Romania, famous for Gheorghe Hagi's brilliant 1994 team that reached the quarter-finals, have now endured a 28-year World Cup absence (last appearing in 1998). Despite reaching the UEFA playoffs for FIFA 2026, they fell short once again — a painful result for a footballing nation whose glory days feel increasingly distant from its current reality.
| Appearances | 7 |
| Best Finish | Quarter-finals (1994) |
| Last Appearance | 1998 (round of 16) |
| 2022 Result | Did not qualify |
Romania's squad features players from Romanian Liga I and some European leagues, with Drăgușin (Tottenham) representing the most high-profile Premier League connection. The squad lacks the individual brilliance of the Hagi-era generation but shows competitive collective resolve.
Romania's playoff defeat ended another chance to qualify for a first World Cup since 1998 — a 28-year absence that highlights the dramatic decline from their 1994 golden era. Despite showing promise at Euro 2024 (reaching the round of 16 before losing to the Netherlands), the national team couldn't replicate this form in World Cup qualifying. Romania's structural challenge — a domestic league that doesn't consistently produce European-level talent, and an inability to develop a successor generation to Hagi's era — remains the key obstacle for future tournaments.
Romanian fans should note that Ianis Hagi — son of legendary Gheorghe Hagi — continues to develop his career, and the family name's connection to Romania's greatest footballing era gives every Ianis performance emotional resonance. Follow the tournament through T Sports and Sony Sports in Bangladesh.
Follow FIFA 2026 on T Sports and Sony Sports in Bangladesh. Romanian club football (FCSB, CFR Cluj, Farul Constanța) provides ongoing domestic footballing connection through the tournament period.