Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published on Thursday, 20 November 2025, 07:37 / Updated on Thursday, 20 November 2025 07:38
Today, Romania finds its opponent in the pool for the 2026 World Championship. The draw takes place from 14:00, liveTEXT on GSP.ro and on TV on Antena 1.
Gazzetta dello Sport has presented all 16 teams that will go to the polls today in the play-off draw for the 2026 World Cup qualification, from the United States, Mexico and Canada.
- Romania will fall with one of Italy, Denmark, Turkey and Ukraine in the semi-final of the pool. Also in today's draw, the “tricolors” will also find out who they could play with in the final of the pool, if they qualify.
- Romania will play away regardless of the opponent in the semifinal of the pool. For the play-off final, the host teams will be drawn.
About Romania, who could be their opponent, since the teams from urn 1, where the squadra azzurra are also located, will play against some opponents from urn 4, where the tricolors are, the Italians write that we reached the barrier thanks to the course in the League of Nations.
Gazzetta emphasizes the experience of the selector Mircea Lucescu. But the verdict on the team and on what the Italians consider their best player, Dennis Man, reflects a modest run in the preliminaries: 3rd place in Group H, behind Austria and Bosnia, with 4 wins, a draw and 3 defeats.
Gazzetta dello Sport: “Mircea Lucescu won everything”
“Lucescu's experience can always make the differencebut this Romanian team is anything but spectacular. The 80-year-old coach returned to the bench in 2024 and his first international experience dates back to 1981.
In a career of almost fifty years, the Romanian coach won everything: a UEFA Cup with Shakhtar Donetsk in 2009, eight championship titles, seven Cups and Super Cups of Ukraine. He was also a double champion of Turkey with Galatasaray (2001 – 2002) and Beşiktaş (2002 – 2003)”, notes the most prestigious profile daily in the Peninsula.
Gazzetta dello Sport on Dennis Man: “Never a goalscorer but can create danger on the flanks”
Dennis Man is seen by Gazzetta dello Sport as “a winger who can create danger on the flanks”.
But he insists that “the former Parma player, transferred to PSV Eindhoven in the summer, he was never a scorer. He played in 42 matches for the national team and scored 10 goals”.
