie Dumitrescu on form. Romania beat Colombia 3–1 at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in Los Angeles (all but one of Romania's games took place in California, and they were awarded the advantage of playing most of their games in LA). Răducioiu opened the scoring before Hagi scored a spectacular second from wide on the left touchline. Adolfo Valencia pulled one back with a headed goal just before half-time, but Romania held on and Răducioiu sealed the win with a late third.

In Detroit's indoor Pontiac Silverdome, the temperature soared due to the greenhouse effect in the indoor arena. Switzerland, acclimatized after having already played the hosts there, outran Romania in the second half and turned a 1–1 half time score into a 4–1 win. Romania responded by beating the hosts 1–0 in Pasadena with an early Dan Petrescu goal.

In the Round of 16 knockout stage they faced Argentina, minus Diego Maradona who had been thrown out of the tournament, in Los Angeles. The suspended Răducioiu was hardly missed, as coach Anghel Iordănescu pushed Dumitrescu forward to play as a striker and the player responded by scoring twice in the first 20 minutes, one a subtle left foot flick from a right-wing Hagi cross slotted between the Argentine defenders. In between, Gabriel Batistuta scored a penalty, but after half-time Romania netted a third on the counterattack, with Hagi beating goalkeeper Luis Islas. Abel Balbo pulled one back, but Romania held on for a shock win.

Romania would suffer penalty heartbreak again in the quarter-final against Sweden in San Francisco. With just 13 minutes to play, a tight match opened up as Sweden's Thomas Brolin scored from a clever free-kick move, the ball passed outside the Romanian wall by Håkan Mild for Brolin to smash in. Iordănescu threw caution to the wind and the returning Răducioiu found a late equalizer, again from a free-kick move but this time down to a deflection and a failure of the Swedes to clear. In extra time Răducioiu scored again after a mistake by Patrik Andersson, but Sweden then scored their own late equalizer as giant striker Kennet Andersson climbed above goalkeeper Florin Prunea to head home a long ball. Prunea had come in after two matches to replace Bogdan Stelea, whose confidence was shattered by the 4–1 loss to the Swiss. In the shoot-out, Dan Petrescu and Miodrag Belodedici had their kicks saved by Thomas Ravelli and Sweden went through.

Euro 1996

At Euro 1996, held in England, Romania arrived as a highly thought-of and popular team but had a nightmare. Iordănescu's side were based in the north east, with their first two games at St James' Park in Newcastle. Against France, they lost to a Christophe Dugarry header reminiscent of Kennet Andersson's two years earlier, beating the goalkeeper to a lofted through ball. An early goal from Bulgaria striker Hristo Stoichkov at St James' Park put Romania on the back foot in Euro 1996, but Dorinel Munteanu appeared to have kept Romania in the match – and in the tournament – with a thunderbolt that hit the bar, bounced over the line, and back out. Referee Peter Mikkelsen merely waved play on, however, and Romania went on to lose the game 1–0 a defeat which sent them out of the tournament. English manager Harry Redknapp was in the crowd that day, and later said that it convinced him there and then that goal-line technology was needed in football. Romania finally scored in their last game, Florin Răducioiu equalizing an early goal by Spain's Javier Manjarín. Spain had to win to qualify with France at the expense of Bulgaria and did so when Guillermo Amor stooped to head a late winner. Romania exited in total shame, with no points and tons of regrets of what could have been.

1998 World Cup

Despite a poor performance at Euro 1996, Romania impressed in qualifying, finishing ten points clear of the Republic of Ireland and were seeded for the final tournament of the 1998 World Cup thanks to their strong showing in 1994.

Adrian Ilie scored the only goal with a fine chip in their first match against Colombia at Lyon's Stade Gerland. In Toulouse, they met an England side starting with prodigal striker Michael Owen on the bench, with Teddy Sheringham preferred alongside Alan Shearer. A mistake by Tony Adams was punished by Viorel Moldovan, who played for Coventry City, before Owen came on to claim an equalizer. But Romania won with a wonderful late goal from Dan Petrescu, also playing in England with Chelsea, fighting off his club teammate Graeme le Saux and nutmegging goalkeeper David Seaman.

The next match was against Tunisia. With England–Colombia being the more decisive game, the Stade de France in Paris was an 80,000-strong sell out and the crowd were nearly rewarded with a shock as Skander Souayah scored an early penalty to give the north Africans the lead. Romania needed a point to win the group and, crucially, avoid Argentina in the round of 16, and got it when Moldovan volleyed a late equalizer. It did them little good, however, as in the round of 16 match at Bordeaux against Croatia, Davor Šuker scored a twice-taken penalty to eliminate Romania.

Euro 2000

ENG-ROU 2000-06-20
Line-ups for Romania versus England at the UEFA Euro 2000

Romania had a strong qualifying campaign, winning a tough Group 7 with Portugal, Slovakia, Hungary, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein. The Romanians impressed, never losing and winning seven times, including a big upset in Porto after defeating Portugal thanks to a late goal scored by Dorinel Munteanu. In Bucharest, the score finished 1–1.

At Euro 2000, held in Belgium and the Netherlands, Romania was facing a very difficult group against 1996 champions Germany, semi-finalists England and Portugal. The chances for the Romanians to qualify through quarter-finals were seen as slim.

Romania, however, started brightly against the Germans in Liège, with Viorel Moldovan scoring from close range. A long-range Mehmet Scholl equalizer meant they had to be content with a point and their position looked shaky after Costinha headed a last minute winner for Portugal in their second match.

Emerich Jenei, back as coach, threw caution to the wind in the last match in Charleroi against England, a match which Romania had to win. Defender Cristian Chivu's cross went in off the post in the 22nd minute but, despite Romania dominating, England led at half-time through an Alan Shearer penalty and a late Michael Owen goal after he rounded goalkeeper Bogdan Stelea to score a tap-in, both in the last five minutes of the half. Romania attacked after the break and were quickly rewarded; Dorinel Munteanu punishing a poor punch from Nigel Martyn, a late replacement for injured goalkeeper David Seaman, to equalize three minutes after the restart. England cracked under the pressure. Unable to retain possession or pose an attacking threat, they fell deep and late on Phil Neville, playing out of position at left-back, conceded a penalty scored by Ioan Ganea in the 89th minute.

Romania's relief was tempered by tough opposition in the last eight, and Italy, who would end up seconds from being crowned European champions in an agonizing final, comfortably saw them off 2–0 in Brussels. Francesco Totti and Filippo Inzaghi scoring towards the end of the first half. In the 35th minute, Gheorghe Hagi, in his final international tournament, hit the woodwork with goalkeeper Francesco Toldo stranded off his line and, after the break, was sent off for diving. Romania's tournament was over and Emerich Jenei left his job as coach again.

2000s – World Cup dry spell

Romania failed to qualify for the next three major tournaments. They drew Slovenia, who had been surprise qualifiers for Euro 2000 in a playoff for a place in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. A narrow 2–1 deficit – having led through a Marius Niculae goal – after the first leg in Ljubljana was not irretrievable. With fans' hero Gheorghe Hagi now coaching the side, they were confident of getting the win they needed in Bucharest against the Balkan upstarts, but Slovenia took the lead before the hour through Mladen Rudonja. Right wing-back Cosmin Contra quickly equalized but Romania could not find the goal they needed to force extra time and Slovenia, with maverick manager Srečko Katanec, were in a major tournament again.

Euro 2004

Romania were confident of qualifying for the tournament, drawn in Group 2 with seeds Denmark, Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina and minnows Luxembourg, with Anghel Iordanescu back as coach. Despite a good start – a 3–0 win away to Bosnia in Sarajevo – Romania stuttered. Steffen Iversen's late goal gave Norway a surprise win in Bucharest and they were stunned at home by the Danes, 5–2, with Thomas Gravesen scoring a spectacular goal from around 50 yards out, despite leading twice. They recovered slightly, completing a double over the Bosnians and earning a point in Oslo, but conceded a cutting injury time equalizer in Denmark to draw 2–2. It was decisive, as they now required Norway to fail to win at home to Luxembourg to stand any realistic chance of qualifying. Eventually, the Danes got a point in Bosnia to scrape through a tight group, with Norway going to a play-off with Spain.

2006 World Cup

Romania were put in a difficult group for the qualifying tournament for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The Netherlands and the Czech Republic were ranked first and second in Europe respectively. Early wins over Finland and Macedonia were unconvincing, and they were behind the two leaders by the time they earned a 2–0 home win over the Czechs. Despite a record of eight wins, three losses and one draw, they finished third behind the Dutch and the Czechs and missed out on another major tournament.

Euro 2008

Romania were drawn in a group with group favourites the Netherlands and tough opponents Bulgaria for Euro 2008 qualifying. Romania, however, had a good qualifying campaign, losing only away against Bulgaria and beating the Netherlands 1–0 at home with a goal scored by Dorin Goian from a suspicious off-side position not seen by referee Kyros Vassaras. On 17 October 2007, Romania became the fourth team to qualify for Euro 2008, the nation's first international tournament since Euro 2000. Coincidentally, Victor Pițurcă also led Romania to qualification for Euro 2000, only to sit back and let Emerich Jenei coach the team in the final tournament; this time, however, he stayed in the role, the first time he coached a national team in the final stages of a tournament.

Romania was drawn in the so-called "Group of death" alongside the Netherlands, world champions Italy and France, runners-up in the 2006 World Cup. Romania started with a 0–0 draw against a lacklustre France while Italy were soundly beaten by the Netherlands, 3–0. In their next match, against Italy, Adrian Mutu opened the scoring early in the second half. Their lead was a very short one, however, as Italy's Christian Panucci scored a minute later off of a corner kick. Nearing the end of the match, Daniel Niculae earned a penalty for his team, but goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon saved the subsequent Mutu penalty, leaving Romania with two points and needing a win against the Netherlands, who defeated France 4–1 that same evening. The Netherlands beat Romania 2–0 in the final game of the group, which meant that Italy joined the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and Romania finished third, ahead of France.

2010 World Cup

Stamps of Romania, 2011-75
Arena Națională, opened in 2011, the national stadium of Romania, as seen on a Romanian stamp (2011)
Romanian fans
Romanian fans at the new Arena Națională in June 2013

Romania were drawn into the UEFA qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup alongside France, Serbia, Austria, Lithuania and the Faroe Islands. Although Romania were seeded in the second pot, they eventually finished fifth, above only the Faroe Islands. Their campaign was a disaster that began with a 3–0 home loss to Lithuania and included a 5–0 trashing in Belgrade by Serbia. Furthermore, various problems were caused during the poor campaign, such as the retirement from international football of Cosmin Contra, Mirel Rădoi and Adrian Mutu (the latter would later be recalled after a year's absence). Coach Victor Pițurcă resigned and was replaced by Răzvan Lucescu.

Euro 2012

In Euro 2012 qualifying, Romania was drawn into Group D along with France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania and Luxembourg. Although the team initially seemed prepared to continue their awful form from their disastrous World Cup campaign, beginning with a 1–1 draw with Pot 5 members Albania and following up with a goalless draw with Belarus and a pair of losses to France and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the team was able to rebound somewhat and register their first two victories. The first was a win against Luxembourg but the second was an important win in the rematch against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Romania's last decent result came when they battled France to a goalless draw before ending the campaign the way it began – two disappointing draws with Albania and Belarus. They finished qualification in a distant third place and only one point ahead of Belarus.

2014 World Cup

Romania was drawn into the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying round with the Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Estonia and Andorra. They made an impressive start with a 2–0 away win in Estonia followed by a 4–0 win at home against modest Andorra and another away win in Turkey (1–0). After that, Romania was defeated by the Netherlands, both at home and away, and managed to secure only a draw in Hungary, in between. Romania started the last part of the campaign with a victory at home, against Hungary, but was defeated by Turkey. The last two match days were decisive, with Romania securing its place in the play-off with two wins, against Andorra and Estonia, while qualification rivals Turkey and Hungary were both defeated by the winner of the group, the Netherlands. Romania were drawn to play Greece for a place in the World Cup finals, but a 3–1 loss in Greece and a 1–1 home draw ended its run.

Euro 2016

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France's 2–1 win over Romania at the Stade de France opened the UEFA Euro 2016.

For the qualifying stage of the Euro 2016 Romania was drawn into Group F along with Greece, Hungary, Finland, Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands. Romania began its first successful qualification campaign since 2008 with a win over group favourites Greece before following up with a 1–1 draw with Pot 2 member Hungary and a 2–0 win over Finland. Despite the initial success, Romania decided to part with coach Victor Pițurcă by mutual consent. Anghel Iordănescu came out of retirement to return to coach Romania for a third time.

Under Iordănescu, Romania was able to follow up with comfortable 2–0 win over Northern Ireland and, despite a disappointing 1–0 win over the Faroe Islands and a 0–0 draw in the return game against Northern Ireland, Romania remained on top of Group F, one point above Northern Ireland and three points above third-placed Hungary. After a goalless draw in the match against Hungary in Budapest, however, the team fell back on the second place, one point behind Northern Ireland and three above Hungary, still placed third. Following a 1–1 draw clinched in overtime at home against Finland, Romania secured their spot at the final tournament in the last game after a confident 3–0 win in the Faroe Islands. Romania finished the qualification group second, one point behind group winners Northern Ireland, completing their first successful qualification campaign in eight years undefeated after five wins and five draws. With only two goals conceded, Romania had the best defence in the qualifiers.

Romania advanced to Euro 2016, where they were drawn in Group A, being named to play the opening match against the hosts France. The match began better for the Romanian side, who almost scored the first goal of the tournament in the fourth minute, after Bogdan Stancu tricked the French defence at a corner kick executed by his co-national Nicușor Stanciu and his shot was narrowly saved by the French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Shortly after the half-time, the match began being dominated by France, who scored the first goal of the tournament after a header of Olivier Giroud in the 57th minute. Not more than eight minutes later, Nicușor Stanciu was fouled by Patrice Evra in the French box, the Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai giving Romania a penalty which the same Bogdan Stancu scoring for the Romanian side. With the match coming to an end, just after Romania narrowly missed an opportunity after a free kick, Dimitri Payet shot hard from outside the box and scored France's second goal, crushing Romania's dream of a perfect start in Euro.

In the second match, Romania faced Switzerland, in a match that began with the Swiss side dominating. In the 17th minute, Alexandru Chipciu was fouled in the box, the second penalty of the tournament being accorded again to Romania. The same Bogdan Stancu went on and scored, giving an advantage for the Romanian side. Just after Switzerland almost scored an own goal, Admir Mehmedi scored for an equalizer in the 57th minute. The score remained the same and the match ended 1-1.

With one point accumulated and on the third place in the group before the final match, Romania needed a victory against Albania in order to be among the first four best-third-placed teams and to qualify further in Euro. The match began good for the Romanian side, but Armando Sadiku's header in the 43rd minute went past Ciprian Tătărușanu, giving Albania the lead and their first ever goal in a tournament. The despondent Romanian side failed to score in this match, with Florin Andone striking the post in the 76th minute. The negative score meant that Romania ended on the last place of the group, ending their Euro dream with no victory and after one draw, two defeats, two goals scored (both from penalties) and four conceded, with only one point, the poor results making the manager Anghel Iordănescu to resign before the matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers began three months later.

2018 World Cup

For the qualification round, Romania was drawn in Group E, being in Pot 1. Romania's opponents were Denmark and Poland, Montenegro, Armenia and Kazakhstan. The qualifying campaign started with a 1–1 home draw against Montenegro followed by a thrashing away victory against Armenia, 0–5. In the next match, Romania recorded another draw (0–0), against Kazakhstan. The last match played in 2016 was a 0–3 defeat against Poland, with Robert Lewandowski scoring a double. After an uninspiring campaign, Romania ended in the fourth place in Group E with 13 points. After 8 of the 10 games, due to lackluster performances, coach Christoph Daum was fired and replaced with Cosmin Contra.

2018–19 Nations League

Romania's poor performance previously meant that the country had to participate in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C, where they were grouped again with Montenegro, alongside neighbor Serbia and minnows Lithuania. Romania managed an acceptable performance, with the team beating Lithuania and Montenegro, but three draws, two against Serbia, meant that Romania was unable to gain the top spot or a direct playoff ticket. However, when UEFA revised the format, Romania was officially promoted to 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B.

Euro 2020

UEFA EURO qualifiers Sweden vs Romaina 20190323 42
Romania playing Sweden at Friends Arena, March 2019

Romania was drawn in a group including Spain, Sweden, and Norway alongside Malta and the Faroe Islands in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying. In the opening game, Romania suffered a 1–2 away defeat to Sweden. This was followed by an easy 4–1 victory over the Faroe Islands and a 2–2 draw with Norway in Oslo, two victories over Malta and a 1–2 loss at home to Spain. Eventually, Romania stayed on track by beating Faroe Islands 3–0 away, but it was later followed with a disappointing 1–1 home draw to the Norwegians. This had significantly reduced their chances of automatic qualification, as they had to meet the Swedish and Spanish sides for the two remaining competitive games. A 0–2 home defeat to Sweden ensured that Romania would be unable to finish in the automatic qualification places. Romania eventually qualified for the playoff, but their performance cost Cosmin Contra his coaching position, as he was sacked prior to the playoff. Romania went on to lose 1–2 to Iceland, and was eliminated from UEFA Euro 2020 contention.

2020–21 Nations League

On the other hand, Romania, promoted to League B thanks to UEFA's rule change despite finishing 2nd in 2018 behind Serbia, have had a lacklustre 2020–21 Nations League, showing no signs of improvement in their play. During group matches, the team was unable to win the opening match at home to Northern Ireland (1–1), conceding a late equaliser following a Northern Irish red card, and was soundly beaten in Norway (0–4) on matchday 3. However, they avoided relegation to League C at the expense of the Northern Irish thanks to a 3–2 win over Austria on matchday 2 and a 3–0 victory at home to Norway, as the Scandinavians were unable to travel to Bucharest following Omar Elabdellaoui's positive test for COVID-19 and the restrictive measures imposed by the Norwegian Ministry of Health.

World Cup 2022

For the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosted in Qatar, Romania was drawn in UEFA Group J, along with Germany, Armenia, North Macedonia, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. Romania failed to qualify, finishing in third in the group.

2022–23 Nations League and Euro 2024

Romania participated in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B, where they were grouped with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Finland, and Montenegro. Romania managed an acceptable performance, with the team beating Finland twice, but three losses, two against Montenegro, meant that they were relegated to League C.

Their terrible Nations League performance meant that they must realistically qualify for UEFA Euro 2024 directly. Romania, in Euro 2024 qualifiers, finished at the top of their group and unbeaten with six wins and four draws. In particular, Romania achieved two results against Switzerland (a 2–2 away draw in the first leg after trailing 0–2, and a 1–0 home win in the return on the final day to consolidate their position as leaders) and showed defensive solidity with only five goals conceded, thus marking the Tricolorii's return to a Euro final phase after an eight–year absence.

Team image

Rivalries

Rivalry against Hungary

Romania's most fierce rivalry is against their neighbours Hungary. The reason for the rivalry are the general feelings for the other country, as Hungary and Romania have a long-standing dispute over certain parts of Romania that were historically part of Hungary, most well-known being Transylvania. This has been the subject of the constant squabble between Hungarian and Romanian fans during the direct matches of the two countries or clubs from them.

The first match between the two countries took place in Bucharest, on October 4, 1936. Romania initially took the lead through Silviu Bindea, but two goals in the second half scored by Gyula Lázár and Géza Toldi led to Hungary's victory. At that moment, Hungary was, if not the best, among the best teams on the planet, and after this result, impressive results of the Hungarians were obtained during their matches against Romania, most notably the worst defeat of Romania to the date, a 0-9 defeat in Budapest on June 6, 1948. Other notable Hungarian victories include the 7-2 on September 30, 1945, two 5-1's, one in Bucharest on October 24, 1948 and one in Budapest on September 19, 1954, and a 3-0 in Bucharest on October 12, 1947.

Romania's first victory against Hungary came almost 63 years after the first match, in the seventeenth derby overall. Romania won 2-0 in Bucharest on June 5, 1999, in the qualifying stage of UEFA Euro 2000. Since then, Hungary has yet to defeat Romania again, and Romania won five more times, including a notable 3-0 in the qualifying stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Due to the general antipathy between the two peoples, derbies often led to skirmishes between the two fans. The worst incidents were recorded on September 6, 2013 and October 8, 2014, during the derbies of the two countries in Bucharest for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016, respectively. During the first match, Hungarians lit many flames, booed the Romanian anthem, and after the 0-3 defeat were quickly transported back home, not before some of them fought with Romanian fans in the Old Town of Bucharest. After Romania's elimination in the Second Round by Greece, many Hungarians thanked Greeks and publicly insulted Romania on their social media accounts. One year later, the fights between the two groups of fans led to 58 people seeking medical care after Romanian fans jumped the fence separating their sector from the one Hungarian fans were in and attacked them. The match ended 1-1 and fights were again commenced in the Old Town, where many terraces of the local coffee shops and bars were destroyed by Hungarian fans.

Notable opportunities when the two teams have met include: the football tournament of the 1952 Summer Olympics, the qualifying stages for UEFA Euro 1972, 2000 and 2016 and the qualifying stages for the FIFA World Cups of 1982, 2002 and 2014.

Rivalry against Greece

A notable rivalry was built with Greece, as it is the team Romania has met the most times: thirty-six (Romania met Yugoslavia thirty-seven times, a record which was annulled after the dismantle of Yugoslavia). Out of all the matches overall, Romania won eighteen of them, dominating the rivalry. Greece won an additional eight matches and ten ended in a draw.

The only notable opportunity the two teams have met was in the Second Round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, to which Greece qualifying after defeating Romania in a two-legged play-off, winning 3-1 in Athens and drawing 1-1 in Bucharest.

Minor rivalries

Montenegro

In the last period, a small rivalry was built against Montenegro. The two teams met a total of seven times, and Romania's 4-0 victory in a friendly on May 31, 2008 was Montenegro's biggest defeat up to a 0-7 defeat in London in 2019. The teams met in the qualifying stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and it was Montenegro who eliminated Romania after a 1-0 victory in Podgorica which came after a 1-1 draw on Romanian soil. The two teams met again one year later, in Group 4 of League C of the inaugural season of the UEFA Nations League. Romania avenged itself with a 1-0 victory in Podgorica, which was not enough however to win the group over mutual neighbour Serbia. In the third edition of the same competition, the two teams met again, this time Montenegro decimating Romania twice, 2-0 in Podgorica and 3-0 in Bucharest.

Kosovo

Romania is a strong supporter of Serbia's territorial integrity and has not recognized the legitimacy of Kosovo's independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008. The two teams met only four times, but all the matches led to problems and antipathy feelings between the two peoples.

2023 match

On September 12, 2023, the two teams met in Bucharest for the qualifying stage of UEFA Euro 2024. In the eighteenth minute, the Kosovar players left the pitch in a protest after a bottle was thrown from the Romanian sector, which was combined with the two banners quoting "Basarabia e România” (”Bessarabia is Romania” in Romanian) and ”Kosovo je Srbija” (”Kosovo is Serbia” in Serbian) and the constant pro-Serbia chants of the Romanian extremist fanbase ”Uniți sub Tricolor” (”United under Tricolour”). The match was interrupted for fifty minutes and the Football Federation of Kosovo appealed for a 3-0 victory over Romania because of the incidents, which was turned down by UEFA. Romania won the match 2-0.

2024 matches

The two teams have met again in the first leg match in group of League C of the UEFA Nations League, season 2024–25. The match took place on Kosovo's Fadil Vokrri Stadium, on 6 September . Once again, the mutual animosity between the two sides was evident, as during the opening ceremony, the Kosovar fans booed while the Romanian anthem was playing. At the end of the match, after a decisive 3–0 victory for Romania, the Kosovar fans threw various objects at Romania's squad while they were leaving the pitch.

When Romania played Lithuania on 9 September, Romanian fans chanted anti-Kosovo messages which resulted in a €52,500 fine and a partial closure of Arena Națională for the match against Kosovo the very next month.

Already a tense match after the incidents in Kosovo and Lithuania, the two sides faced each other again in Bucharest. A victory for the hosts would have meant promotion to League B of the competition's next season. Kosovo needed a 3 goals difference victory in order to take Romania's spot before the last matchday, and dominated the match. As the final whistle was approaching, after suffering a tackle, Kosovar player Albion Rrahmani attacked Romanian player Denis Alibec, before both teams began fighting on the pitch, the Danish referee booking three players, two of Kosovo and one of Romania. The Romanians proceeded to take a free kick, a moment again disrupted by the Kosovars as they walked over the Romanian fan sector to engage in a verbal fight with the Romanian fans who allegedly began shouting "Serbia! Serbia!".

In the 97th minute of the match, four minutes after the fight between Alibec and Rrahamni took place, the Kosovars left the pitch despite their manager's plead to not. While leaving the pitch, Kosovo's goalkeeper Arijanet Muric was seen showing the middle finger to the Romanian fans. The Romanian team remained on the pitch for one more hour until the referee suspended the match. Meanwhile, the Kosovar players trashed their changing room, leaked pictures of trash and pizza being posted online. Problems continued even after this, with both delegations almost fighting again in the press conference room.

The match was counted as "abandoned". No matter the final result, Romania was crowned as the group winner after a 4–1 victory against Cyprus three days later, despite the final result still pending. However, on 20 November, five days after the match, UEFA announced that Romania won the match 3–0, but will have to play one match at home without fans and face a €128,000 fine, while Kosovo would also receive a €6,000 fine for forfeiting the match.

Kits

Romania's kits have been supplied by Spanish company Joma from 2015, which replaced Adidas following a three-decade contract. In 2017, the Romanian Football Federation announced its first brand identity and a new kit; the new emblem references the coat of arms of all five Romanian provinces with the intention to symbolise the unity of Romania.

Kit provider Period
France Le Coq Sportif 1977–1983
Germany Adidas 1984–2015
Spain Joma 2015–present

Home stadium

The Romania national team mainly plays its home games at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, the largest stadium in the country. It opened in 2011 and has a capacity of 55,600 seats. The stadium is a Category 4 venue and hosted the 2012 Europa League final and Euro 2020.

Other games, including friendlies and World Cup and Euro qualifiers, have been played at other venues such as the Steaua Stadium (Bucharest), the Ion Oblemenco Stadium (Craiova), the Cluj Arena (Cluj-Napoca), the smaller Dr. Constantin Rădulescu (Cluj-Napoca), Ilie Oană (Ploiești) and Rapid-Giulești (Bucharest) stadiums.

  • Romanian national team home stadiums
  • National-Arena-Bucharest-Romania

    Arena Națională-Bucharest

  • Romania bucharest Steaua Stadium

    Stadionul Steaua-Bucharest

  • CS Universitatea Craiova versus FC Steaua Bucuresti

    Stadionul Ion Oblemenco-Craiova

  • Cluj-Napoca Cluj Arena 1

    Cluj Arena-Cluj Napoca

Media coverage

Romania's UEFA Nations League games, major tournament qualifiers and friendlies are to be televised on Pro TV up until 2022. Between 2008 and 2014, Antena 1 had the rights to broadcast the country's home matches, friendlies and qualifiers. From 2014 to 2018, Romania's qualifying matches for the European Championship and the World Cup, plus two pre-Euro and one post-Euro friendly match were taken over by TVR. The friendly matches that were not broadcast by TVR were taken over by Pro TV. In March 2019, the latter took over all broadcasts of Romania's fixtures from TVR, with the effective broadcasting starting in September 2018.

Results and fixtures

Main article: Romania national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024

Coaching staff

Role Name
Head Coach Romania Mircea Lucescu
Assistant Coaches Romania Ionel Gane
Romania Florin Constantinovici
Goalkeeping Coach Romania Leontin Toader
Fitness Coaches Romania Cristian Dragotă
Romania Darius Hîmpea
Analyst Romania Ciprian Niță
Romania Andrei Butnaraș
Doctor Romania Claudiu Stamatescu
Physiotherapists Romania Toma Vasilescu
Romania Ovidiu Blendea
Romania Adrian Gherovăț
Romania Dragoș Paraschiv
Romania Alin Burileanu
Romania Cristian Tănase
Romania Constantin Crețu
Head of Performance Analysis Romania Rareș Ene
Team Manager Romania Cătălin Gheorghiu
Kit Manager Romania Cornel Mateiași
Romania Cătălin Clincea
Technical Director Romania Mihai Stoichiță

Coaching history

Below is the full list of all former coaches for Romania from 1922 onwards:

  • Romania Teofil Moraru (1922–1923)
  • Romania Costel Rădulescu (1923, 1928–1934, 1935–1938)
  • Romania Adrian Suciu (1923–1924)
  • Romania Teofil Moraru (1924–1928)
  • Austria Josef Uridil (1934)
  • Scotland Peter Farmer (1934–1935)
  • Romania Alexandru Săvulescu 1938)
  • Romania Liviu Iuga (1938–1939, 1940)
  • Romania Virgil Economu (1939–1940, 1941–1942, 1946)
  • Romania Ion Lăpușneanu (1942)
  • Romania Emerich Vogl (1943, 1947)
  • Romania Coloman Braun-Bogdan (1945)
  • Romania Colea Vâlcov (1947)
  • Romania Francisc Ronnay (1947)
  • Romania Emerich Vogl (1948, 1949, 1950–1952)
  • Romania Colea Vâlcov (1948, 1949)
  • Romania Petre Steinbach (1948)
  • Romania Iuliu Baratky (1948)
  • Romania Ion Mihăilescu (1949)
  • Romania Gheorghe Albu (1950)
  • Romania Volodea Vâlcov (1950)
  • Romania Gheorghe Popescu (1951–1953, 1954–1955, 1961, 1962)
  • Romania Ștefan Dobay (1953–1954)
  • Romania Augustin Botescu (1958–1960)
  • Romania Constantin Teașcă (1962, 1967)
  • Romania Silviu Ploeșteanu (1962–1963)
  • Romania Ilie Oană (1965–1966, 1967)
  • Romania Bazil Marian (1967)
  • Romania Angelo Niculescu (1967–1971, 1972)
  • Romania Gheorghe Ola (1972)
  • Romania Valentin Stănescu (1973–1975, 1980–1981)
  • Romania Cornel Drăgușin (1975)
  • Romania Ștefan Kovács (1976–1979, 1980)
  • Romania Florin Halagian (1979)
  • Romania Constantin Cernăianu (1979–1980)
  • Romania Mircea Lucescu (1981–1986)
  • Romania Emerich Jenei (1986–1990)
  • Romania Gheorghe Constantin (1990)
  • Romania Mircea Rădulescu (1990–1992)
  • Romania Cornel Dinu (1992–1993)
  • Romania Anghel Iordănescu (1993–1998, 2001–2004, 2014–2016)
  • Romania Victor Pițurcă (1998–1999, 2005–2009, 2011–2014)
  • Romania Emerich Jenei (2000)
  • Romania Ladislau Bölöni (2000–2001)
  • Romania Gheorghe Hagi (2001)
  • Romania Răzvan Lucescu (2009–2011)
  • Germany Christoph Daum (2016–2017)
  • Romania Cosmin Contra (2017–2019)
  • Romania Mirel Rădoi (2019–2021)
  • Romania Edward Iordănescu (2022–2024)
  • Romania Mircea Lucescu (2024–)

Players

Current squad

The following 25 players were named in the squad for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Kosovo and Cyprus on 15 and 18 November 2024 respectively.

Caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2024, after the match against Cyprus.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Florin Niță (1987-07-03) 3 July 1987 (age 37) 30 0 Saudi Arabia Damac
16 1GK Ștefan Târnovanu (2000-05-09) 9 May 2000 (age 24) 3 0 Romania FCSB
12 1GK Răzvan Sava (2002-06-21) 21 June 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Italy Udinese
11 2DF Nicușor Bancu (1992-09-18) 18 September 1992 (age 32) 44 2 Romania Universitatea Craiova
15 2DF Andrei Burcă (1993-04-15) 15 April 1993 (age 31) 37 1 United Arab Emirates Baniyas
3 2DF Radu Drăgușin (2002-02-03) 3 February 2002 (age 22) 27 1 England Tottenham Hotspur
2 2DF Andrei Rațiu (1998-06-20) 20 June 1998 (age 26) 27 1 Spain Rayo Vallecano
4 2DF Cristian Manea (1997-08-09) 9 August 1997 (age 27) 25 2 Romania Rapid București
2DF Adrian Rus (1996-03-18) 18 March 1996 (age 28) 22 1 Italy Pisa
5 2DF Alexandru Pașcanu (1998-09-28) 28 September 1998 (age 26) 1 0 Romania Rapid București
20 2DF Matei Ilie (2002-12-11) 11 December 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Romania CFR Cluj
18 3MF Răzvan Marin (captain) (1996-05-23) 23 May 1996 (age 28) 65 11 Italy Cagliari
10 3MF Ianis Hagi (1998-10-22) 22 October 1998 (age 26) 45 5 Scotland Rangers
13 3MF Valentin Mihăilă (2000-02-02) 2 February 2000 (age 24) 30 5 Italy Parma
6 3MF Marius Marin (1998-08-30) 30 August 1998 (age 26) 28 0 Italy Pisa
21 3MF Darius Olaru (1998-03-03) 3 March 1998 (age 26) 26 0 Romania FCSB
22 3MF Alexandru Mitriță (1995-02-08) 8 February 1995 (age 29) 21 4 Romania Universitatea Craiova
17 3MF Florinel Coman (1998-04-10) 10 April 1998 (age 26) 20 2 Qatar Al-Gharafa
23 3MF Deian Sorescu (1997-08-29) 29 August 1997 (age 27) 20 0 Turkey Gaziantep
8 3MF Adrian Șut (1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 (age 25) 4 0 Romania FCSB
14 3MF David Miculescu (2001-05-02) 2 May 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Romania FCSB
7 4FW Denis Alibec (1991-01-05) 5 January 1991 (age 33) 41 5 Romania Farul Constanța
19 4FW Denis Drăguș (1999-07-06) 6 July 1999 (age 25) 20 5 Turkey Trabzonspor
9 4FW Daniel Bîrligea (2000-04-19) 19 April 2000 (age 24) 3 1 Romania FCSB

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Horațiu Moldovan (1998-01-20) 20 January 1998 (age 26) 11 0 Italy Sassuolo v.  Lithuania, 15 October 2024
GK Laurențiu Popescu (1997-01-18) 18 January 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Romania Universitatea Craiova v.  Lithuania, 9 September 2024
GK Marian Aioani (1999-11-07) 7 November 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Romania Rapid București v.  Colombia, 26 March 2024
DF Alexandru Chipciu (1989-05-18) 18 May 1989 (age 35) 47 6 Romania Universitatea Cluj v.  Lithuania, 15 October 2024
DF Virgil Ghiță (1998-06-04) 4 June 1998 (age 26) 2 0 Poland Cracovia v.  Lithuania, 15 October 2024
DF Iulian Cristea (1994-07-17) 17 July 1994 (age 30) 4 0 Romania Universitatea Cluj v.  Lithuania, 9 September 2024
DF Ionuț Nedelcearu (1996-04-25) 25 April 1996 (age 28) 27 2 Italy Palermo UEFA Euro 2024
DF Vasile Mogoș (1992-10-31) 31 October 1992 (age 32) 8 0 Romania CFR Cluj UEFA Euro 2024
DF Bogdan Racovițan (2000-06-06) 6 June 2000 (age 24) 4 0 Poland Raków Częstochowa UEFA Euro 2024
DF Raul Opruț (1998-01-04) 4 January 1998 (age 26) 4 0 Romania Dinamo București v.  Colombia, 26 March 2024
MF Nicolae Stanciu INJ (1993-05-07) 7 May 1993 (age 31) 79 15 Saudi Arabia Damac v.  Cyprus, 18 November 2024
MF Dennis Man SUS (1998-08-26) 26 August 1998 (age 26) 33 9 Italy Parma v.  Cyprus, 18 November 2024
MF Victor Dican (2000-10-11) 11 October 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Romania Farul Constanța v.  Lithuania, 15 October 2024
MF Andrei Artean (1993-08-14) 14 August 1993 (age 31) 0 0 Romania CFR Cluj v.  Lithuania, 9 September 2024
MF Mihai Lixandru INJ (2001-06-05) 5 June 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Romania FCSB v.  Kosovo, 6 September 2024
MF Alexandru Cicâldău (1997-07-08) 8 July 1997 (age 27) 38 4 Romania Universitatea Craiova UEFA Euro 2024
MF Constantin Grameni (2002-10-23) 23 October 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Romania Rapid București v.  Liechtenstein, 7 June 2024
MF Olimpiu Moruțan (1999-04-25) 25 April 1999 (age 25) 15 1 Italy Pisa v.  Colombia, 26 March 2024
FW George Pușcaș (1996-04-08) 8 April 1996 (age 28) 46 11 Turkey Bodrum v.  Lithuania, 15 October 2024
FW Florin Tănase (1994-12-30) 30 December 1994 (age 29) 18 3 Romania FCSB v.  Colombia, 26 March 2024
Notes
  • INJ = Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
  • RET = Player who retired from national team.
  • WD = Player withdrew from the squad.
  • SUS = Player suspended.

Records

Main articles: List of Romania international footballers and List of Romania national football team hat-tricks
Players in bold are still active with Romania.

Most appearances

Dorinel Munteanu 2013
Dorinel Munteanu is Romania's most capped player with 134 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Dorinel Munteanu 134 16 1991–2007
2 Gheorghe Hagi 124 35 1983–2000
3 Gheorghe Popescu 115 16 1988–2003
4 Răzvan Raț 113 2 2002–2016
5 László Bölöni 102 23 1975–1988
6 Dan Petrescu 95 12 1989–2000
7 Bogdan Stelea 91 0 1988–2005
8 Michael Klein 89 5 1981–1991
9 Bogdan Lobonț 86 0 1998–2018
10 Marius Lăcătuș 83 13 1984–1998
Mircea Rednic 83 2 1981–1991

Most goals

Adrian Mutu and Gheorghe Hagi are Romania's joint top goalscorers with 35 goals each.
Rank Player Goals Caps Average Career
1 Adrian Mutu 35 77 0.45 2000–2013
Gheorghe Hagi 35 124 0.28 1983–2000
3 Iuliu Bodola 31 48 0.65 1931–1939
4 Viorel Moldovan 25 70 0.36 1993–2005
Ciprian Marica 25 72 0.35 2003–2014
6 László Bölöni 23 102 0.23 1975–1988
7 Dudu Georgescu 21 40 0.53 1973–1984
Florin Răducioiu 21 40 0.53 1990–1996
Anghel Iordănescu 21 57 0.37 1971–1981
Rodion Cămătaru 21 73 0.29 1978–1990

Youngest debutants

Results list Romania's goal tally first.
Algérie-Roumanie - 20140604 - Cristian Manea
In 2014, Cristian Manea (pictured) broke Grațian Sepi's record from 1928 for being the youngest debutant of Romania. He was surpassed by Enes Sali in 2021.
Rank Player Age on debut Opponent Result Year Ref.
1 Enes Sali 15 years, 8 months and 22 days  Liechtenstein 2–0 2021
2 Cristian Manea 16 years, 9 months and 22 days  Albania 1–0 2014
3 Grațian Sepi 17 years, 3 months and 15 days  Turkey 4–2 1928
4 Ilie Balaci 17 years, 6 months and 10 days  France 0–1 1974
5 Nicolae Kovács 17 years, 8 months and 17 days  Bulgaria 3–2 1929

Managers with most matches

Anghel Iordănescu
Anghel Iordănescu managed Romania in a record 101 matches.
Rank Manager Matches
1 Anghel Iordănescu 101
2 Victor Pițurcă 95
3 Mircea Lucescu 64
4 Emerich Jenei 51
5 Constantin Rădulescu 49
6 Angelo Niculescu 38
7 Valentin Stănescu 36
8 Ștefan Kovács 34
9 Gheorghe Popescu 28
Edward Iordănescu

Competitive record

     Champions       Runners-up       Third place  

FIFA World Cup

Main article: Romania at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Position Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Group stage 8th 2 1 0 1 3 5 Qualified as invitees
Italy 1934 Round of 16 12th 1 0 0 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 0 4 3
France 1938 9th 2 0 1 1 4 5 Egypt withdrew
Brazil 1950 Did not enter Declined participation
Switzerland 1954 Did not qualify 2 4 2 0 2 5 5
Sweden 1958 2 4 2 1 1 6 4
Chile 1962 Withdrew
England 1966 3 6 3 0 3 9 7
Mexico 1970 Group stage 10th 3 1 0 2 4 5 1 6 3 2 1 7 6
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 2 6 4 1 1 17 4
Argentina 1978 2 4 2 0 2 7 8
Spain 1982 3 8 2 4 2 5 5
Mexico 1986 3 8 3 3 2 12 7
Italy 1990 Round of 16 12th 4 1 2(1*) 1 4 3 1 6 4 1 1 10 5
United States 1994 Quarter-finals 6th 5 3 1* 1 10 9 1 10 7 1 2 29 12
France 1998 Round of 16 11th 4 2 1 1 4 3 1 10 9 1 0 37 4
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify Playoffs 10 5 2 3 12 10
Germany 2006 3 12 8 1 3 20 10
South Africa 2010 5 10 3 3 4 12 18
Brazil 2014 Playoffs 12 6 2 4 21 16
Russia 2018 4 10 3 4 3 12 10
Qatar 2022 3 10 5 2 3 13 8
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Quarter-finals 7/22 21 8 5 8 30 32 Total 138 72 29 37 238 142
*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out. Normal colour indicates loss.

UEFA European Championship

Main article: Romania at the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record UEFA European Championship qualifying record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Position Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Did not qualify Quarter-Finals 4 1 0 3 3 7
Spain 1964 Preliminary round 2 1 0 1 3 7
Italy 1968 First round 6 3 0 3 18 14
Belgium 1972 Quarter-finals 9 4 3 2 15 7
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 First round 6 1 5 0 11 6
Italy 1980 3 6 2 2 2 9 8
France 1984 Group stage 7th 3 0 1 2 2 4 1 8 5 2 1 9 3
West Germany 1988 Did not qualify 2 6 4 1 1 13 3
Sweden 1992 3 8 4 2 2 13 7
England 1996 Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 1 4 1 10 6 3 1 18 9
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 1 2 4 6 1 10 7 3 0 25 3
Portugal 2004 Did not qualify 3 8 4 2 2 21 9
Austria Switzerland 2008 Group stage 12th 3 0 2 1 1 3 1 12 9 2 1 26 7
Poland Ukraine 2012 Did not qualify 3 10 3 5 2 13 9
France 2016 Group stage 19th 3 0 1 2 2 4 2 10 5 5 0 11 2
Europe 2020 Did not qualify Play-off 11 4 2 5 18 17
Germany 2024 Round of 16 13th 4 1 1 2 4 6 1 10 6 4 0 16 5
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032
Total Quarter-finals 6/17 20 2 6 12 14 27 Total 136 69 41 26 242 123
*Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Season Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
2018–19 C 4 6 3 3 0 8 3 Rise 32nd
2020–21 B 1 6 2 2 2 8 9 Same position 26th
2022–23 B 3 6 2 1 3 6 8 Fall 29th
2024–25 C 2 6 6 0 0 18 3 Rise 33rd
Total 24 13 6 5 40 23 26th

Summer Olympics

Football at the Summer Olympics was first played officially in 1908. The Olympiads between 1896 and 1980 were only open for amateur players. The 1984 and 1988 tournaments were open to players with no appearances in the World Cup. After the 1988 Olympics, the football event was changed into a tournament for U23 teams, with a maximum of three older players. See Romania Olympic football team for competition records from 1992 until present day.

Host nation(s) – Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
1900 to 1920 Did not enter —
France 1924 Round of 16 1 0 0 1 0 6
1928 to 1948 Did not qualify —
Finland 1952 Preliminary Round 1 0 0 1 1 2
1956 to 1960 Did not qualify —
Japan 1964 Quarter-Finals 6 4 1 1 12 6
1968 to 1976 Did not qualify —
1980 to 1988 Did not enter —
Since 1992 See Romania Olympic football team
Total 3/24 8 4 1 3 13 14

Balkan Cup

Balkan Cup record
Edition Result Pld W D L GF GA
1929–31 Champions 6 5 0 1 26 13
1931 Did not enter
1932 Third place 3 1 0 2 4 5
1933 Champions 3 3 0 0 13 0
1934–35 Third place 3 1 1 1 5 8
1935 Fourth place 3 0 1 2 2 8
1936 Champions 2 2 0 0 9 3
1946 Third place 3 1 1 1 4 4
1947 Third place 4 2 0 2 8 8
1948* Fourth place 6 2 1 3 6 18
1973–76 Runners-up 4 2 1 1 7 5
1977–80 Champions 6 3 2 1 12 5
Total 4 titles 43 22 7 14 96 77
*Edition abandoned.

All-time head-to-head record

Last match updated was against  Cyprus on 18 November 2024.

      Positive record       Neutral record       Negative record

FIFA ranking history

The following is a chart of yearly averages of Romania's FIFA ranking.


Honours

Regional

  • Balkan Cup
    • 1 Champions (4): 1929–31, 1933, 1936, 1977–80
    • 2 Runners-up (1): 1973–76
    • 3 Third place (4): 1932, 1934–35, 1946, 1947

Friendly

  • Mohammed V Cup
    • 1 Champions (1): 1977
  • Tournoi de Paris
    • 1 Champions (1): 1983
  • King's Cup
    • 1 Champions (1): 1996
  • Cyprus International Football Tournament
    • 1 Champions (3): 2001, 2004, 2006

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Rumania para niños

  • Romania Olympic football team
  • Romania national under-21 football team
  • Romania national under-20 football team
  • Romania national under-19 football team
  • Romania national under-17 football team
  • Romania national futsal team
  • Romania national beach soccer team
  • Romania women's national football team
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