FIFA has announced the ballots for the 2026 World Cup! In which group can Romania end up if it passes the barrier
Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Tuesday, November 25, 2025 7:50 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, November 25, 2025 7:51 p.m.
Romania is preparing for the most important dam in the last decade. The “Tricolori” will play on March 26, 2026, away, against Turkey, in the semifinal of the play-off for qualifying for the World Championship. If it moves on, the national team will play away in the final scheduled for March 31, against the winner of the duel Slovakia – Kosovo.
Qualifying for the World Cup depends on two games, and the stakes have become even clearer after FIFA officially published the ballots for the 2026 WC group draws, a tournament that will have 48 teams and 12 groups for the first time.
Romania would reach ballot 4 if it qualifies
FIFA announced that the teams from the European pool, including the potential qualifier Romania, will be assigned to urn 4, along with the representatives of the intercontinental play-off tournament and several national teams with a weaker coefficient.
This means that Romania cannot avoid the big forces and will have guaranteed at least one huge opponent, possibly two, depending on the geographical distribution.
The urn in which Romania would be (Urna 4):
What opponents can Romania meet at WC 2026
With Romania in pot 4, the “tricolors” could find themselves in a group with a world giant (from pot 1), a top national team (from pot 2) and a strong or awkward team (from pot 3).
Urn 1:
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Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium + the three hosts: Mexico, Canada, USA
Urn 2:
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Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
Urn 3:
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Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
FIFA has released the official ballots for the 2026 World Cup
Turkey, the first obstacle to the World Cup
Romania goes to Istanbul for the semi-final of the pool. The Turks finished the preliminary group in second place, behind Spain, and are coming off a 2-2 draw against the Iberians. Hakan Calhanoglu and Arda Guler are the leaders of Vincenzo Montella's (51) team.
The play-off final will also be played away, either in Slovakia or in Kosovo.
How Romania got to the dam
The national team led by Mircea Lucescu (80 years old) finished the preliminaries in 3rd place, but caught the barrier thanks to the excellent ranking in the League of Nations, where Romania won the group of League C in 2024.
