Romania national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Romania women's national football team.
Romania
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Tricolorii (The Tricolours)
AssociationFederația Română de Fotbal (FRF)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachCosmin Contra
CaptainCristian Săpunaru
Most capsDorinel Munteanu (134)
Top scorerGheorghe Hagi
Adrian Mutu (35)
Home stadiumArena Națională
Stadionul Ion Oblemenco
Cluj Arena
Stadionul Ilie Oană
FIFA codeROU
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 28 Decrease 1 (25 July 2019)[1]
Highest3 (September 1997)
Lowest57 (February 2011, September 2012)
Elo ranking
Current 29 Increase 7 (20 August 2019)[2]
Highest5 (June 1990)
Lowest49[3] (10 June 2017)
First international
Kingdom of Yugoslavia 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
Appearances7 (first in 1930)
Best resultQuarter-finals (6th place), 1994
European Championship
Appearances5 (first in 1984)
Best resultQuarter-finals (7th place), 2000

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. They are colloquially known as Tricolorii (The Tricolours).

Romania is one of the only four national teams from Europe—the other three being Yugoslavia, France, and Belgium—that took part in the first FIFA World Cup in 1930. Since that performance, Romania have qualified for the 1934, 1938, 1970, 1990, 1994 and 1998 editions. Led by playmaker Gheorghe Hagi, the team's finest hour came in 1994 when it reached the quarter-finals, they were eliminated by Sweden on a penalty shoot-out after having previously defeated Argentina.

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 qualified for the 1984, 1996, 2008 and 2016 tournaments.

History[edit]

Main article: History of the Romania national football team

Early years[edit]

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.[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[edit]

Romania – East Germany 3–1 in 1952.

At the 1930 World Cup, Romania won their first match against Peru, 3–1, with goals from Adalbert Desu, 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[edit]

Participation in the World Cup was finally achieved once again in 1970 in Mexico, although qualification came on the back of a 3–0 thrashing by Portugal in Lisbon and two unconvincing draws against unfancied Greece. 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[edit]

Romania and Holland playing out a 0-0 draw at the De Kuip (1974)

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[edit]

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 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[edit]

1990 World Cup[edit]

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

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.

1990 FIFA World Cup stamp by the Poșta Română

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[edit]

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.

Romanian team 1994 FIFA World Cup stamp

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[edit]

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[edit]

Romania played at the 1998 World Cup in France.

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[edit]

Romania versus England: 3–2 (line-ups).

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 – Near Misses[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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 lackluster 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, which eliminated 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[edit]

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[edit]

Romanian fans at Arena Națională

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[edit]

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[edit]

Romania versus France

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.

Cosmin Contra is the current coach.

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[edit]

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.

Stadium[edit]

Main article: Arena Națională

The Romania national team plays its home games at Arena Națională, the biggest stadium in the country, built in 2011 and with a capacity of 55,600 seats.

The National Stadium is a Category 4 venue and, as such, it hosted the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League final.

Some friendly matches or minor FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championship qualification matches are played at other venues.

Former national stadium which held 60,120 seats was completely demolished at the end of 2007; the last football match played was a 6–1 win against Albania on 21 November 2007.

A Panorama view of the National Stadium

Honours[edit]

Main article: Romania national football team honours

Kit suppliers[edit]

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

Romania's kit are supplied by Spanish company Joma, which replaced Adidas, which itself replaced Le Coq Sportif in 1984. 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. The kit is available in three main colours: red, yellow, and blue. All kits have "Împreună suntem fotbal" ("Together, we are football") printed on the inside of the collar.[5]

Media coverage[edit]

Romania's Nations League, qualifying matches, and friendlies are televised on Pro TV, through 2022.

Between 2008 and 2014, Antena 1 had the rights to broadcast Romania's home games, friendlies and qualifiers. In 2014 to 2018, the Romania's qualifying matches to UEFA Euro and World Cup plus 2 pre-Euro and one post-Euro friendly matches are taken over TVR and the friendly matches that are not broadcast by TVR also taken over by Pro TV. Starting from March 2019, Pro TV has taken over the Romania's qualifying matches from TVR because Pro TV has bought all Romania fixtures previously (effective broadcast per-September 2018).

Competitive record[edit]

FIFA World Cup[edit]

Main article: Romania at the 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
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[6]
Brazil 1950 Did not enter
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 11th 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 To be determined To be determined
Canada Mexico United States 2026
Total Quarter-finals 7/21 21 8 5 8 30 32 Total 128 67 27 34 225 134
**Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. Darker color indicates win, normal color indicates loss.

UEFA European Championship[edit]

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 To be determined To be determined
Germany 2024
Total Quarter-finals 5/15 16 1 5 10 10 21 Total 115 59 35 21 208 101
*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Summer Olympics[edit]

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 or U21 teams with a maximum of three older players. See national under-21 football team for competition record from 1992 until present day.

Year Round GP W D* L GS 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 - - - - - -
Total 3/24 8 4 1 3 13 14

Results and fixtures[edit]

Main article: Romania national football team results

  Win   Draw   Loss

2018[edit]

2019[edit]

Coaching staff[edit]

Role Name
Manager Romania Cosmin Contra
Assistant Managers Romania Ionel Gane
Romania Adrian Mihalcea
Goalkeeping Coach Romania Leontin Toader
Fitness Coaches Spain Javi Reyes
Spain Alfonso Villalobos
Team Doctor Romania Claudiu Stămătescu

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

The following players were called up for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying games against Spain and Malta on 5 and 8 September 2019 respectively.[7]
Caps and goals as of 5 September 2019 after the match against Spain.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
12 1GK Ciprian Tătărușanu (1986-02-09) 9 February 1986 (age 33) 62 0 France Lyon
16 1GK Florin Niță (1987-07-03) 3 July 1987 (age 32) 2 0 Czech Republic Sparta Prague
1 1GK Andrei Radu (1997-05-28) 28 May 1997 (age 22) 0 0 Italy Genoa
6 2DF Vlad Chiricheș (1989-11-14) 14 November 1989 (age 29) 55 0 Italy Sassuolo
21 2DF Dragoș Grigore (1986-09-07) 7 September 1986 (age 33) 37 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
3 2DF Alin Toșca (1992-03-14) 14 March 1992 (age 27) 17 0 Turkey Gazişehir Gaziantep
2 2DF Romario Benzar (1992-03-26) 26 March 1992 (age 27) 16 0 Italy Lecce
5 2DF Ionuț Nedelcearu (1996-04-25) 25 April 1996 (age 23) 5 0 Russia Ufa
20 2DF Florin Ștefan (1996-05-09) 9 May 1996 (age 23) 0 0 Romania Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe
4 2DF Adrian Rus (1996-03-18) 18 March 1996 (age 23) 0 0 Hungary Fehérvár
3MF Alexandru Chipciu SUS (1989-05-18) 18 May 1989 (age 30) 45 6 Belgium Anderlecht
10 3MF Alexandru Maxim (1990-07-08) 8 July 1990 (age 29) 39 5 Germany Mainz 05
8 3MF Nicolae Stanciu (1993-05-07) 7 May 1993 (age 26) 32 10 Czech Republic Slavia Prague
7 3MF Gheorghe Grozav (1990-09-29) 29 September 1990 (age 28) 28 5 Hungary Kisvárda
17 3MF Ciprian Deac (1986-02-16) 16 February 1986 (age 33) 21 4 Romania CFR Cluj
18 3MF Răzvan Marin (1996-05-23) 23 May 1996 (age 23) 18 1 Netherlands Ajax
15 3MF Paul Anton (1991-05-10) 10 May 1991 (age 28) 11 0 Russia Krylia Sovetov
11 3MF Ianis Hagi (1998-10-22) 22 October 1998 (age 20) 6 0 Belgium Genk
22 3MF Alexandru Cicâldău (1997-07-08) 8 July 1997 (age 22) 4 0 Romania U Craiova
14 3MF Adrian Păun (1995-04-01) 1 April 1995 (age 24) 0 0 Romania CFR Cluj
19 3MF Mihai Bordeianu (1991-11-18) 18 November 1991 (age 27) 0 0 Romania CFR Cluj
13 4FW Claudiu Keșerü (1986-12-02) 2 December 1986 (age 32) 36 12 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
23 4FW Florin Andone (1993-04-11) 11 April 1993 (age 26) 22 2 Turkey Galatasaray
9 4FW George Pușcaș (1996-04-08) 8 April 1996 (age 23) 9 4 England Reading

Recent call-ups[edit]

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 Silviu Lung Jr. (1989-06-04) 4 June 1989 (age 30) 3 0 Turkey Kayserispor v.  Malta, 10 June 2019
GK Costel Pantilimon (1987-02-01) 1 February 1987 (age 32) 27 0 England Nottingham Forest v.  Faroe Islands, 26 March 2019
DF Nicușor Bancu INJ (1992-09-18) 18 September 1992 (age 26) 10 0 Romania U Craiova v.  Spain, 5 September 2019
DF Cristian Săpunaru RET (1984-04-05) 5 April 1984 (age 35) 36 0 Turkey Denizlispor v.  Malta, 10 June 2019
DF Cosmin Moți (1984-12-03) 3 December 1984 (age 34) 15 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.  Faroe Islands, 26 March 2019
DF Cristian Manea (1997-08-09) 9 August 1997 (age 22) 8 1 Romania FCSB v.  Faroe Islands, 26 March 2019
DF Iulian Cristea (1994-07-17) 17 July 1994 (age 25) 1 0 Romania FCSB v.  Malta, 10 June 2019
DF Cristian Ganea INJ (1992-05-24) 24 May 1992 (age 27) 5 0 Spain Athletic Bilbao v.  Sweden, 23 March 2019
DF Alex Pașcanu (1998-09-28) 28 September 1998 (age 20) 0 0 Romania CFR Cluj v.  Montenegro, 20 November 2018
DF Gabriel Tamaș (1983-11-02) 2 November 1983 (age 35) 67 3 Romania Astra Giurgiu v.  Serbia, 14 October 2018
DF Mihai Bălașa (1995-01-14) 14 January 1995 (age 24) 6 0 Romania U Craiova v.  Serbia, 10 September 2018
MF Dorin Rotariu (1995-07-29) 29 July 1995 (age 24) 10 1 Kazakhstan Astana v.  Malta, 10 June 2019
MF Tudor Băluță (1999-03-27) 27 March 1999 (age 20) 5 0 England Brighton & Hove Albion v.  Malta, 10 June 2019
MF Dennis Man (1998-08-26) 26 August 1998 (age 21) 4 1 Romania FCSB v.  Malta, 10 June 2019
MF Dan Nistor (1988-05-06) 6 May 1988 (age 31) 1 0 Romania Dinamo București v.  Malta, 10 June 2019
MF Alexandru Mitriță (1995-02-08) 8 February 1995 (age 24) 7 0 United States New York City v.  Faroe Islands, 26 March 2019
MF Florin Tănase (1994-12-30) 30 December 1994 (age 24) 3 0 Romania FCSB v.  Serbia, 14 October 2018
MF Adrian Stoian (1991-02-11) 11 February 1991 (age 28) 2 0 Italy Livorno v.  Serbia, 14 October 2018
MF Constantin Budescu INJ (1989-02-19) 19 February 1989 (age 30) 12 5 Romania Astra Giurgiu v.  Lithuania, 11 October 2018
MF Mihai Pintilii INJ (1984-11-09) 9 November 1984 (age 34) 46 1 Romania FCSB v.  Montenegro, 7 September 2018
MF Eric Bicfalvi INJ (1988-02-05) 5 February 1988 (age 31) 6 0 Russia Ural Yekaterinburg v.  Montenegro, 7 September 2018
FW George Țucudean (1991-04-30) 30 April 1991 (age 28) 10 3 Romania CFR Cluj v.  Malta, 10 June 2019
FW Andrei Ivan (1997-01-04) 4 January 1997 (age 22) 7 0 Romania U Craiova v.  Faroe Islands, 26 March 2019
FW Denis Drăguș (1999-07-06) 6 July 1999 (age 20) 2 0 Belgium Standard Liège v.  Serbia, 14 October 2018
Notes
  • INJ = Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury
  • RET = Player who retired from national team

Most capped players[edit]

Further information: List of Romania international footballers

As of 15 June 2016, the ten players with the most caps for Romania are:[8][9]

Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

# Player Career Caps Goals Ref
1 Dorinel Munteanu 1991–2007 134 16 [10]
2 Gheorghe Hagi 1983–2000 124 35 [11]
3 Gheorghe Popescu 1988–2003 115 16 [12]
4 Răzvan Raț 2002–2016 113 2 [13]
5 László Bölöni 1975–1988 102 23 [14]
6 Dan Petrescu 1989–2000 95 12 [15]
7 Bogdan Stelea 1988–2005 91 0 [16]
8 Michael Klein 1981–1991 90 5 [17]
9 Bogdan Lobonț 1998–2018 86 0 [18]
10 Marius Lăcătuș 1984–1998 83 13 [19]
Mircea Rednic 1981–1991 83 2 [20]

Top goalscorers[edit]

See also: List of Romania national football team hat-tricks

As of 14 November 2014, the ten players with the most goals for Romania are:

Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

# Player Career Goals Caps Average Ref
1 Gheorghe Hagi 1983–2000 35 124 0.28 [11]
Adrian Mutu 2000–2013 35 77 0.45 [21]
3 Iuliu Bodola 1931–1939 31 48 0.64 [22]
4 Ciprian Marica 2003–2014 25 72 0.34 [23]
Viorel Moldovan 1993–2005 25 70 0.35 [24]
6 László Bölöni 1975–1988 23 102 0.22 [14]
7 Rodion Cămătaru 1978–1990 21 73 0.28 [25]
Dudu Georgescu 1973–1984 21 40 0.52 [26]
Anghel Iordănescu 1971–1981 21 57 0.36 [27]
Florin Răducioiu 1990–1996 21 40 0.52 [28]

Youngest debutants[edit]

As of 7 June 2014, the five youngest debutants for Romania are:

# Player Age Match Year Ref
1 Cristian Manea 16 years, 9 months and 22 days Romania – Albania 1–0 2014 [29]
2 Grațian Sepi 17 years, 3 months and 15 days Romania – Turkey 4–2 1928 [29]
3 Ilie Balaci 17 years, 6 months and 10 days France – Romania 1–0 1974 [29]
4 Nicolae Kovács 17 years, 8 months and 17 days Bulgaria – Romania 2–3 1929 [29]
5 Gheorghe Popescu I 17 years, 10 months and 14 days Romania – Belgium 2–1 1937 [30]

Managers[edit]

Romania national team head to head[edit]

Last match updated was against  Spain on 5 September 2019.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  3. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Romania". eloratings.net. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  4. ^ "Yugoslavia 1 Romania 2". eu-football. 8 June 1922. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  5. ^ "The Romanian Football Federation launched the National Team's brand". FRF. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  6. ^ Egypt were to play Romania in December 1937 in the qualification round, however Egypt refused to play Romania during the Ramadan month, and as a result, Egypt were withdrawn from the competition by FIFA, so Romania qualified automatically.
  7. ^ "Cosmin Contra a convocat 24 de jucători pentru „dubla" cu Spania și Malta". Federația Română de Fotbal. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Selectii la nationala Romaniei – Peste 100". Statistici Fotbal. Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  9. ^ "Selectii la nationala Romaniei – 50–99 selectii". Statistici Fotbal. Archived from the original on 2011-11-28. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  10. ^ "Dorinel Munteanu". FRF. Archived from the original on 2013-06-13. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  11. ^ a b "Gheorghe Hagi". FRF. Archived from the original on 2012-05-20. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  12. ^ "Gheorghe Popescu". FRF. Archived from the original on 2013-06-13. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  13. ^ "Răzvan Raț". FRF. Archived from the original on 2012-06-23. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  14. ^ a b "László Bölöni". FRF. Archived from the original on 2012-05-20. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  15. ^ "Dan Petrescu". FRF. Archived from the original on 2013-06-13. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  16. ^ "Bogdan Stelea". FRF. Archived from the original on 2013-06-13. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  17. ^ "Michael Klein". FRF. Archived from the original on 2012-05-20. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  18. ^ "Bogdan Lobonț". FRF. Archived from the original on 2013-10-12. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  19. ^ "Marius Lăcătuș". FRF. Archived from the original on 2012-05-20. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  20. ^ "Mircea Rednic". FRF. Archived from the original on 2013-06-13. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  21. ^ "Adrian Mutu". FRF. Archived from the original on 2013-10-22. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  22. ^ "Iuliu Bodola". FRF. Archived from the original on 2016-01-07. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  23. ^ "Ciprian Marica". FRF. Archived from the original on 2013-06-15. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  24. ^ "Viorel Moldovan". FRF. Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  25. ^ "Rodion Cămătaru". FRF. Archived from the original on 2013-11-16. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  26. ^ "Dudu Georgescu". FRF. Archived from the original on 2014-04-09. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  27. ^ "Anghel Iordănescu". FRF. Archived from the original on 2013-10-14. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  28. ^ "Florin Răducioiu". FRF. Archived from the original on 2014-04-09. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
  29. ^ a b c d "An 86 year old record was beaten, Criatian Manea became the youngest tricolour in history". gsp.ro.
  30. ^ "An emotionant dialog with the youngest debutant at the national team in the last 4 decades:"I want number 10!"". gsp.ro.

External links[edit]

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