Romania national football team

Romania

Nickname(s)	Tricolorii (The Tricolours)
Association	Federația Română de Fotbal (FRF)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Vacant
Captain	Vlad Chiricheș
Most caps	Dorinel Munteanu (134)
Top scorer	Gheorghe Hagi Adrian Mutu (35)
Home stadium	Various
FIFA code	ROU
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	44 (23 December 2021)[1]
Highest	3 (September 1997)
Lowest	57 (February 2011, September 2012)
First international
Yugoslavia 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	5 (first in 1984)
Best result	Quarter-finals (2000)
Medal record Balkan Cup 1929–31 Team 1933 Romania Team 1936 Romania Team 1980 Turkey Team 1976 Romania Team 1932 Yugoslavia Team 1934–35 Greece Team 1946 Albania Team 1947 Team

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

Romania is one of the 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 have qualified for seven World Cup editions, the latest in 1998. The national team's finest hour came in 1994, when it reached the quarter-finals of the competition. Led by playmaker Gheorghe Hagi, they were eliminated by Sweden on a penalty shoot-out after having defeated Argentina 3–2 in the previous round.

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 and 1972, and have qualified for a total of five tournaments.

History[]

Early years[]

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.^[4] 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. Chances were improved with a 2–1 win over the Czechs. Despite 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 excellent 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; despite 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[]

On 26 September 1973, 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. Despite a 1–0 win in Bucharest, Romania lost a bizarre match at home to Yugoslavia 6–4 having led 3–2 at half time. Spain won 1–0 in Belgrade to seal passage to South America.

1984 European Championship[]

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 regular rivals Spain, holders West Germany and dark horses 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[]

Romania's squad was entirely domestic-based, despite an increasing trend for the major sides in Italy and Spain buying up the best foreign talent. Midfielder Ilie Dumitrescu, striker Florin Răducioiu and genius playmaker Gheorghe Hagi, were in the squad. With 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 were the next victims of Cameroon in Bari. Cult hero Roger Milla, 38 years of age, 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[]

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. Despite 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 at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in Los Angeles 3–1. All but one of Romania's games took place in California, and they were awarded the advantage of playing most of their games in Los Angeles. 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 surprising 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 in Los Angeles who were shorn of Diego Maradona who was thrown out of the tournament for taking drugs. Răducioiu, suspended, 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 superbly 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 superb 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. Despite being drawn in a group with England, progression to the next round was expected in light of a declining Colombia and minnows Tunisia.

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. Romania decided to bleach their hair before the match. Despite 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[]

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 favourites to qualify, then ranked first and second in Europe respectively. Early wins over Finland and Macedonia were unconvincing, and they were some way behind the two leaders by the time they earned a good 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[]

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, suggesting that they were a strong challenge for the first place in the group, 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). Also, 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 an expected win against Luxembourg but the second was an important win in the rematch against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Romania's last good result came when they battled group favorite 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. Romania, Turkey and Hungary were expected to battle it out for second place behind the Netherlands. 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 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[]

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 surprise force 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. Romania advanced to Euro 2016 and were drawn in the same group as tournament hosts France, Switzerland and Albania. Romania was defeated by France thanks to an 89th-minute strike by Dimitri Payet to cancel out Bogdan Stancu's equalizer as Romania dropped last in Group A. In its second group match, against Switzerland, another Stancu penalty helped Romania claim its first point of the tournament after a 1–1 draw. In its last group stage match, Romania lost 0–1 against Albania to finish last in Group A, with only one point and two goals scored, both from penalties.

2018 World Cup[]

For the qualification round, Romania was drawn in Group E, being in Pot 1 for the first time after a long time. Romania's two strongest opponents appear to be Denmark and Poland; its other opponents are 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 a promising new coach, 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 beat 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 the UEFA revised the format, Romania was officially promoted to 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B.

Euro 2020[]

Romania was drawn in a group including the national teams of 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.^[5] 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 kept on track by beating Faroe Islands 3–0 away, but it was later followed with a disappointing 1–1 home draw to the Norwegians.^[6] This had reduced significantly their chances of automatic qualification, as they had to meet strong 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.^[7] 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.

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.^[8] Romania failed to qualify, finishing in third in the group.

Team image[]

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.^[9]

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

Kit history[]

WC 1930–1934 Home[10]

WC 1938 Home[11]

WC 1970 Home

WC 1970 Away

Euro 1984 Home

Euro 1984 Away

WC 1990 Home

WC 1990 Away

1994 Home

1994 Away

1996 Home

1998 Home

1998 Away

2000 Home

2006 Home

2008 Home

2008 Away

2010 Home

2010 Away

2012 Home

2012 Away

2014 Home

2014 Away

Home stadium[]

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

Other games, including not only friendlies but also FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship qualifiers, have been played in recent years at other venues such as the Cluj Arena (Cluj-Napoca), the Ion Oblemenco Stadium (Craiova), the Steaua Stadium (Bucharest), or the smaller Ilie Oană (Ploiești) and Dr. Constantin Rădulescu stadiums (Cluj-Napoca).

• Romanian national team home stadiums
• 

  Arena Națională, Bucharest

• 

  Cluj Arena, Cluj-Napoca

• 

  Stadionul Ion Oblemenco, Craiova

• 

  Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest

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[]

2021[]

2022[]

Players[]

Current squad[]

The following players were called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification against  Iceland and  Liechtenstein on 11 and 14 November 2021 respectively.^[12]
Caps and goals as of 14 November 2021 after the match against  Liechtenstein.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Florin Niță	(1987-07-03) 3 July 1987 (age 34)	13	0	Sparta Prague
12	1GK	Andrei Vlad	(1999-04-15) 15 April 1999 (age 22)	1	0	FCSB
13	1GK	Mihai Aioani	(1999-09-07) 7 September 1999 (age 22)	0	0	Farul Constanța
	1GK	Horațiu Moldovan	(1998-01-20) 20 January 1998 (age 23)	0	0	Rapid București
2	2DF	Andrei Rațiu	(1998-06-20) 20 June 1998 (age 23)	5	0	Huesca
3	2DF	Alin Toșca	(1992-03-14) 14 March 1992 (age 29)	28	1	Gaziantep
4	2DF	Cristian Manea	(1997-08-09) 9 August 1997 (age 24)	17	2	CFR Cluj
5	2DF	Ionuț Nedelcearu	(1996-04-25) 25 April 1996 (age 25)	20	2	Crotone
6	2DF	Vlad Chiricheș (Captain)	(1989-11-14) 14 November 1989 (age 32)	70	0	Sassuolo
11	2DF	Nicușor Bancu	(1992-09-18) 18 September 1992 (age 29)	22	1	Universitatea Craiova
15	2DF	Andrei Burcă	(1993-04-15) 15 April 1993 (age 28)	8	0	CFR Cluj
17	2DF	Adrian Rus	(1996-03-18) 18 March 1996 (age 25)	10	0	Fehérvár
	2DF	Virgil Ghiță	(1998-06-04) 4 June 1998 (age 23)	1	0	Farul Constanța
8	3MF	Alexandru Cicâldău	(1997-07-08) 8 July 1997 (age 24)	20	2	Galatasaray
10	3MF	Alexandru Maxim	(1990-07-08) 8 July 1990 (age 31)	53	7	Gaziantep
14	3MF	Ianis Hagi	(1998-10-22) 22 October 1998 (age 23)	24	2	Rangers
16	3MF	Dragoș Nedelcu	(1997-02-16) 16 February 1997 (age 24)	6	0	Fortuna Düsseldorf
18	3MF	Răzvan Marin	(1996-05-23) 23 May 1996 (age 25)	36	2	Cagliari
19	3MF	Florin Tănase	(1994-12-30) 30 December 1994 (age 27)	10	1	FCSB
20	3MF	Dennis Man	(1998-08-26) 26 August 1998 (age 23)	13	3	Parma
21	3MF	Olimpiu Moruțan	(1999-04-25) 25 April 1999 (age 22)	3	0	Galatasaray
23	3MF	Nicolae Stanciu	(1993-05-07) 7 May 1993 (age 28)	54	11	Slavia Prague
16	3MF	Enes Sali	(2006-02-23) 23 February 2006 (age 15)	1	0	Farul Constanța
7	4FW	Denis Alibec	(1991-01-05) 5 January 1991 (age 31)	22	2	CFR Cluj
9	4FW	George Pușcaș	(1996-04-08) 8 April 1996 (age 25)	26	8	Reading
22	4FW	Andrei Ivan	(1997-01-04) 4 January 1997 (age 25)	13	1	Universitatea Craiova

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	Florin Iacob	(1993-08-16) 16 August 1993 (age 28)	0	0	UTA Arad	v.  England, 6 June 2021
GK	David Lazar	(1991-08-08) 8 August 1991 (age 30)	1	0	Universitatea Craiova	v.  Armenia, 31 March 2021
GK	Ionuț Radu	(1997-05-28) 28 May 1997 (age 24)	0	0	Internazionale	v.  Armenia, 31 March 2021
DF	Mário Camora	(1986-11-10) 10 November 1986 (age 35)	6	0	CFR Cluj	v.  North Macedonia, 8 September 2021
DF	Cristian Ganea	(1992-05-24) 24 May 1992 (age 29)	8	0	Aris	v.  England, 6 June 2021
DF	Tiberiu Căpușă	(1998-04-06) 6 April 1998 (age 23)	1	0	Chindia Târgoviște	v.  England, 6 June 2021
DF	Iulian Cristea INJ	(1994-07-17) 17 July 1994 (age 27)	3	0	FCSB	v.  Georgia, 2 June 2021
DF	Vasile Mogoș	(1992-10-31) 31 October 1992 (age 29)	4	0	Crotone	v.  Armenia, 31 March 2021
DF	Ovidiu Popescu	(1994-02-27) 27 February 1994 (age 27)	2	0	FCSB	v.  Armenia, 31 March 2021
MF	Alexandru Mitriță	(1995-02-08) 8 February 1995 (age 26)	16	3	PAOK	v.  Armenia, 11 October 2021
MF	Valentin Mihăilă	(2000-02-02) 2 February 2000 (age 21)	5	1	Parma	v.  Armenia, 11 October 2021
MF	Andrei Cordea	(1999-06-24) 24 June 1999 (age 22)	2	0	FCSB	v.  Armenia, 11 October 2021
MF	Alexandru Albu	(1993-08-17) 17 August 1993 (age 28)	1	0	Rapid București	v.  Armenia, 11 October 2021
MF	Deian Sorescu	(1997-08-29) 29 August 1997 (age 24)	5	0	Dinamo București	v.  North Macedonia, 8 September 2021
MF	Marius Marin	(1998-08-30) 30 August 1998 (age 23)	2	0	Pisa	v.  North Macedonia, 8 September 2021
MF	Darius Olaru	(1998-03-03) 3 March 1998 (age 23)	2	0	FCSB	v.  North Macedonia, 8 September 2021
MF	Dorin Rotariu COV	(1995-07-20) 20 July 1995 (age 26)	10	1	Ludogorets Razgrad	v.  Iceland, 2 September 2021
MF	Constantin Budescu	(1989-02-19) 19 February 1989 (age 32)	17	5	FCSB	v.  England, 6 June 2021
MF	Alexandru Băluță	(1993-09-13) 13 September 1993 (age 28)	8	1	Puskás Akadémia	v.  England, 6 June 2021
MF	Adrian Păun	(1995-04-01) 1 April 1995 (age 26)	1	0	CFR Cluj	v.  England, 6 June 2021
MF	Eric Bicfalvi	(1988-02-05) 5 February 1988 (age 33)	9	1	Ural Yekaterinburg	v.  Armenia, 31 March 2021
MF	Alexandru Crețu	(1992-04-24) 24 April 1992 (age 29)	5	0	Universitatea Craiova	v.  Armenia, 31 March 2021
MF	Florinel Coman INJ	(1998-04-10) 10 April 1998 (age 23)	5	0	FCSB	v.  North Macedonia, 25 March 2021
FW	Claudiu Keșerü	(1986-12-02) 2 December 1986 (age 35)	47	13	FCSB	v.  Armenia, 11 October 2021
FW	Jovan Marković	(2001-03-23) 23 March 2001 (age 20)	3	0	Universitatea Craiova	v.  North Macedonia, 8 September 2021
FW	Denis Drăguș INJ	(1999-07-06) 6 July 1999 (age 22)	2	0	Standard Liège	v.  Iceland, 2 September 2021

Notes

• ^INJ = Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury
• ^COV = Player withdrawn from the squad due to positive COVID-19 test
• ^RET = Player who retired from national team
• ^WD = Player withdrew from the squad

Statistics[]

Most capped players[]

As of 18 November 2020^[13]

Players in bold are still active with Romania.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Years
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

Top goalscorers[]

As of 18 November 2020^[13]

Players in bold are still active with Romania.

#	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	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[]

As of 15 November 2021, the five youngest debutants for Romania are:^[14]

#	Player	Age	Match	Year	Ref
1	Enes Sali	15 years, 8 months and 22 days	Liechtenstein–Romania 0–2	2021	[15]
2	Cristian Manea	16 years, 9 months and 22 days	Romania–Albania 1–0	2014	[16]
3	Grațian Sepi	17 years, 3 months and 15 days	Romania–Turkey 4–2	1928	[16]
4	Ilie Balaci	17 years, 6 months and 10 days	France–Romania 1–0	1974	[16]
5	Nicolae Kovács	17 years, 8 months and 17 days	Bulgaria–Romania 2–3	1929	[16]

Coaching staff[]

As of November 2021.

Position	Name
Head Coach	Vacant (as of 16 November 2021)
Assistant Coaches	Nicolae Dică Florin Constantinovici
Goalkeeping Coach	Leontin Toader
Fitness Coach	Horațiu Baciu
Doctor	Claudiu Stamatescu
Physioterapists	Iulian Mircea Gabriel Niculescu Ovidiu Blendea Adrian Gherovăț Dragoș Paraschiv
Head of Performance Analysis	Rareș Ene
Team Manager	Cătălin Gheorghiu
Kit Manager	Cornel Mateiași
Technical Director	Mihai Stoichiță

Coaching history[]

Below is the full list of all former coaches for Romania from 1922 onwards:^[17]

Competitive record[]

FIFA World Cup[]

  Champions    Runners-up    Third Place    Fourth Place  

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
1930	Group stage	8th	2	1	0	1	3	5	Qualified as invitees
1934	Round of 16	12th	1	0	0	1	1	2	2	2	1	1	0	4	3
1938		9th	2	0	1	1	4	5	Egypt withdrew[18]
1950	Did not enter
1954	Did not qualify								2	4	2	0	2	5	5
1958									2	4	2	1	1	6	4
1962									Withdrew
1966									3	6	3	0	3	9	7
1970	Group stage	11th	3	1	0	2	4	5	1	6	3	2	1	7	6
1974	Did not qualify								2	6	4	1	1	17	4
1978									2	4	2	0	2	7	8
1982									3	8	2	4	2	5	5
1986									3	8	3	3	2	12	7
1990	Round of 16	12th	4	1	2(1*)	1	4	3	1	6	4	1	1	10	5
1994	Quarter-finals	6th	5	3	1*	1	10	9	1	10	7	1	2	29	12
1998	Round of 16	11th	4	2	1	1	4	3	1	10	9	1	0	37	4
2002	Did not qualify								Playoffs	10	5	2	3	12	10
2006									3	12	8	1	3	20	10
2010									5	10	3	3	4	12	18
2014									Playoffs	12	6	2	4	21	16
2018									4	10	3	4	3	12	10
2022									3	10	5	2	3	13	8
2026	To be determined								To be determined
Total	Quarter-finals	7/23	21	8	5	8	30	32	Total	138	72	29	37	238	142

^**Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. Darker color indicates win, normal color indicates loss.

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
1960	Did not qualify								Quarter-finals	4	1	0	3	3	7
1964									Preliminary round	2	1	0	1	3	7
1968									First round	6	3	0	3	18	14
1972									Quarter-finals	9	4	3	2	15	7
1976									First round	6	1	5	0	11	6
1980									3	6	2	2	2	9	8
1984	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	2	4	1	8	5	2	1	9	3
1988	Did not qualify								2	6	4	1	1	13	3
1992									3	8	4	2	2	13	7
1996	Group stage	15th	3	0	0	3	1	4	1	10	6	3	1	18	9
2000	Quarter-finals	7th	4	1	1	2	4	6	1	10	7	3	0	25	3
2004	Did not qualify								3	8	4	2	2	21	9
2008	Group Stage	12th	3	0	2	1	1	3	1	12	9	2	1	26	7
2012	Did not qualify								3	10	3	5	2	13	9
2016	Group stage	19th	3	0	1	2	2	4	2	10	5	5	0	11	2
2020	Did not qualify								Play-off	11	4	2	5	18	17
2024	To be determined
Total	Quarter-finals	5/17	16	1	5	10	10	21	Total	126	63	37	26	226	118

*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

UEFA Nations League record[]

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		32nd
2020–21	B	1	6	2	2	2	8	9		26th
2022–23	B	Future event
Total			10	5	5	2	16	12	25th

Summer Olympics[]

Football at the Summer Olympics was first played officially in 1908. The Olympiads between 1896 and 1980 was only open for amateur players. The 1984 and 1988 tournaments were open to players with no appearances in the FIFA 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	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1900 to 1920	Did not enter	-	-	-	-	-	-
1924	Round of 16	1	0	0	1	0	6
1928 to 1948	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1952	Preliminary Round	1	0	0	1	1	2
1956 to 1960	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
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

All-time head-to-head record[]

Last match updated was against  Iceland on 11 November 2021.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Against	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	% Won
Albania	17	11	3	3	64.71%
Algeria	5	1	2	2	20%
Andorra	4	4	0	0	100%
Argentina	6	1	2	3	16.67%
Armenia	7	5	1	1	66.67%
Australia	1	1	0	0	100%
Austria	12	4	5	3	33.33%
Azerbaijan	4	4	0	0	100%
Belarus	5	3	2	0	60%
Belgium	12	5	2	5	41.67%
Bolivia	1	1	0	0	100%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	4	3	0	1	75%
Brazil	3	0	0	3	0%
Bulgaria	33	18	6	9	54.55%
Cameroon	1	0	0	1	0%
Chile	3	3	0	0	100%
China PR	2	2	0	0	100%
Colombia	3	2	1	0	66.67%
Croatia	4	0	1	3	0%
Cuba	2	0	1	1	0%
Cyprus	13	9	3	1	69.23%
Czech Republic	2	1	0	1	50%
Czechoslovakia	32	7	8	17	21.88%
Denmark	11	4	4	3	36.36%
DR Congo	2	0	2	0	0%
East Germany	16	5	3	8	31.25%
Ecuador	1	0	0	1	0%
Egypt	6	3	2	1	50%
England	12	3	6	3	25%
Estonia	4	3	0	1	75%
Faroe Islands	8	8	0	0	100%
Finland	11	8	3	0	72.73%
France	16	3	5	8	18.75%
Georgia	8	5	2	1	62.5%
Germany	15	2	3	10	13.33%
Greece	34	18	10	6	52.94%
Honduras	1	1	0	0	100%
Hungary	26	7	8	11	23.08%
Iceland	5	3	1	1	60%
Iran	2	0	2	0	0%
Iraq	2	0	2	0	0%
Israel	22	12	5	5	54.55%
Italy	17	2	5	10	11.76%
Ivory Coast	1	0	0	1	0%
Japan	4	3	1	0	75%
Kazakhstan	2	1	1	0	50%
Latvia	5	4	1	0	80%
Liechtenstein	5	5	0	0	100%
Lithuania	12	11	0	1	90.91%
Luxembourg	6	6	0	0	100%
Malta	1	1	0	0	100%
Mexico	2	1	0	1	50%
Moldova	3	3	0	0	100%
Montenegro	5	2	2	1	40%
Morocco	3	2	0	1	66.67%
Nigeria	2	2	0	0	100%
Netherlands	14	1	3	10	7.14%
North Macedonia	7	5	1	1	71.43%
Northern Ireland	8	2	3	3	25%
Norway	14	4	7	3	28.57%
Paraguay	2	1	0	1	50%
Peru	5	2	2	1	40%
Poland	35	14	15	6	40%
Portugal	11	4	2	5	36.36%
Republic of Ireland	5	1	2	2	20%
Russia	2	1	0	1	50%
San Marino	3	3	0	0	100%
Serbia	6	1	2	3	20%
Scotland	6	2	2	2	33.33%
Slovakia	11	5	5	1	45.45%
Slovenia	8	3	3	2	37.5%
South Korea	1	1	0	0	100%
Soviet Union	9	3	2	4	33.33%
Spain	18	5	6	7	27.78%
Sweden	11	3	3	5	27.27%
Switzerland	13	5	4	4	38.46%
Trinidad and Tobago	1	1	0	0	100%
Tunisia	1	0	1	0	0%
Turkey	26	14	7	5	53.85%
Turkmenistan	1	1	0	0	100%
Ukraine	6	3	1	2	50%
United Arab Emirates	1	0	0	1	0%
United States	4	2	1	1	50%
Uruguay	5	1	2	2	20%
Wales	5	3	1	1	60%
Yugoslavia	37	15	5	17	40.54%
Total	698	310	176	212	44.41%

FIFA ranking history[]

The following is a chart of yearly averages of Romania's FIFA ranking.^[19]

Honours[]

• FIFA World Cup
  • Quarter-final (1): 1994
  • Round of 16 (4): 1934, 1938, 1990, 1998
• UEFA European Football Championship
  • Quarter-final (1): 2000
• Football at the Summer Olympics
  • Quarter-final (1): 1964
  • Round of 16 (1): 1924
• Balkan Cup:
  • Winners (4) – Record: 1929–31, 1933, 1936, 1977–80
  • Runners-up (1): 1973–76

See also[]

• 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
• Hungary–Romania football rivalry

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Romania national football team.

• Official website
• Official Facebook page
• RomanianSoccer.ro – Romanian National Team Archive
• Romania national team /details 1922–/
• RSSSF archive of results 1922–2006
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
• RSSSF archive of coaches 1922–1999