Dates and stadiums where Romania would play at the 2026 World Cup, if they qualify » The distances are HUGE

• The 2026 World Championship will be held in 3 countries: USA, Mexico and Canada. It will take place between June 11 and July 19. It will be the first tournament in history with 48 teams;

• The World Championship will debut in an expanded format, with 48 teams, the participants being divided into 12 groups of four. From each group, the top two teams, as well as the best eight third-placed teams, will advance, thus forming the 32-team knockout phase;

• The tournament will feature a total of 104 matches over 38 days, making it the longest World Cup in history.

In order to get to play in the final tournament next summer, Romania must pass the two matches from the barrage in March. The first test, the semi-final, is against Turkey, on March 26. If they beat the national team from the Bosphorus, the “tricolors” will play the winner of the Kosovo – Slovakia match, on March 31, also away.

Romania's schedule for the 2026 World Championship

If they qualify for next summer's final tournament, Romania would debut in the competition on June 13, against the Australian national team, in Vancouver.

After the match in Canada, Romania would move to the United States of America, for the next two games: against Paraguay in San Francisco and against the USA in Los Angeles.

The starting times of the games will be announced during the day on Saturday, December 6.

• June 13: Australia – Romania (BC Place, Vancouver)

• June 19: Romania – Paraguay (Levi's Stadium, San Francisco)

• June 25: Romania – USA (SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles)

The 2026 World Cup schedule

Huge distances between stadiums

If they were to reach the World Cup, the “tricolors” would have to cover huge distances. After the opening match against Australia in Canada, Romania would travel 1,500 kilometers on the road to reach San Francisco for the second match.

Then another 700 kilometers from San Francisco to Los Angeles, for the match against the host country, the USA.

Who could we play if we get out of the group?

• If Romania won the group – 3rd place from group B, E, F, I or J

• If Romania would finish in 2nd place – 2nd place in group G (Belgium, Egypt, Iran or New Zealand)

• If Romania finished in 3rd place – winner of group E (Germany), I (France) or K (Portugal)

The first 2 from each group + 8 best 3 places qualify for the elimination stages

2026 World Cup groups

• Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, UEFA Play-off D (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Ireland)

• Group B: Canada, UEFA Play-off A (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia), Qatar, Switzerland

• Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland

• Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, UEFA Play-off C (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo)

• Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador

• Group F: Netherlands, Japan, UEFA Play-off B (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania), Tunisia

• Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

• Group H: Spain, Cape Verde Islands, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

• Group I: France, Senegal, Play-off 2 (Iraq, Bolivia, Suriname), Norway

• Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan

• Group K: Portugal, FIFA Play-off 1 (New Caledonia, DR Congo, Jamaica), Uzbekistan, Colombia

• Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama