Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 12:31 / Updated Wednesday, May 13, 2026 12:33
Valeriu Iftime spoke about the play-off semi-final for a place in the UEFA Conference League, in which FC Botoșani will meet the champion of the last two seasons of the Superliga, FCSBon the “Steaua” Stadium.
The leader of the Moldovans is convinced that his team can win and that they have real chances to reach the final for a place in the Conference League.
Valeriu Iftime, confident ahead of the duel with FCSB: “If we were the hosts, do you think they would have left there with their pants on?”
The boss of those from Botoșani analyzed his team's chances and said that the advantage of the home field is extremely important for the formations in the province.
“If we were hosts, do you think they'd walk out of there with their pants on? Ouch, ouch. Ours play well at home, they have different courage. I think it's specific to the provincial teams. I think if we have Ongenda and two or three others in good form, we can beat Ghencea and anyone in League 1.
It is true that we are not constant in the game, but with Marius Croitoru we recovered easily, easily and we look like that team that plays football again”, said Valeriu Iftime, according to digisport.ro.
Botoșani – FCSB, the semi-final of the play-off with European stakes
The play-off matches for the European Cups will be played at the end of May 2026, in two phases:
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The semi-final is scheduled for May 23/24, between FCSB and FC Botoșani, on the champion's field, in Ghencea.
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The play-off final will be played on May 29, with the Romanian Football Federation changing the original date to give the teams more time to recover. In the last act, the winner will meet the team in 4th place in the play-off, away, for the last European ticket.
If FCSB prevails in the semi-final, and Dinamo retains its current position in the ranking, 4th place, there is the possibility of a “Romanian derby” with a European stake, against the “dogs”, who have not played in European cups since 2017, when they were eliminated by the Spaniards from Athletic Bilbao.
On the other hand, FCSB comes after two consecutive championship titles in the last two years, but also after the first season in the play-out since the introduction of the current competitive system.
The ranking from the Superliga play-out
