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Romania

Nickname(s)	Tricolorii (The Tricolours)
Association	Federația Română de Fotbal (FRF)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Cosmin Contra
Captain	Cristian Săpunaru
Most caps	Dorinel Munteanu (134)
Top scorer	Gheorghe Hagi Adrian Mutu (35)
Home stadium	Arena Națională Cluj Arena Stadionul Ilie Oană
FIFA code	ROU
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	24 (20 December 2018)[1]
Highest	3 (September 1997)
Lowest	57 (February 2011, September 2012)
Elo ranking
Current	30 16 (9 January 2019)[2]
Highest	5 (June 1990)
Lowest	49[3](10 June 2017)
First international
Kingdom of SCS 1–2 Romania  (Belgrade, Kingdom of SCS; 8 June 1922)
Biggest win
Romania 9–0 Finland  (Bucharest, Romania; 14 October 1973)
Biggest defeat
Hungary 9–0 Romania  (Budapest, Hungary; 6 June 1948)
World Cup
Appearances	7 (first in 1930)
Best result	Quarter-finals, 1994
European Championship
Appearances	5 (first in 1984)
Best result	Quarter-finals, 2000

The Romania national football team (Romanian: Echipa națională de fotbal a României) represents Romania in international football and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation. They are colloquially known as Tricolorii (The Tricolours).

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

At the European Championships, Romania's best performance was in 2000 when they advanced to the quarter-finals from a group with Germany, Portugal and England, before falling to eventual runners-up Italy. They also reached the last eight in 1960 and 1972, and qualified for the 1984, 1996, 2008 and 2016 tournaments.

History[edit]

Early years[edit]

Romania – East Germany 3–1 in 1952.

The Romanian Football Federation (Federația Română de Fotbal) was established in October 1909 in Bucharest. Romania played their first international match on 8 June 1922, a 2–1 win over Yugoslavia in Belgrade, being coached by Teofil Moraru.^[4] Several temporary coaches were employed, before Moraru resumed control in August 1924, managing the side for nearly four years. Romania enjoyed some success during the 1930s; manager Costel Rădulescu took them to the first three FIFA World Cup tournaments, a feat matched only by Brazil, Belgium and France.

World Cups in the 1930s[edit]

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

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

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

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

1970 World Cup[edit]

Participation in the World Cup was finally achieved once again in 1970 in Mexico, although qualification came on the back of a 3–0 thrashing by Portugal in Lisbon and two unconvincing draws against unfancied Greece. Angelo Niculescu's promising side were given the toughest of draws, in Group 3 with holders England, giants Brazil and Czechoslovakia.

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

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

1972 to 1978[edit]

On 26 September 1973, under new coach Valentin Stanescu, Romania suffered a significant defeat to East Germany in Leipzig. The East Germans won 2–0 to effectively seal their first ever qualification for the World Cup, which would be held over the border in West Germany. With East Germany scoring a predictable 4–1 win in Albania, Romania were out, despite a huge 9–0 win over Finland in Bucharest.

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

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

1984 European Championship[edit]

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

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

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

Golden Team era[edit]

1990 World Cup[edit]

Romania's squad was entirely domestic-based, despite an increasing trend for the major sides in Italy and Spain buying up the best foreign talent. Midfielder Ilie Dumitrescu, striker Florin Răducioiu and genius playmaker Gheorghe Hagi, were in the squad.

With world champions Argentina stunned by Cameroon in the tournament's opening match, Romania did their chances no harm with a convincing win over the Soviet Union at the San Nicola in Bari, with Marius Lăcătuș scoring in each half. The result was all the more impressive given the absence of Hagi. There was controversy, however, as Lăcătus' second was a penalty given for a handball by Vagiz Khidiatullin that television replays clearly showed to be some way outside the penalty area.

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

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

1994 World Cup[edit]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Euro 1996[edit]

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

1998 World Cup[edit]

Despite a poor performance at Euro 1996, Romania impressed in qualifying, finishing ten points clear of the Republic of Ireland and were seeded for the final tournament of the 1998 World Cup thanks to their strong showing in 1994. Despite being drawn in a group with England, progression to the next round was expected in light of a declining Colombia and minnows Tunisia.

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

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

Euro 2000[edit]

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

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

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

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

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

2000s – Near Misses[edit]

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

Euro 2004[edit]

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

2006 World Cup[edit]

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

Euro 2008[edit]

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

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

2010 World Cup[edit]

Romanian fans at Arena Națională

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

Euro 2012[edit]

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

2014 World Cup[edit]

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

Euro 2016[edit]

France versus Romania: 2–1

France versus Romania: 2–1 (line-ups).

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

Under Iordănescu, Romania was able to follow up with comfortable 2–0 win over surprise force Northern Ireland and, despite a disappointing 1–0 win over the Faroe Islands and a 0–0 draw in the return game against Northern Ireland, Romania remained on top of Group F, one point above Northern Ireland and three points above third-placed Hungary. After a goalless draw in the match against Hungary in Budapest, however, the team fell back on the second place, one point behind Northern Ireland and three above Hungary, still placed third.

Following a 1–1 draw clinched in overtime at home against Finland, Romania secured their spot at the final tournament in the last game after a confident 3–0 win in the Faroe Islands. Romania finished the qualification group second, one point behind group winners Northern Ireland, completing their first successful qualification campaign in eight years undefeated after five wins and five draws. Romania advanced to Euro 2016 and were drawn in the same group as tournament hosts France, Switzerland and Albania. Romania was defeated by France thanks to an 89th-minute strike by Dimitri Payet to cancel out Bogdan Stancu's equalizer as Romania dropped last in Group A. In its second group match, against Switzerland, another Stancu penalty helped Romania claim its first point of the tournament after a 1–1 draw. In its last group stage match, Romania lost 0–1 against Albania to finish last in Group A, with only one point and two goals scored, both from penalties.

2018 World Cup[edit]

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

Stadium[edit]

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

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

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

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

A Panorama view of the National Stadium

Honours[edit]

• 
  FIFA World Cup
  
  
  
  • Quarter-final (1): 1994
    
  
  
  • Round of 16 (4): 1934, 1938, 1990, 1998
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  UEFA European Football Championship
  
  • Quarter-final (3): 1960, 1972, 2000
    
  
  


• 
  Football at the Summer Olympics
  
  
  
  • Quarter-final (1): 1964
    
  
  
  • Round of 16 (1): 1924
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  Balkan Cup:
  
  
  
  • 
    Winners (4) – Record: 1929–31, 1933, 1936, 1977–80
  
  
  • Runners-up (1): 1973–76
  
  
  
  

Kit suppliers[edit]

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

Romania's kit are currently supplied by Spanish company Joma, which replaced Adidas, which itself replaced Le Coq Sportif in 1984. In 2017 the Romanian football federation announced its first brand identity and a new kit. The new emblem references the coat of arms of all five Romanian provinces with the intention to symbolise the unity of Romania. The kit is available in three main colours: red, yellow, and blue. All kits have "Împreună suntem fotbal" ("Together, we are football") printed on the inside of the collar.^[5]

Media coverage[edit]

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

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

Competitive record[edit]

World Cup record[edit]

     Champions       Runners-up       Third Place       Fourth Place  

FIFA World Cup record									FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1930	Group stage	8th	2	1	0	1	3	5	Qualified as invitees
1934	Round of 16	12th	1	0	0	1	1	2	2	2	1	0	1	2	3
1938		9th	2	0	1	1	4	5	Egypt withdrew[6]
1950	Did not enter
1954	Did not qualify								2	4	2	0	2	5	5
1958									2	4	2	1	1	6	4
1962									Withdrew
1966									3	6	3	0	3	9	7
1970	Group stage	11th	3	1	0	2	4	5	1	6	3	2	1	7	6
1974	Did not qualify								2	6	4	1	1	17	4
1978									2	4	2	0	2	7	8
1982									3	8	2	4	2	5	5
1986									3	8	3	3	2	12	7
1990	Round of 16	12th	4	1	2(1*)	1	4	3	1	6	4	1	1	10	5
1994	Quarter-finals	6th	5	3	1*	1	10	9	1	10	7	1	2	29	12
1998	Round of 16	11th	4	2	1	1	4	3	1	10	9	1	0	37	4
2002	Did not qualify								Playoffs	10	5	2	3	12	10
2006									3	12	8	1	3	20	10
2010									5	10	3	3	4	12	18
2014									Playoffs	12	6	2	4	21	16
2018									4	10	3	4	3	12	10
2022	To be determined								To be determined
2026
Total	Quarter-finals	7/21	21	8	5	8	30	32	Total	128	67	26	35	223	134

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

European Championship[edit]

UEFA European Championship record									UEFA European Championship qualifying record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1960	Did not qualify								Quarter-finals	4	1	0	3	3	7
1964									Preliminary round	2	1	0	1	3	7
1968									First round	6	3	0	3	18	14
1972									Quarter-finals	9	4	3	2	15	7
1976									First round	6	1	5	0	11	6
1980									3	6	2	2	2	9	8
1984	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	2	4	1	8	5	2	1	9	3
1988	Did not qualify								2	6	4	1	1	13	3
1992									3	8	4	2	2	13	7
1996	Group stage	15th	3	0	0	3	1	4	1	10	6	3	1	18	9
2000	Quarter-finals	7th	4	1	1	2	4	6	1	10	7	3	0	25	3
2004	Did not qualify								3	8	4	2	2	21	9
2008	Group Stage	12th	3	0	2	1	1	3	1	12	9	2	1	26	7
2012	Did not qualify								3	10	3	5	2	13	9
2016	Group stage	19th	3	0	1	2	2	4	2	10	5	5	0	11	2
2020	To be determined								To be determined
2024
Total	Quarter-finals	5/15	16	1	5	10	10	21	Total	115	59	35	21	208	101

*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

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

Summer Olympics[edit]

Football at the Summer Olympics was first played officially in 1908. The Olympiads between 1896 and 1980 was only open for amateur players. The 1984 and 1988 tournaments were open to players with no appearances in the FIFA World Cup. After the 1988 Olympics, the football event was changed into a tournament for U23 or U21 teams with a maximum of three older players. See national under-21 football team for competition record from 1992 until present day.

Year	Round	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1900 to 1920	Did not enter	-	-	-	-	-	-
1924	Round of 16	1	0	0	1	0	6
1928 to 1948	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1952	Preliminary round	1	0	0	1	1	2
1956 to 1960	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1964	Quarter-finals	4	2	1	1	5	4
1968 to 1976	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1980 to 1988	Did not enter	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	3/24	6	2	1	3	6	12

Schedule[edit]

FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifying[edit]

Pos	Team [ v t e ]	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Poland	10	8	1	1	28	14	+14	25	Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup		—	3–2	4–2	3–1	2–1	3–0
2	Denmark	10	6	2	2	20	8	+12	20	Advance to second round		4–0	—	0–1	1–1	1–0	4–1
3	Montenegro	10	5	1	4	20	12	+8	16			1–2	0–1	—	1–0	4–1	5–0
4	Romania	10	3	4	3	12	10	+2	13			0–3	0–0	1–1	—	1–0	3–1
5	Armenia	10	2	1	7	10	26	−16	7			1–6	1–4	3–2	0–5	—	2–0
6	Kazakhstan	10	0	3	7	6	26	−20	3			2–2	1–3	0–3	0–0	1–1	—

UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying[edit]

Pos	Team [ v t e ]	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Qualify for final tournament		—	10 Jun	23 Mar	18 Nov	8 Sep	15 Nov
2	Sweden (X)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			15 Oct	—	8 Sep	23 Mar	18 Nov	7 Jun
3	Norway (X)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			12 Oct	26 Mar	—	7 Jun	15 Nov	5 Sep
4	Romania	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			5 Sep	15 Nov	15 Oct	—	26 Mar	8 Sep
5	Faroe Islands	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			7 Jun	5 Sep	10 Jun	12 Oct	—	15 Oct
6	Malta	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			26 Mar	12 Oct	18 Nov	10 Jun	23 Mar	—

Results and fixtures[edit]

  Win
  Draw
  Loss

2018[edit]

Israel  v  Romania

24 March 2018 (2018-03-24) Friendly	Israel	1–2	Romania	Netanya, Israel
19:00 UTC+02:00	Hemed  60'	Report	Stanciu  64' Țucudean  82'	Stadium: Netanya Stadium Attendance: 7,925 Referee: Demetrios Masias (Cyprus)

Romania  v  Sweden

27 March 2018 (2018-03-27) Friendly	Romania	1–0	Sweden	Craiova, Romania
20:30 UTC+02:00	Rotariu  57'	Report		Stadium: Stadionul Ion Oblemenco Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Roi Reinshreiber (Israel)

Romania  v  Chile

31 May 2018 (2018-05-31) Friendly	Romania	3–2	Chile	Graz, Austria
16:00 UTC+02:00	Stanciu  13' Deac  66' Budescu  84'	Report	Maripán  32' Reyes  52'	Stadium: Liebenauer Stadium Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Christopher Jäger (Austria)

Romania  v  Finland

5 June 2018 (2018-06-05) Friendly	Romania	2–0	Finland	Ploiești, Romania
19:30 UTC+02:00	Manea  37' Deac  61'	Report		Stadium: Stadionul Ilie Oană Attendance: 13,312 Referee: Robert Harvey (Republic of Ireland)

Romania  v  Montenegro

7 September 2018 (2018-09-07) 2018–19 UEFA Nations League	Romania	0–0	Montenegro	Ploiești, Romania
21:45 UTC+02:00		Report		Stadium: Stadionul Ilie Oană Attendance: 0 Referee: Ivan Kružliak (Slovakia)

Serbia  v  Romania

10 September 2018 (2018-09-10) 2018–19 UEFA Nations League	Serbia	2–2	Romania	Belgrade, Serbia
21:45 UTC+02:00	Mitrović  26', 63'	Report	Stanciu  48' (pen.) Țucudean  68'	Stadium: Red Star Stadium Attendance: 15,496 Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (Russia)

Lithuania  v  Romania

11 October 2018 (2018-10-11) 2018–19 UEFA Nations League	Lithuania	1–2	Romania	Vilnius, Lithuania
21:45 UTC+03:00	Žulpa  90'	Report	Chipciu  13' Maxim  90+4'	Stadium: LFF Stadium Referee: François Letexier (France)

Romania  v  Serbia

14 October 2018 (2018-10-14) 2018–19 UEFA Nations League	Romania	0–0	Serbia	Bucharest, Romania
16:00 UTC+03:00		Report		Stadium: Arena Națională Referee: Kevin Blom (Netherlands)

Romania  v  Lithuania

17 November 2018 (2018-11-17) 2018–19 UEFA Nations League	Romania	3–0	Lithuania	Ploiești, Romania
21:45 UTC+02:00	Pușcaș  7' Keșerü  47' Stanciu  65'	Report		Stadium: Stadionul Ilie Oană Referee: Marco Guida (Italy)

Montenegro  v  Romania

20 November 2018 (2018-11-20) 2018–19 UEFA Nations League	Montenegro	0–1	Romania	Podgorica, Montenegro
21:45 UTC+02:00		Report	Țucudean  44'	Stadium: City Stadium Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany)

Coaching staff[edit]

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

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

The following players were called up for the UEFA Nations League games against Lithuania and Montenegro on 17 and 20 November 2018 respectively.^[7]
Caps and goals as of 20 November 2018 after the match against Montenegro.
.mw-parser-output .nat-fs-player th{background-color:inherit;border:0}.mw-parser-output .nat-fs-player td{text-align:center;border:0}

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
12	1GK	Ciprian Tătărușanu	(1986-02-09) 9 February 1986 (age 32)	57	0	Nantes
1	1GK	Costel Pantilimon	(1987-02-01) 1 February 1987 (age 31)	27	0	Nottingham Forest
16	1GK	Florin Niță	(1987-07-03) 3 July 1987 (age 31)	2	0	Sparta Prague
22	2DF	Cristian Săpunaru	(1984-04-05) 5 April 1984 (age 34)	33	0	Kayserispor
3	2DF	Alin Toșca	(1992-03-14) 14 March 1992 (age 26)	15	0	PAOK
4	2DF	Cosmin Moți	(1984-12-03) 3 December 1984 (age 34)	14	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
6	2DF	Cristian Manea	(1997-08-09) 9 August 1997 (age 21)	7	1	CFR Cluj
11	2DF	Nicușor Bancu	(1992-09-18) 18 September 1992 (age 26)	7	0	U Craiova
14	2DF	Ionuț Nedelcearu	(1996-04-25) 25 April 1996 (age 22)	3	0	Ufa
2	2DF	Alex Pașcanu	(1998-09-28) 28 September 1998 (age 20)	0	0	Leicester City
7	3MF	Alexandru Chipciu	(1989-05-18) 18 May 1989 (age 29)	41	5	Sparta Prague
10	3MF	Alexandru Maxim	(1990-07-08) 8 July 1990 (age 28)	34	4	Mainz 05
23	3MF	Nicolae Stanciu	(1993-05-07) 7 May 1993 (age 25)	28	10	Sparta Prague
17	3MF	Ciprian Deac	(1986-02-16) 16 February 1986 (age 32)	18	3	CFR Cluj
18	3MF	Răzvan Marin	(1996-05-23) 23 May 1996 (age 22)	14	1	Standard Liège
15	3MF	Paul Anton	(1991-05-10) 10 May 1991 (age 27)	8	0	Krylia Sovetov
20	3MF	Alexandru Mitriță	(1995-02-08) 8 February 1995 (age 23)	6	0	U Craiova
5	3MF	Tudor Băluță	(1999-03-27) 27 March 1999 (age 19)	3	0	Viitorul Constanța
21	3MF	Alexandru Cicâldău	(1997-07-08) 8 July 1997 (age 21)	3	0	U Craiova
8	3MF	Ianis Hagi	(1998-10-22) 22 October 1998 (age 20)	1	0	Viitorul Constanța
13	4FW	Claudiu Keșerü	(1986-12-02) 2 December 1986 (age 32)	31	7	Ludogorets Razgrad
19	4FW	George Țucudean	(1991-04-30) 30 April 1991 (age 27)	9	3	CFR Cluj
9	4FW	George Pușcaș	(1996-04-08) 8 April 1996 (age 22)	4	1	Palermo

Recent call-ups[edit]

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Bogdan Lobonț RET	(1978-01-18) 18 January 1978 (age 40)	86	0	Retired	v.  Finland, 5 June 2018
GK	Silviu Lung Jr.	(1989-06-04) 4 June 1989 (age 29)	3	0	Kayserispor	v.  Finland, 5 June 2018
DF	Romario Benzar INJ	(1992-03-26) 26 March 1992 (age 26)	14	0	FCSB	v.  Lithuania, 17 November 2018
DF	Gabriel Tamaș	(1983-11-02) 2 November 1983 (age 35)	67	3	Hapoel Haifa	v.  Serbia, 14 October 2018
DF	Mihai Bălașa	(1995-01-14) 14 January 1995 (age 23)	6	0	FCSB	v.  Serbia, 10 September 2018
DF	Vlad Chiricheș INJ	(1989-11-14) 14 November 1989 (age 29)	54	0	Napoli	v.  Montenegro, 7 September 2018
DF	Dragoș Grigore	(1986-09-07) 7 September 1986 (age 32)	33	0	Ludogorets Razgrad	v.  Sweden, 27 March 2018
MF	Dorin Rotariu	(1995-07-29) 29 July 1995 (age 23)	9	1	AZ	v.  Serbia, 14 October 2018
MF	Florin Tănase	(1994-12-30) 30 December 1994 (age 24)	3	0	FCSB	v.  Serbia, 14 October 2018
MF	Adrian Stoian	(1991-02-11) 11 February 1991 (age 27)	2	0	Crotone	v.  Serbia, 14 October 2018
MF	Constantin Budescu INJ	(1989-02-19) 19 February 1989 (age 29)	12	5	Al-Shabab	v.  Lithuania, 11 October 2018
MF	Mihai Pintilii INJ	(1984-11-09) 9 November 1984 (age 34)	43	1	FCSB	v.  Montenegro, 7 September 2018
MF	Eric Bicfalvi INJ	(1988-02-05) 5 February 1988 (age 30)	6	0	Ural Yekaterinburg	v.  Montenegro, 7 September 2018
MF	Gheorghe Grozav	(1990-09-29) 29 September 1990 (age 28)	27	5	Unattached	v.  Finland, 5 June 2018
MF	Dennis Man	(1998-08-26) 26 August 1998 (age 20)	2	0	FCSB	v.  Finland, 5 June 2018
MF	Dragoș Nedelcu	(1997-02-16) 16 February 1997 (age 21)	2	0	FCSB	v.  Finland, 5 June 2018
FW	Andrei Ivan INJ	(1997-01-04) 4 January 1997 (age 22)	6	0	Rapid Wien	v.  Lithuania, 17 November 2018
FW	Denis Drăguș	(1999-07-06) 6 July 1999 (age 19)	2	0	Viitorul Constanța	v.  Serbia, 14 October 2018
FW	Alexandru Băluță	(1993-09-13) 13 September 1993 (age 25)	5	1	Slavia Prague	v.  Finland, 5 June 2018
FW	Florin Andone INJ	(1993-04-11) 11 April 1993 (age 25)	21	1	Brighton & Hove Albion	v.  Israel, 24 March 2018

Notes

• 
  ^INJ = Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury


• 
  ^RET = Player who retired from national team

Most capped players[edit]

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

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

Top goalscorers[edit]

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

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

Youngest debutants[edit]

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

Managers[edit]

Romania national team head to head[edit]

Last match updated was against  Montenegro on 20 November 2018.