Romania – Participating Teams in the Euro Football 2024 Tournament

Romania are one of the participating nations in the 2024 European Championship. The Romanians are putting their tournament preparations in place as they gear up for their sixth Euro Cup appearance. They had an excellent qualifying campaign and could be a dark horse on German soil. 

In this in-depth Romania European Championship preview, we look back at their qualification campaign, assess the strength of their squad, and predict their chances of going far this summer. Join us as we delve into the Romanian national football team. 

The Romanian Football Team in the Euro Football Tournament

Having qualified for the 2024 edition, this will be Romania’s sixth appearance at a European Championship. After missing out on the 2020 competition, this will be their first finals since 2016. 

The Romanians‘ first appearance was in 1984, when they finished bottom of Group 2 and were eliminated. They qualified for back-to-back Euro tournaments in 1996 and 2000 and were back on the big stage in 2008. 

Romania lost all three games in the 1996 tournament on English soil but bounced back four years later to reach the knockout phase in 2000. They were drawn into an extremely tough group with Portugal, England, and Germany. 

The Portuguese won the group with ease, collecting nine points out of nine. The Romanians stunned the English and the Germans by taking the runners-up spot. In game one, they held Germany to a 1-1 draw in Liege. They then shocked England on matchday three in Group A, securing a 3-2 win in Charleroi to go through to the next phase. 

Romania went up against eventual runners-up Italy in the quarter-finals. However, they came up short against the Italians, losing 2-0 in Brussels. Nevertheless, 2000 was their best showing in a European Championship to date. 

Just like in 2008, Romania were knocked out in the group stage in 2016. They played France, Switzerland, and Albania in Group A. They lost to the French in game one before drawing with the Swiss. Their journey came to an end with a disappointing 1-0 loss to Albania at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in their final fixture. 

Romania are back in Europe’s elite club competition eight years later after a superb qualification campaign. As a result of winning Group I, the Tricolours were drafted into Pot 2. Turkey, Hungary, Denmark, Albania, and Austria were also in the pot. 

The Romanians were drawn into Group E alongside Slovakia and Belgium, with the winners of play-off Path B also taking part in the group. All games will be tricky, but Edward Iordanescu’s side will fancy their chances of finishing in the top two and sealing a place in the Round of 16. 

Romania start their 2024 Euro Cup with a game at the Allianz Arena on June 17th, where the play-off B winners will be waiting in the wings. They will face either Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Israel, or Iceland in Munich. 

Romania then have their toughest Group E match on paper, as Iordanescu takes his troops to the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne to play Belgium. The Belgians are heavily fancied to win the group and are one of the favourites to lift the trophy this summer. 

After the Belgium game, the Romanians make the trip to the Waldstadion to go head-to-head with Slovakia. With both sides gunning for a top-two finish, game three in Frankfurt will be a huge one for the pair. 

Getting the better of Belgium will be a tall order, but Romania are certainly capable of securing second place in the group. Four points from a possible nine should do the trick. They could still go through as one of the best third-place teams if they fail to claim a spot in the top two. 

Iordanescu has done a tremendous job since taking over the Romanian national team in 2022. Romania will head to Germany in high spirits, and the Tricolours could be a team to watch out for this summer. 

Romania’s Road to the European Championship 2024

In Group I of 2024 European Championship qualifying, Romania went up against Switzerland, Israel, Belarus, Kosovo, and Andorra. They were involved in a six-team group, so they had ten qualifying matches to contend with. 

Romania’s road to Germany began with a comfortable 2-0 away win against Andorra. The Andorrans had a go on home soil, but goals by Dennis Man and Denis Alibec did the damage. 

Romania then picked up four points from two tough fixtures against Belarus and Kosovo. Before a goalless draw with the Kosovans in Pristina, the Romanians sealed a vital and hard-fought 2-1 home victory over the Belarusians. Two goals in the first 20 minutes proved to be enough. 

Romania were sitting on seven points from a possible nine when they went to Switzerland in game four. The away match against the Swiss was their toughest qualifying fixture on paper. It was a four-goal thriller in Lucerne, with both sides picking up an invaluable point. 

Romania were held to a 1-1 draw by Israel in Bucharest in the next one, but Iordanescu’s boys bounced back with a crucial home victory three days later. They beat Kosovo by two goals to nil, thanks to goals from Nicolae Stanciu and Valentin Mihaila. 

A 0-0 draw with Belarus followed, but Romania put one foot in the 2024 European Championship finals with a thumping 4-0 win against Andorra at the Arena Nationala. 

Three days later, the Romanians made sure of a place in the finals with a 2-1 win against the Israelis. Goals from George Puscas and Ianis Hagi won the points. 

Romania went up against Switzerland on the final day of the group on November 21st. First place was up for grabs for the winners, and the Romanians did the business by picking up a narrow 1-0 victory. Alibec scored the only goal of the game five minutes into the second half.

Romania went through with an unbeaten record, winning six and drawing four of ten. They scored 16 goals and shipped just five in the process. They finished five points clear of the Swiss and seven points above third-place Israel. 

Switzerland’s Zeki Amdouni was the group’s top scorer with six goals. Romania shared the goals around, with Alibec, Mihaila, and Stanciu each scoring three times.  

It was a memorable qualification campaign for the Romanians. Along with the likes of France, England, Belgium, and Portugal, Romania reached the finals without losing a single game. Can they take that form into the 2024 European Championship?  

Romania’s Star Players in the Team

Romania will take a decent squad of players to this summer’s tournament. Not much will change from the team that finished top of their qualifying group, but one or two new faces could force their way into the manager’s plans before the plane jets off to Germany. 

One of Romania’s standout players is Razvan Marin. The defensive midfielder made his name at Standard Liege before making a big-money move to Ajax in 2019. Things were tough in Holland, though a loan move to Cagliari in Italy revitalised his career. 

Marin made a permanent move to Cagliari but now finds himself on loan at Empoli. He has been a fully-fledged Romania international since 2016, going on to play over 50 games for his national side. If Marin has a strong tournament, the Romanians could go far in Germany. 

Romania have many other top players playing in the big leagues in Europe right now. Radu Dragusin and George Puscas both ply their trade at Genoa; Andres Dumitrescu is a Slavia Prague defender; and Andrei Ratiu represents Rayo Vallecano in Spain’s La Liga.  

Denis Alibec could be Romania’s main source for goals in Germany. The Muaither striker, Valentin Mihaila, and Nicolae Stanciu all netted three goals in the qualifiers. 

Romania’s Chances of Winning the 2024 European Championship

Despite Bucharest being used as one of the host cities for the 2020 edition, Romania failed to qualify and missed out on the last Euro Championship. Therefore, they will be making up for lost time in 2024. 

Romania were excellent in qualifying, going ten games unbeaten to book their place in the finals with ease. They have a top manager in Iordanescu and a very capable squad of players. 

Romania are looking to get out of their group and go further than ever this summer. They face Belgium and Slovakia in Group E, but a top-two finish is a real possibility. At the very least, the Romanians will want to be one of the best third-place teams in the group stage of the competition. 

They are one of the outsiders to win the tournament, but the European Championship has thrown up many upsets over the years. In 2004, Greece went all the way against all odds, beating the hosts in the final. 

After missing out in 2020, Romania will enjoy the ride in Germany in 2024. They could give teams problems and sneak into the last 16, which would be a great achievement for the Tricolours.