Romania Men's National Football Team
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The Romania national football team () represents
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
in men's international
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
, and is administered by the
Romanian Football Federation The Romanian Football Federation (; FRF) is the governing body of football in Romania. They are headquartered in the capital city of Bucharest and affiliated with FIFA and UEFA since 1923 and 1955 respectively. The Federation organizes the men's ...
(), 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 Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
—that took part in the inaugural
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
in
1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...
. Including that participation, Romania has qualified for seven World Cup editions, the latest in
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
. The national team's finest hour came in
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
, when led by playmaker
Gheorghe Hagi Gheorghe Hagi (; born 5 February 1965) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently the owner of Liga I club Farul Constanța. Deployed as an attacking midfielder, Hagi was considered one of the best players in ...
it defeated
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
3–2 in the round of 16, before being eliminated by
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
on a
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
in the quarter-finals. At the
European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
, Romania's best performance was in
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
when they advanced to the quarter-finals from a group with
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, and
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, before falling to eventual runners-up
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. They also reached the last eight in
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...
,
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
and
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
, and have qualified for a total of six tournaments.


History


Early years

The Romanian Football Federation (''Federația Română de Fotbal'') was established in October 1909 in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
. Romania played their first international match on 8 June 1922, a 2–1 win over
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, 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 The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
tournaments, a feat matched only by
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
,
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.


World Cups in the 1930s

At the
1930 World Cup The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 to 30 July 1930. FIFA, football's international governing body, selected Uruguay as the host na ...
, Romania won their first match against
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
, 3–1, with goals from
Adalbert Deșu Adalbert Deșu (, ; 24 March 1909 – 6 June 1937) was a Romanian football striker. He was a member of Romania national football team which competed at the 1930 FIFA World Cup in Uruguay. Deșu was also the first scorer for Romania at a FIFA ...
,
Constantin Stanciu Constantin Stanciu (24 September 1907 – 27 March 1986) was a Romanian football forward. Club career Stanciu was born on 24 September 1907 in Bucharest, Romania. He started playing football in 1923 at Venus București. In 1926 he went to play ...
, and
Nicolae Kovács Nicolae Kovács (, 29 December 1911 – 7 July 1977) was a Romanian-Hungarian football player and coach. He was a dual international football player and played both for Romania and Hungary. He played in 116 matches and scored 43 goals for Clu ...
and
Samuel Zauber Samuel Zauber (9 January 1901 Temesvár – 10 June 1986 Jerusalem) was a Romanian association football player who was on the Romania national football team for the first ever FIFA World Cup in 1930. Since 1964 he lived in Jerusalem, in Israel. ...
as goalkeeper, before losing 4–0 by hosts and eventual winners
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
. 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 Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
in
Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
, Italy, with
Ștefan Dobay Ștefan Dobay (, 26 September 1909 – 7 April 1994), was a Romanian footballer who played as a striker and manager. He mostly played for Ripensia Timișoara and the Romania national football team for whom he got 41 caps, scored 19 goals an ...
scoring their only goal of the tournament. Romania qualified by default for the
1938 World Cup The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the 3rd edition of the World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held in France from 4 to 19 June 1938. Italy defended its title in the final, beating Hungar ...
after their qualifying playoff opponents
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
withdrew. They suffered a shock defeat in the finals in France, losing to minnows
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, who, like Romania, had only qualified due to the withdrawal of their qualifying opponents, the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The first match at the Stade du T.O.E.C. in
Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
ended 3–3 after extra time, but Cuba won the replay four days later 2–1.


1970 World Cup

Despite a 3–0 loss to
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
in
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
and two draws against
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, Romania was able to qualify for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
Angelo Niculescu Angelo Niculescu (1 October 1921 – 20 June 2015) was a Romanian football player and manager. He is best remembered in Romania for being the national team's coach at the 1970 World Cup and for inventing the "temporizare" ("delaying") tactics ...
's promising side were given the toughest of draws, in Group 3 with
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
winners
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, giants Brazil and Czechoslovakia. A
Geoff Hurst Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst (born 8 December 1941) is an English former professional Association football, footballer. A Striker (association football), striker, he became the first player to score a Hat-trick#Association football, hat-trick in a ...
goal gave England a narrow victory in Romania's first match at the
Estadio Jalisco Jalisco Stadium is a football stadium located in Guadalajara, Mexico. It is the third-largest Mexican football stadium behind Estadio Azteca and Estadio Olímpico Universitario with a capacity of 56,713 spectators. History Estadio Jalisco w ...
in
Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...
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 Ladislav Petráš (born 1 December 1946) is a former Slovak football player. He played 19 matches for Czechoslovakia national team and scored six goals. Petráš was a participant at the 1970 FIFA World Cup, where he played three matches and s ...
goal, Romania turned it around after half-time with
Alexandru Neagu Alexandru "Sandu" Neagu (19 July 1948 – 17 April 2010) was a Romanian footballer who played as a striker. Club career Alexandru Neagu, nicknamed '' Cappellini from Giulești'' by journalist Ioan Chirilă was born on 19 July 1948 in the R ...
and
Florea Dumitrache Florea Dumitrache (22 May 1948 – 26 April 2007) was a Romanian professional footballer who played as a striker. Dumitrache spent most of his senior career at Dinamo București, appearing in over 200 league matches and winning three national ...
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 Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...
scoring twice and a
Jairzinho Jair Ventura Filho (born 25 December 1944), better known as Jairzinho (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer. A quick, skillful, and powerful right winger known for his finishing ability and eye for goal, he was a key member and leadi ...
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 1972, under new coach Valentin Stanescu, Romania suffered a significant defeat to
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
. 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 Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
, Romania were out, despite a huge 9–0 win over
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
in Bucharest. Romania continued to suffer poor form in the
UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro or Euros, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition ...
. In their qualifying group for the
1976 European Football Championship The 1976 UEFA European Football Championship tournament was held in Yugoslavia. This was the fifth UEFA European Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA and the first and only tournament that was held in a socialist state. The ...
, they were out-qualified by
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
despite an impressive 1–1 draw in the away match. Romania failed to win matches, drawing twice with
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and Spain and dropping points in
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
with a dismal goalless draw. Romania were again beaten by Spain for a place in the
1978 World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June. The Cup was won by t ...
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

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 West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
and Portugal. Under head coach
Mircea Lucescu Mircea Lucescu (; born 29 July 1945) is a Romanian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, currently the head coach of the Romania national football team, Romania national team. He i ...
, an encouraging opening game in
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
saw them draw with the Spanish.
Francisco José Carrasco Francisco José Carrasco Hidalgo (born 6 March 1959) is a Spanish former football player and manager. Nicknamed Lobo, he played as a winger and spent most of his 14-year professional career with Barcelona (11 seasons). He won ten major titles ...
opened the scoring from the penalty spot but Romania equalized before half-time with a goal from Laszlo Bölöni. Against the Germans in
Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements'') ...
, Marcel Coraș scored an equalizer in the first minute of the second half in response to
Rudi Völler Rudolf "Rudi" Völler (; born 13 April 1960) is a German professional football manager and former player, who is currently the director of the Germany national team. In Germany, he is nicknamed "Tante Käthe" ("Aunt Kathy"), a name bestowed upon ...
's opener, but Völler would score a winning goal. Their last match in
Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
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 The Parc des Princes (, ) is an all-seater stadium, all-seater football stadium in Paris, France. It is located in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin (P ...
in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. 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 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
. A win over Denmark in their last match took
Emerich Jenei Emerich Alexandru Jenei (also known as Emeric Jenei or Imre Jenei; 22 March 1937) is a Romanian former football player and manager. He is considered one of Romania's best managers, alongside Ştefan Kovács, Mircea Lucescu, and Anghel Iordăn ...
's side to the finals for the first time in 20 years.


Golden Generation


1990 World Cup

With an increasing trend for big clubs in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
buying up the best foreign talent, Romania's squad was entirely domestic-based. Midfielder
Ilie Dumitrescu Ilie Dumitrescu (; born 6 January 1969) is a former Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently a television sport pundit for Digi Sport. As a player, he was a winger who notably played in the Premier League with ...
, striker
Florin Răducioiu Florin Valeriu Răducioiu (born 17 March 1970) is a Romanian former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker, currently television pundit for Orange Sport (Romania), Orange Sport. He ...
and genius playmaker
Gheorghe Hagi Gheorghe Hagi (; born 5 February 1965) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently the owner of Liga I club Farul Constanța. Deployed as an attacking midfielder, Hagi was considered one of the best players in ...
, were in the squad. After world champions Argentina were stunned by
Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
in the tournament's opening match, Romania did their chances no harm with a convincing win over the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
at the San Nicola in
Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...
, with
Marius Lăcătuș Marius Mihai Lăcătuș (; born 5 April 1964) is a Romanian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player. He is the most successful footballer of CSA Steaua București (football), Steaua ...
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 Albert Roger Miller (born 20 May 1952), known as Roger Milla, is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was one of the first African players to be a major star on the international stage. He played in three Wo ...
, aged 38, came on as a substitute for Emmanuel Maboang Kessack and scored twice before
Gavril Balint Gavril Pele "Gabi" Balint (born 3 January 1963) is a Romanian football manager and former player, who was part of the hugely successful Steaua team of the 1980s. Club career Born in Sângeorz-Băi, Bistrița, Balint made his Divizia A debut wit ...
pulled one back. Romania needed a point in their last match against improving Argentina at the
San Paolo San Paolo (Italian for Saint Paul) may refer to: Municipalities in Italy * San Paolo, Lombardy, a municipality in Lombardy, Italy * San Paolo Albanese, village and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy * ...
in
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
; Pedro Monzón gave Argentina the lead after an hour, but Balint quickly equalized and Romania held on to reach the second round. Against
Jack Charlton John Charlton (8 May 193510 July 2020) was an English professional Association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager who played as a Defender (association football), centre-back for Leeds. He was part of the England ...
's
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
side in
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
, Romania did not have the quality to break down a defensive opposition.
Daniel Timofte Daniel Timofte (born 1 October 1967) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. Club career Timofte was born on 1 October 1967 in Lonea, Hunedoara County, Romania, starting to play junio ...
was the only player to miss in the
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
 – his kick saved by
Packie Bonner Patrick Joseph Bonner (born 24 May 1960) is an Irish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper and spent his entire senior career at Celtic. He earned 80 caps for the Republic of Ireland after making his debut on his 21st birthday. Commonly ...
 – and Romania were out.


1994 World Cup

Romania missed out on
Euro 1992 The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Denmark won the 1992 championship, having been inv ...
.
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
qualified after Romania drew a must-win last match in
Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
against
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
, with
Nasko Sirakov Nasko Petkov Sirakov (; born 26 April 1962) is a Bulgarian retired professional Association football, footballer who played mainly as a forward (association football), striker. He is the major shareholder of PFC Levski Sofia, Levski Sofia. Par ...
's equalizer sealing their fate. Romania was successful, however, in reaching another World Cup in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
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 Cardiff Arms Park (), also known as The Arms Park, is primarily a rugby union stadium, and also has a bowling green. It is situated in Cardiff, Wales, next to the Millennium Stadium. The Arms Park was host to the 1958 British Empire and Common ...
with
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
needing a win to pip them to a place in the finals. Goals from Gheorghe Hagi and
Dean Saunders Dean Nicholas Saunders (born 21 June 1964) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a striker in a career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He played for Liverpool and Aston Villa in the 1990s, and ...
meant the game was finely balanced, before Wales were awarded a penalty.
Paul Bodin Paul John Bodin (born 13 September 1964) is a Welsh former professional footballer and coach who is the coach of the Wales under-21 team. His son, Billy Bodin, is also a professional footballer. A former Chelsea youth team product, he moved ...
of
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
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 Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
3–1 at the
Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...
Rose Bowl Rose Bowl or Rosebowl may refer to: * Rose Bowl Game, an annual American college football game * Rose Bowl (stadium), Pasadena, California, site of the football game, and the home stadium of the UCLA Football team * Rose Bowl (cricket ground), West ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
(all but one of Romania's games took place in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, 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 Adolfo José Valencia Mosquera (born 6 February 1968) is a Colombian retired footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed ''El tren'' (train) due to his powerful physique, he played in seven countries – having one-year spells in Germany and ...
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 Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
's indoor
Pontiac Silverdome The Pontiac Silverdome (also known as the Silverdome) was a stadium in Pontiac, Michigan. It opened in 1975 and sat on 199 acres (51 ha) of land. When the stadium opened, it featured a fiberglass fabric roof held up by air pressure, the fi ...
, the temperature soared due to the greenhouse effect in the indoor arena.
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. 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 Daniel "Dan" Vasile Petrescu (; born 22 December 1967) is a Romanian football manager and former player who is currently in charge of Liga I club CFR Cluj. As a player, Petrescu was deployed as a full-back or a winger and began his career a ...
goal. In the Round of 16 knockout stage they faced Argentina, minus
Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...
who had been thrown out of the tournament for taking drugs, in Los Angeles. The suspended Răducioiu was hardly missed, as coach
Anghel Iordănescu Anghel Iordănescu (; born 4 May 1950), is a Romanian former footballer and former manager, who played as a forward. In 2007, Iordănescu retired from football, and the following February, after his predecessor resigned, he became a member ...
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 Gabriel Omar Batistuta (; born 1 February 1969) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer. During his playing career, Batistuta was nicknamed Batigol () as well as El Ángel Gabriel (; Spanish for ''Archangel Gabriel, A ...
scored a penalty, but after half-time Romania netted a third on the counterattack, with Hagi beating goalkeeper
Luis Islas Luis Alberto Islas Ranieri (born 22 December 1965 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentine football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Peruvian club Ayacucho. A goalkeeper who won the FIFA World Cup with Argentina in 1 ...
.
Abel Balbo Abel Eduardo Balbo (; born 1 June 1966) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a striker. Balbo played for various clubs in Argentina and Italy during the course of his career. He was also an Argentine international. ...
pulled one back, but Romania held on for a shock win. Romania would suffer penalty heartbreak again in the quarter-final against
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. With just 13 minutes to play, a tight match opened up as Sweden's
Tomas Brolin Per Tomas Brolin (; born 29 November 1969) is a Swedish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward and midfielder. At the club level, he had a successful period with Parma AC, Par ...
scored from a clever free-kick move, the ball passed outside the Romanian wall by
Håkan Mild Stig Håkan Mild (born 14 June 1971) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is best remembered for his time with IFK Göteborg, with which he won four Swedish Championships. A full international betwe ...
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 Patrik Jonas Andersson (; born 18 August 1971) is a Swedish former professional association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), defender. Starting off his career with Malmö FF in the late 1980s, he went on to ...
, but Sweden then scored their own late equalizer as giant striker
Kennet Andersson Bernt Kennet Andersson (born 6 October 1967) is a Swedish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Starting off his career with IFK Eskilstuna in the mid-1980s, he went on to p ...
climbed above goalkeeper
Florin Prunea Florin Prunea (born 8 August 1968) is a former Romanian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Club career Prunea was born on 8 August 1968 in București, Romania and he started playing football at junior level in 1977 when he went ...
to head home a long ball. Prunea had come in after two matches to replace
Bogdan Stelea Bogdan Gheorghe Stelea (; born 5 December 1967) is a former Romanian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Having played professionally into his 40s, he played for all three major Liga I clubs in his country's capital, and also sp ...
, whose confidence was shattered by the 4–1 loss to the Swiss. In the shoot-out, Dan Petrescu and
Miodrag Belodedici Miodrag Belodedici (; ; born 20 May 1964) is a Romanian former professional association football, footballer who played as a sweeper (association football), sweeper. Nicknamed ''The Deer'' due to his elegant Tackle (football move), tackles, he ...
had their kicks saved by
Thomas Ravelli Thomas Ravelli (; born 13 August 1959) is a Swedish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. His 21-year professional career was almost exclusively associated with Öster ...
and Sweden went through.


Euro 1996

At
Euro 1996 The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
, held in England, Romania arrived as a highly thought-of and popular team but had a nightmare. Iordănescu's side were based in the northeast, with their first two games at
St James' Park St James' Park is a Association football, football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United. With a seating capacity of 52,305, it is the List of football stadiums in England, 8th la ...
in
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
. Against France, they lost to a
Christophe Dugarry Christophe Jérôme Dugarry (; born 24 March 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was a member of the France team that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. His clubs included Bordeaux, AC Milan, Barcelona ...
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 Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov (; born 8 February 1966) is a Bulgarian former professional Association football, footballer and current football commentator for TUDN. A prolific Forward (association football), forward, he is widely regarded as the g ...
at St James' Park put Romania on the back foot in Euro 1996, but
Dorinel Munteanu Dorinel Ionel Munteanu (; born 25 June 1968) is a Romanian football manager and former player. A former midfielder, Munteanu is the most capped Romanian player of all time, with a total of 134 appearances and 16 goals. He played in two edition ...
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.


1998 World Cup

Despite a poor performance at Euro 1996, Romania impressed in
qualifying Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...
, finishing ten points clear of the Republic of Ireland and were seeded for the final tournament of the
1998 World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...
.
Adrian Ilie Bucurel Adrian Ilie (born 20 April 1974) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Nicknamed ''The Cobra'', he is best known for his spell with Valencia in Spain. He played for the Romania national team in one Worl ...
scored the only goal with a fine chip in their first match against Colombia at
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
's
Stade Gerland The Stade de Gerland (known for sponsorship reasons as Matmut Stadium de Gerland and otherwise known as Municipal de Gerland or Stade Gerland ) is a stadium in the city of Lyon, France, which serves as home to Top 14 rugby club Lyon OU. It has a ...
. In Toulouse, they met an England side starting with prodigal striker
Michael Owen Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker for Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid, Newcastle United ...
on the bench, with
Teddy Sheringham Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham (born 2 April 1966) is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career. Sheringham was part of the Manchester United team tha ...
preferred alongside
Alan Shearer Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker (association football), striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of t ...
. A mistake by
Tony Adams Tony Alexander Adams (born 10 October 1966) is an English former football manager and player. Adams played for Arsenal and England, captaining both teams. Known as Mr. Arsenal, he spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre-back t ...
was punished by
Viorel Moldovan Viorel Dinu Moldovan (born 8 July 1972) is a Romanian football manager and former player. A former striker, Moldovan most successful years of his career were playing for Neuchâtel Xamax and Grasshoppers between 1996 and 1998 in Switzerland ...
, who played for
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
, 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 Graeme Pierre Le Saux ( ; born 17 October 1968) is an English former professional footballer and television pundit. As a versatile left sided player he played most of his career at left back with two spells at Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers, Southamp ...
and nutmegging goalkeeper
David Seaman David Andrew Seaman (born 19 September 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In a career lasting from 1981 to 2004, he is best known for his time playing for Arsenal. He won 75 caps for England, and is the country ...
. The next match was against a Tunisia side eliminated after losing to both England and Colombia. With England–Colombia being the more decisive game, the
Stade de France Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the List of football stadiums in France, largest stadium i ...
in Paris was an 80,000-strong sell out and the crowd were nearly rewarded with a shock as
Skander Souayah Skander Souayah () (born 20 November 1972) is a Tunisian former football player who played for CS Sfaxien and Espérance Tunis. He played for the Tunisia national football team, including at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he scored the only Tu ...
scored an early penalty to give the north Africans the lead. Romania needed a point to win the group and 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 Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
against Croatia,
Davor Šuker Davor Šuker (; born 1 January 1968) is a Croatian Association football, football administrator and former professional player who played as a Striker (association football), striker. He served as the president of the Croatian Football Federatio ...
scored a twice-taken penalty to eliminate Romania.


Euro 2000

Romania had a strong qualifying campaign, winning a tough
Group 7 Group 7 may refer to: * G7, an international group of finance minister *Group 7 element, chemical element classification *Halogens The halogens () are a group (periodic table), group in the periodic table consisting of six chemically related c ...
with Portugal,
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
,
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
,
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
and
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
. The Romanians impressed, never losing and winning seven times, including a big upset in
Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
after defeating Portugal thanks to a late goal scored by Dorinel Munteanu. In Bucharest, the score finished 1–1. At
Euro 2000 The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Championship, a football tournament held every four years and organised by UEFA, the sport's governing body in Europe. The finals tournament was ...
, held in Belgium and the Netherlands, Romania were drawn 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 Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
, with Viorel Moldovan scoring from close range. A long-range
Mehmet Scholl Mehmet Tobias Scholl (born Mehmet Tobias Yüksel; 16 October 1970) is a German Association football, football manager and former player. He played most of his career as an attacking midfielder for FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich. During his care ...
equalizer meant they had to be content with a point and their position looked shaky after
Costinha Francisco José Rodrigues da Costa (born 1 December 1974), known as Costinha (), is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He was also a manager. Best known for his tackling and positioning, as well ...
headed a last minute winner for Portugal in their second match.
Emerich Jenei Emerich Alexandru Jenei (also known as Emeric Jenei or Imre Jenei; 22 March 1937) is a Romanian former football player and manager. He is considered one of Romania's best managers, alongside Ştefan Kovács, Mircea Lucescu, and Anghel Iordăn ...
, back as coach, threw caution to the wind in the last match in
Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...
against England, a must-win match for Romania. Defender
Cristian Chivu Cristian Eugen Chivu (; born 26 October 1980) is a Romanian professional football coach and former player who is the current head coach of Serie A club Inter Milan. A defender, he began his career with hometown club CSM Reșița before moving ...
'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 Antony Nigel Martyn (born 11 August 1966) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He notably played in the Premier League for Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Everton, having initially play ...
, 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 Philip John Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English association football, football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers. He is also the co-owner of Salford City F.C., Salford ...
, 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 Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
.
Francesco Totti Francesco Totti (; born 27 September 1976) is an Italian former professional Association football, footballer who played solely for AS Roma, Roma and the Italy national football team, Italy national team. He was a technically gifted and creati ...
and
Filippo Inzaghi Filippo "Pippo" Inzaghi (; born 9 August 1973) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who played as a striker. He was most recently the head coach of club Pisa. He was nicknamed "Superpippo" (" Super Goof") or "Alta ten ...
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 Francesco Toldo (; born 2 December 1971) is an Italian retired Association football, footballer who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He is regarded by pundits as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation. In a ...
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 Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
, who had been surprise qualifiers for Euro 2000 in a playoff for a place in the
2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
in South Korea and Japan. A narrow 2–1 deficit – having led through a Marius Niculae goal – after the first leg in
Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...
was not irretrievable. With fan hero Gheorghe Hagi now coaching the side, they were confident of getting the win they needed in Bucharest against the
Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
upstarts, but Slovenia took the lead before the hour through
Mladen Rudonja Mladen Rudonja () (born 26 July 1971) is a Slovenian retired footballer. He most often played as a winger (usually on the left side) or striker. International career Rudonja made his debut for the Slovenia national team in a February 1994 fri ...
. Right wing-back
Cosmin Contra Cosmin Marius Contra (; born 15 December 1975) is a Romanian football manager and former player. Primarily an attacking-minded right-back, he was also deployed as a midfielder. He played professionally in three countries his own notwithstanding ...
quickly equalized but Romania could not find the goal they needed to force extra time and Slovenia, with maverick manager
Srečko Katanec Srečko Katanec (; born 16 July 1963) is a Slovenian retired football manager and player. At international level, he was capped for both the Yugoslavia and Slovenia national teams. A former midfielder, who was also capable of playing as a defen ...
, were in a major tournament again.


Euro 2004

Romania were confident of qualifying for the tournament, drawn in Group 2 with seeds Denmark,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
and minnows
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
, with Anghel Iordănescu back as coach. Despite a good start – a 3–0 win away to Bosnia in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
– Romania stuttered.
Steffen Iversen Steffen Iversen (born 10 November 1976) is a Norwegian former Association football, footballer who last worked as player-manager for Norwegian 4th division side :no:Sportsklubben Trygg/Lade, Trygg/Lade as a Striker (association football), striker ...
's late goal gave Norway a surprise win in Bucharest and they were stunned at home by the Danes, 5–2, with
Thomas Gravesen Thomas Gravesen (; born 11 March 1976) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Gravesen played as a professional in Denmark, Germany, England, Spain and Scotland for Vejle Boldklub, Hamburger SV, Everton, Real Mad ...
scoring a spectacular goal from around 50 yards out, after leading twice. They recovered slightly, completing a double over the Bosnians and earning a point in
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
, 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 drawn with the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
and the Czech Republic national football team, Czech Republic, who were ranked first and second in Europe respectively in 2006 World Cup 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA), qualification. Early wins over Finland and North Macedonia national football team, 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 the Netherlands again, along with Bulgaria for UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, Euro 2008 qualifying. Romania, however, performed well, losing only away against Bulgaria and beating the Netherlands 1–0 at home with a goal scored by Dorin Goian from a suspicious Offside (association football), offside position not seen by referee Kyros Vassaras. On 17 October 2007, Romania became the fourth team to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008, 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 FIFA World Cup, 2010 World Cup alongside France, Serbia national football team, Serbia, Austria national football team, Austria, Lithuania national football team, Lithuania and the Faroe Islands national football team, 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 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying, Euro 2012 qualifying, Romania was drawn into UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group D, 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 and 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 were drawn into the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying round with the Netherlands, Turkey national football team, Turkey, Hungary, Estonia national football team, 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 were 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.


UEFA Euro 2016

For the qualifying stage of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, Euro 2016 Romania was drawn into UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group F, Group F along with Greece, Hungary, Finland, Northern Ireland national football team, Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands. Romania began its first successful qualification campaign since 2008 with a win over Greece before following up with a 1–1 draw with Pot 2 team 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 UEFA Euro 2016, Euro 2016, where they were drawn in UEFA Euro 2016 Group A, Group A, being named to play the opening match against the hosts
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. 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 Nicolae Stanciu (footballer, born 1993), Nicușor Stanciu and his shot was narrowly saved by the French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Shortly after the half-time, France dominated, and scored the first goal of the tournament after a header by Olivier Giroud in the 57th minute. Less than eight minutes later, Nicușor Stanciu was fouled by Patrice Evra in the French box, and Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai gave Romania a penalty which Bogdan Stancu scored. 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 the Euros. In the second match, Romania faced
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. 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 match eventually finished in a 1–1 draw. With one point accumulated and on the third place in the group before the final match, Romania needed a victory against
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
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 Anghel Iordănescu (; born 4 May 1950), is a Romanian former footballer and former manager, who played as a forward. In 2007, Iordănescu retired from football, and the following February, after his predecessor resigned, he became a member ...
to resign before the matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers began three months later.


2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

It was German manager Christoph Daum who took the place of Anghel Iordănescu for the next qualifying campaign. Due to FIFA's ranking revamp, Romania was drawn from Pot 1, having to face
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
, Poland national football team, Poland, Montenegro national football team, Montenegro, Armenia national football team, Armenia and Kazakhstan national football team, Kazakhstan. The campaign began with a mediocre 1–1 draw against Montenegro in Cluj-Napoca, followed by a thrashing 5–0 victory in Yerevan against Armenia before another mediocre draw in Astana against Kazakhstan, a 0–3 defeat in Bucharest and a 1–3 defeat in Warsaw against Poland, a lacklustre 0–0 draw against Denmark in Cluj-Napoca and a lucky victory in the last minutes against Armenia in Bucharest. With only nine points after seven fixtures, Romania had to win against the revelation of the group, Montenegro, in Podgorica, but failed amid a Stevan Jovetić winner and were mathematically eliminated, leading to the sacking of Daum and his replacement with
Cosmin Contra Cosmin Marius Contra (; born 15 December 1975) is a Romanian football manager and former player. Primarily an attacking-minded right-back, he was also deployed as a midfielder. He played professionally in three countries his own notwithstanding ...
. This defeat was followed by a 3–1 victory against Kazakhstan in Ploiești before a lucky 1–1 draw against Denmark in Copenhagen. Romania ended fourth in the group, with 13 points, twelve goals scored and ten conceded.


2018–19 UEFA Nations League

The poor performance in the qualifiers meant Romania would be in the League C of UEFA's first season of the new competition, the UEFA Nations League, Nations League. They were drawn against neighbours Serbia national football team, Serbia, Montenegro again and Baltic states, Baltic side Lithuania national football team, Lithuania. In the first match, Romania registered yet another mediocre result against Montenegro, in a 0–0 draw in Ploiești, before a double comeback in Serbia in a 2–2 draw and a late-winner in Vilnius against Lithuania. This was followed by another 0–0 draw in Bucharest against Serbia, in which Dušan Tadić missed a penalty and a comfortable 3–0 victory over Lithuania in Ploiești. Overall results meant that it was possible for Romania to win the group shall it win in Podgorica against Montenegro and Serbia lose to Lithuania in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
. Despite Romania actually emerging victorious from the duel against the Montenegrins, Serbia comfortably won against Lithuania and won the group. However, following UEFA's revamp of the competition, Romania, as the second place, promoted too in 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B, League B for the next edition.


UEFA Euro 2020 qualification

For the qualifiers of Euro 2020, Romania was drawn in a group including Spain national football team, Spain,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, and
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
alongside Malta national football team, Malta and Faroe Islands national football team, the Faroe Islands. In the opening game, Romania suffered a 1–2 defeat to Sweden in Stockholm, followed by a comfortable 4–1 victory over the Faroe Islands in Cluj-Napoca and a 2–2 draw with Norway in
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
, with Claudiu Keșerü scoring in the last minute. Eventually, Romania stayed on track by defeating Malta in a 4–0 victory in Valletta, but it was later followed by a defeat to Spain in Bucharest, with two very late misses from George Pușcaș and Dragoș Grigore, and a poor 1–0 victory against Malta. This meant Romania had to win against Norway in October, but after a goal from Alexandru Mitriță in the 62nd minute, Alexander Sørloth scored in the last minute and the match in Bucharest ended 1–1. 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 defeat to Sweden in Bucharest ensured Romania's fail to finish on any of the automatic qualification places. In the last matchday, they were thrashed by Spain in Madrid in a 0–5 defeat, meaning they would end the campaign with seventeen goals scored but also fifteen conceded. Due to the revamp of the previous Nations League and poor performance of Greece, Romania managed to grab the last spot for UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs, and was drawn in Path A. Shall it had won it, Romania would have been drawn in Group C of the final tournament, but it did not, Iceland winning in Reykjavík and eliminating them. Their performance cost Cosmin Contra his coaching position, as he was changed with Mirel Rădoi before the play-offs.


2020–21 UEFA Nations League

For the second Nations League edition, Romania was drawn against Austria, Norway and Northern Ireland. A very lacklustre 1–1 draw against Northern Ireland in the first matchday was followed by an impressing 3–2 victory over Austria in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee. This meant that, after the first two matchdays, Romania was on the first place and supposed to promote to League A, but a 0–4 defeat to Norway in Oslo and a 0–1 defeat to Austria on homesoil meant Romania would fall back on the third place before the last two matches. For the home match against Norway, the Romanians were given a 3–0 victory from UEFA after the impossibility of Norwegians to travel to Bucharest, following Omar Elabdellaoui's positive test for COVID-19 and the restrictive measures imposed by the Norwegian Ministry of Health. Another 1–1 draw against Northern Ireland in Belfast meant Romania would end on the third position and remain in League B.


2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Following an acceptable Nations League campaign, Romania was drawn from Pot 2 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA), 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, in a group with
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, Euro 2016 revelation Iceland national football team, Iceland who eliminated them from UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs two months prior, future revelation North Macedonia national football team, North Macedonia, Armenia again and
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
. In their first match, Romania managed a hard victory over North Macedonia in Bucharest after two quick Macedonian goals and a late winner from Ianis Hagi. Three days later, Germany managed a victory over them on the same stadium despite a huge opportunity from Nicolae Stanciu (footballer, born 1993), Nicolae Stanciu in the last minutes. This was followed by a shameful 2–3 defeat to Armenia in Yerevan. Poor performance in the June friendlies, combined with the results so far gave the feeling of another poor World Cup campaign, just like last time, before a shocking 2–0 victory over Iceland in Reykjavík, followed by a mediocre 2–0 victory over Liechtenstein and a 0–0 draw in Skopje against North Macedonia. Initial group revelation Armenia fell behind in the following matches and it was Romania and North Macedonia who'd fight for the second place, but despite a heroic defeat to Germany, in which Romania held the lead for almost an hour, and a victory over Armenia in Bucharest, a 0–0 draw against Iceland meant that Romania would depend on Iceland to hold a draw against North Macedonia in the last matchday. North Macedonia won, however, and went over Romania by a single point, eliminating them from another campaign.


2022–23 UEFA Nations League

Romania was drawn from Pot 3 in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League season, in a group against
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
,
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
and Montenegro. In a similar scenario like five years prior, Montenegro comfortably won against Romania 2–0 in Podgorica, which was then followed by another defeat, to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zenica and a lacklustre victory over Finland in Bucharest. With little to nothing achieved so far, Romania was crushed by Montenegro in Bucharest in a 0–3 defeat, meaning that chances to retain the place in League B were dim. A 1–1 draw against Finland in Helsinki meant Romania was again at the expense of other team, this time Montenegro, who needed not to lose against Finland, which eventually happened despite Romania's comfortable victory over eventual group winners Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, Romania relegated to 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C, League C for the next Nations League edition.


UEFA Euro 2024

The terrible Nations League performance meant Romania would be drawn from Pot 3 in Euro 2024 qualifiers, which led them to a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group I, group with
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, Israel national football team, Israel, Kosovo national football team, Kosovo, Belarus national football team, Belarus and Andorra national football team, Andorra. Two initial victories against Andorra and Belarus in Bucharest, followed by a lacklustre 0–0 against Kosovo in Pristina gave the impression of another despondent campaign before a shocking comeback against Switzerland in Lucerne, Valentin Mihăilă scoring a brace in the last three minutes. This was then followed by a 1–1 draw against Israel in Bucharest before a Romania–Serbia relations#Romania-Kosovo relations, controversial match against Kosovo; the match was interrupted for almost an hour after Romanian fans began chastising Kosovar players and chanting Serbophilia, anti-NATO chants, with the Kosovars leaving the pitch in protest. Two late goals for Romania after the match restarted, a draw against Belarus on Szusza Ferenc Stadion, neutral pitch because of their Belarusian involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, involvement with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian military operations in Ukraine and a comfortable victory over Andorra meant Romania had to obtain a single point in the ninth matchday in order to mathematically qualify for Euro 2024. In the ninth matchday. Romania faced a tired Israeli side, who had to play four games in nine days because of the Israel-Palestine war, Pancho Aréna, on neutral pitch. Eran Zahavi stunned Romania in the 88th second of the match before George Pușcaș scored an equalizer eight minutes later. One hour in the match, Ianis Hagi assured Romania's qualification to Euro 2024 with a goal that meant Romania would win 2–1 over Israel. Moreover, Romania went on and won against Switzerland in Bucharest too, meaning they would win the group and be drawn from Pot 2 at the final tournament, in a heroic act of the Tricolours. At the final tournament, Romania was drawn against
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
,
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
and neighbours Ukraine national football team, Ukraine in UEFA Euro 2024 Group E, Group E. In the first matchday, Romania met Ukraine in Munich, and achieved their best result in the UEFA European Championship, European Championship final tournament: a Nicolae Stanciu screamer that came in as the fourth most beautiful goal of the tournament, a long shot from Răzvan Marin and a tap-in from Denis Drăguș gave Romania a 3–0 victory after not playing in an international tournament for eight years. The victory was only the second victory of Romania at a European Championship, the first and only other one being against
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
in a 3–2 with a last minute winner. Following this performance, in the second matchday, Romania was stunned by Youri Tielemans of Belgium in the 74th second, and despite putting a decent fight, lost the match 0–2, Kevin De Bruyne scoring a controversial goal in the final minutes. All the four teams had the same amount of points at the end of the second matchday, three, but because of the overall goal difference, Romania was on the first position at this point, with three goals scored and a +1 difference. In the third matchday, Slovakia and Romania drew in a comfortable match as both teams assured qualification at that score, as neither Ukraine or Belgium managed to win the other match. With the table unchanged from the second matchday, Romania was crowned as the group winner despite all the teams ending with four points, having a victory against fourth place Ukraine, a better goal difference than third place Slovakia and more goals scored than second place Belgium. In the Round of 16, Romania returned to Munich and faced Netherlands national football team, the Netherlands. Despite a good start, Cody Gakpo stunned the Tricolours in the 20th minute, before Donyell Malen's brace in the last minutes. Despite losing 0–3 against the Dutch side and leaving the tournament relatively early, Romania's performance was praised by numerous figures of the football world, achieving a very good result for the overall level of the national team. Romania then secured promotion to 2026–27 UEFA Nations League B, League B for the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League, 2026-2027 edition of the Nations League thanks to a perfect record of 6 wins in as many matches against their 3 opponents, Kosovo, Cyprus national football team, Cyprus and Lithuania national football team, Lithuania, including a green-card home win in the return against Kosovo after the Kosovar players decided to abandon the match following incidents in the stands. However, Romania fell back into the pattern of recent years and jeopardised their chances of qualification by losing at home at the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H, 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team, Bosnia (0–1), their main rival for the 2nd play-off place behind group favourites Austria, on 21 March 2025, while the Bosnians were still on a negative run; after a disappointing Romanian performance against an opponent that was more aggressive both offensively and defensively, and during a match that saw a refereeing controversy with a penalty not awarded to the Romanians for a Bosnian handball in the penalty area.


Team image


Rivalries


Hungary

Romania's most fierce rivalry is against their neighbours
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
. The reason for the rivalry are the general feelings for the other country, as Hungary and Romania have a Hungary–Romania relations#Conflict, 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 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 UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying Group 7, 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 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group D, 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 11, 2014, during the derbies of the two countries in Bucharest for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group F, UEFA Euro 2016, respectively. During the first match, Hungarians lit many flames, booed the Deșteaptă-te, române!, Romanian anthem, and after the 0-3 defeat were quickly transported back home, not before some of them fought with Romanian fans in the Bucharest Old Town, Old Town of Bucharest. After Romania's elimination in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round, Second Round by
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, 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: Football at the 1952 Summer Olympics, the football tournament of the 1952 Summer Olympics, the qualifying stages for UEFA Euro UEFA Euro 1972 quarter-finals, 1972, UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying, 2000 and 2016 and the qualifying stages for the FIFA World Cups of 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4, 1982, 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8, 2002 and 2014.


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 national football team, 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 qualification – UEFA Group E, 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 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C#Group 4, Group 4 of League C of the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, 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 national football team, 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 International recognition of Kosovo, has not recognized the legitimacy of 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, 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 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group I, 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, Romanian land, Bessarabia is Romania” in Romanian language, Romanian) and ”Kosovo je Srbija” (”Kosovo is Serbia” in Serbian language, Serbian) and the constant Serbophilia, 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 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C#Group 2, group of League C of the UEFA Nations League, season 2024–25 UEFA Nations League, 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 national football team, 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 2026–27 UEFA Nations League, 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 Franco Foda, 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 national football team, 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 Behind closed doors (sport), 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. In March 2025, Romanian Football Federation launched a new home and away kit for the 2025–26 World Cup Qualifiers, designed in collaboration with Jean Octavian Popescu
source


Home stadium

The Romania national team mainly plays its home games at the Arena Națională in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, the largest stadium in the country. It opened in 2011 and has a capacity of 55,600 seats. The stadium is a UEFA stadium categories, Category 4 venue and hosted the 2012 UEFA Europa League Final, 2012 Europa League final and Euro 2020. Other games, including Exhibition game#Association football, friendlies and World Cup and Euro qualifiers, have been played at other venues such as the Stadionul Steaua (2021), Steaua Stadium (Bucharest), the Stadionul Ion Oblemenco, Ion Oblemenco Stadium (Craiova), the Cluj Arena (Cluj-Napoca), the smaller Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu, Dr. Constantin Rădulescu (Cluj-Napoca), Ilie Oană Stadium, Ilie Oană (Ploiești) and Stadionul Rapid-Giulești, Rapid-Giulești (Bucharest) stadiums. File:Arena-bukareszt.jpg, Arena Națională-Bucharest File:Romania bucharest Steaua Stadium.jpg, Stadionul Steaua-Bucharest File:CS Universitatea Craiova versus FC Steaua Bucuresti.jpg, Stadionul Ion Oblemenco-Craiova File:Cluj-Napoca Cluj Arena 1.jpg, 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 (Romania), 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 Romanian Television, 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

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


2024


2025


Coaching staff


Coaching history

Below is the full list of all former coaches for Romania from 1922 onwards: * Teofil Moraru (1922–1923) * Costel Rădulescu (1923, 1928–1934, 1935–1938) * Adrian Suciu (1923–1924) * Teofil Moraru (1924–1928) * Josef Uridil (1934) * Peter Farmer (footballer), Peter Farmer (1934–1935) * Alexandru Săvulescu (footballer), Alexandru Săvulescu 1938) * Liviu Iuga (1938–1939, 1940) * Virgil Economu (1939–1940, 1941–1942, 1946) * Ion Lăpușneanu (1942) * Emerich Vogl (1943, 1947) * Coloman Braun-Bogdan (1945) * Colea Vâlcov (1947) * Francisc Ronnay (1947) * Emerich Vogl (1948, 1949, 1950–1952) * Colea Vâlcov (1948, 1949) * Petre Steinbach (1948) * Iuliu Baratky (1948) * Ion Mihăilescu (1949) * Gheorghe Albu (1950) * Volodea Vâlcov (1950) * Gheorghe Popescu (footballer, born 1919), Gheorghe Popescu (1951–1953, 1954–1955, 1961, 1962) *
Ștefan Dobay Ștefan Dobay (, 26 September 1909 – 7 April 1994), was a Romanian footballer who played as a striker and manager. He mostly played for Ripensia Timișoara and the Romania national football team for whom he got 41 caps, scored 19 goals an ...
(1953–1954) * Augustin Botescu (1958–1960) * Constantin Teașcă (1962, 1967) * Silviu Ploeșteanu (1962–1963) * Ilie Oană (1965–1966, 1967) * Bazil Marian (1967) *
Angelo Niculescu Angelo Niculescu (1 October 1921 – 20 June 2015) was a Romanian football player and manager. He is best remembered in Romania for being the national team's coach at the 1970 World Cup and for inventing the "temporizare" ("delaying") tactics ...
(1967–1971, 1972) * Gheorghe Ola (1972) * Valentin Stănescu (1973–1975, 1980–1981) * Cornel Drăgușin (1975) * Ștefan Kovács (1976–1979, 1980) * Florin Halagian (1979) * Constantin Cernăianu (1979–1980) *
Mircea Lucescu Mircea Lucescu (; born 29 July 1945) is a Romanian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, currently the head coach of the Romania national football team, Romania national team. He i ...
(1981–1986) *
Emerich Jenei Emerich Alexandru Jenei (also known as Emeric Jenei or Imre Jenei; 22 March 1937) is a Romanian former football player and manager. He is considered one of Romania's best managers, alongside Ştefan Kovács, Mircea Lucescu, and Anghel Iordăn ...
(1986–1990) * Gheorghe Constantin (1990) * Mircea Rădulescu (1990–1992) * Cornel Dinu (1992–1993) *
Anghel Iordănescu Anghel Iordănescu (; born 4 May 1950), is a Romanian former footballer and former manager, who played as a forward. In 2007, Iordănescu retired from football, and the following February, after his predecessor resigned, he became a member ...
(1993–1998, 2001–2004, 2014–2016) * Victor Pițurcă (1998–1999, 2005–2009, 2011–2014) *
Emerich Jenei Emerich Alexandru Jenei (also known as Emeric Jenei or Imre Jenei; 22 March 1937) is a Romanian former football player and manager. He is considered one of Romania's best managers, alongside Ştefan Kovács, Mircea Lucescu, and Anghel Iordăn ...
(2000) * Ladislau Bölöni (2000–2001) *
Gheorghe Hagi Gheorghe Hagi (; born 5 February 1965) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently the owner of Liga I club Farul Constanța. Deployed as an attacking midfielder, Hagi was considered one of the best players in ...
(2001) * Răzvan Lucescu (2009–2011) * Christoph Daum (2016–2017) *
Cosmin Contra Cosmin Marius Contra (; born 15 December 1975) is a Romanian football manager and former player. Primarily an attacking-minded right-back, he was also deployed as a midfielder. He played professionally in three countries his own notwithstanding ...
(2017–2019) * Mirel Rădoi (2019–2021) * Edward Iordănescu (2022–2024) *
Mircea Lucescu Mircea Lucescu (; born 29 July 1945) is a Romanian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, currently the head coach of the Romania national football team, Romania national team. He i ...
(2024–)


Players


Current squad

The following 27 players were named in the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Austria national football team, Austria and Cyprus national football team, Cyprus on 7 and 10 June 2025 respectively. ''Caps and goals correct as of 10 June 2025, after the match against Cyprus national football team, Austria.''


Recent call-ups

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

:''Players in bold are still active with Romania.''


Most appearances


Most goals


Youngest debutants

:''Results list Romania's goal tally first.''


Managers with most matches


Competitive record

Champions   Runners-up   Third place  


FIFA World Cup

:''*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided via
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
. Normal colour indicates loss.''


UEFA European Championship

:''*Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.''


UEFA Nations League


Summer Olympics

Football at the Summer Olympics was first played officially in Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics, 1908. The Olympiads between 1896 and 1980 were only open for Amateur football, 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.


Balkan Cup

:''*Edition abandoned.''


All-time head-to-head record

:''Last match updated was against on 10 June 2025.''


FIFA ranking history

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


Honours


Regional

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


Friendly

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


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


Notes


References


Further reading

* *


External links

* * *
Romania
at UEFA
Romania
at FIFA
RomanianSoccer.ro – Romanian national team archive






{{National sports teams of Romania Romania national football team, Romania men's national football teams, European national association football teams Football in Romania 1922 establishments in Romania National sports teams established in 1922