Article by Maria Olteanu – Published on Thursday, 20 November 2025, 15:21 / Updated on Thursday, 20 November 2025 15:23
Romania found out its opponent on Thursday afternoon from the semi-final of the pool for the 2026 World Championship, following the draw, Turkey being the team that the “tricolors” must pass in the first instance, in order to hope for the final tournament. Immediately after the shot, the selector Mircea Lucescu (80 years old) offered a short reaction.
Present in Zurich, Mircea Lucescu was not disappointed by the fact that Turkey is the opponent in the group stage, a team he trained in the 2017-2019 period.
He knows what exactly needs to change in the next 4 months and refused to discuss a possible final, in front of the winner of the Slovakia-Kosovo pool.
Mircea Lucescu's reaction after the draw
“A normal draw, all the teams are at the same level, you couldn't pick an easy one for this play-off. I think there are chances for all the teams.
I can't say that I know them very well, but I watched their last performance, with Spain, and there were six players who debuted with me in the Turkish national team, players that I know very well from 4-5 years ago, when they were very young.
Now they have a lot more experience. I'm going through a very good time. We, in these four months, have to raise the level by their constant presence in the club teams, by their presence match by match, to stay at a good level for the play-offs. We cannot discuss the odds, the match is played on the field and anything can happen. Football is unpredictable.
It will not be easy, it will be an incendiary atmosphere and we must prepare in every way. We have the experience of the match against Bosnia, from Zenica, we know what the atmosphere will be like, only the hospitality will be different.
It's not bad luck, we'll take it match by match and we'll see. We are not interested in the final, for now we are playing with Turkey”, said Mircea Lucescu, at the “Digi Sport” microphone.
