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Romania national under-21 football team

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Romania Under-21
Nickname(s)Tricolorii Mici (The Small Tricolours)
AssociationRomanian Football Federation (FRF)
Head coachDaniel Pancu
CaptainLouis Munteanu
Most capsAlexandru Pașcanu (29)
Top scorerGeorge Pușcaș (18)
Home stadiumVarious
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
Biggest win
 Armenia 0–5 Romania 
(Yerevan, Armenia; 16 November 2004)
 Azerbaijan 0–5 Romania 
(Trabzon, Turkey; 25 April 1995)
Biggest defeat
 Germany 8–0 Romania 
(Magdeburg, Germany; 9 September 2014)
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances4 (first in 1998)
Best resultSemi-finals (2019)

The Romania national under-21 football team, also known as Romania under-21s or Romania U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the Romania national football team.

This team is for Romanian players aged under 21 at the start of the calendar year in which a two-year European Under-21 Championship campaign begins, so some players can remain with the squad until the age of 23. As long as they are eligible, players can play for Romania at any level, making it possible to play for the U21s, senior side, and again for the U21s. It is also possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior level (providing the player has not played a senior competitive game in his previous country.)

History

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The U-21 team came into existence, following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions, in 1976. Romania qualified for the 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and under Victor Pițurcă reached the quarter-finals, where they were knocked out by the Netherlands. Romania had been 1–0 up, but were eventually beaten 2–1. The Romanian lineup included players like: Cosmin Contra, Bogdan Lobonț, Cătălin Munteanu, Ionel Dănciulescu and Ion Luțu.

Romania once again qualified unbeaten for the finals after topping their group in the qualifying series. The Romanians reached semi-final of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship for the first time in their history in the 2019 UEFA Under-21 Euro but eventually lost 4–2 to defending champions Germany who scored twice in the dying moments. Romania qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics for their first Olympics since 1964. Overall, Romania was a revelation at the tournament, beating both England and Croatia (4-2 and 4–1), and looked on course for a shock before Germany fought back to make the final.

Romania U21s do not have a permanent home. They play in stadia dotted all around Romania, in an attempt to encourage younger fans in all areas of the country to get behind Romania. Because of the lower demand compared to the senior national team, smaller grounds can be used.

Competitive record

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UEFA U-21 Championship Record

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UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship record UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Qualification record
Year Round Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1978 did not qualify 4 1 0 3 5 8
1980 4 2 0 2 7 3
1982 6 2 1 3 9 12
1984 6 2 1 3 8 12
1986 6 1 4 1 5 7
1988 6 3 0 3 7 7
1990 6 3 0 3 8 7
1992 6 2 0 4 5 9
France 1994 8 5 0 3 13 10
Spain 1996 10 4 4 2 17 10
Romania 1998 Quarter-finals 3 0 0 3 2 5 8 8 0 0 18 4
Slovakia 2000 did not qualify 8 3 3 2 10 8
Switzerland 2002 8 5 1 2 13 5
Germany 2004 8 2 1 5 6 7
Portugal 2006 10 6 1 3 17 8
Netherlands 2007 2 1 0 1 4 5
Sweden 2009 8 4 3 1 11 3
Denmark 2011 10 8 1 1 23 6
Israel 2013 8 4 2 2 11 6
Czech Republic 2015 8 3 3 2 14 19
Poland 2017 10 5 1 4 15 14
Italy San Marino 2019 Semi-finals 4 2 1 1 10 7 10 7 3 0 19 4
Hungary Slovenia 2021 Group stage 3 1 2 0 3 2 10 6 2 2 22 7
Romania Georgia (country) 2023 3 0 1 2 0 4 Qualified as hosts
Slovakia 2025 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 7 1 2 23 10
Total 5/25 13 3 4 6 15 18 170 94 32 54 291 191

Olympic Games

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Football at the Summer Olympics was first played officially in 1908. The Olympiads between 1896 and 1980 was only open for amateur players. The 1984 and 1988 tournaments were open to players with no appearances in the FIFA World Cup. After the 1988 Olympics, the football event was changed into a tournament for U23 or U21 teams with a maximum of three older players. See Romania national football team for competition record from 1908 until 1988.

Olympic Games record Olympic Games Qualification record **
Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Spain 1992 did not qualify 6 2 0 4 5 9
United States 1996 10 4 4 2 17 10
Australia 2000 8 3 3 2 10 8
Greece 2004 8 2 1 5 6 7
China 2008 2 1 0 1 4 5
United Kingdom 2012 10 8 1 1 23 6
Brazil 2016 8 3 3 2 14 19
Japan 2020 Group Stage 11th 3 1 1 1 4 7 14 9 4 1 29 11
France 2024 did not qualify 3 0 1 2 0 4
United States 2028 to be determined 0 0 0 0 0 0
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Includes both qualification phase and final tournament of UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
***Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

EURO 2025

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Romania 10 7 1 2 23 10 +13 22 Final tournament 1–0 3–1 5–0 1–0 2–0
2  Finland 10 6 2 2 21 8 +13 20 Play-offs 2–0 1–2 4–1 2–1 6–0
3   Switzerland 10 5 3 2 21 12 +9 18 2–2 1–1 1–2 4–2 5–0
4  Albania 10 5 1 4 12 17 −5 16 3–2 0–0 1–3 2–0 1–0
5  Montenegro 10 2 1 7 8 19 −11 7 2–6 1–2 0–2 1–0 0–0
6  Armenia 10 0 2 8 2 21 −19 2 0–1 1–3 0–0 1–2 0–1
Source: UEFA

Results and fixtures

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The following is a list of matches in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Fixture

2024

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6 September 2024 (2024-09-06) 2025 UEFA Q Romania  1–0  Montenegro Târgoviște, Romania
18:30 (19:30 EEST)
  • Munteanu 8'
Report Stadium: Eugen Popescu Stadium
Referee: David Dickinson, (Scotland)
10 September 2024 (2024-09-10) 2025 UEFA Q Finland  2–0  Romania Tampere, Finland
16.00 UTC Report Stadium: Tammelan Stadion
Attendance: 2,014
Referee: Kristoffer Hagenes, (Norway)
11 October 2024 (2024-10-11) 2025 UEFA Q Montenegro  2–6  Romania Podgorica, Montenegro
16:00 Report
Stadium: Podgorica City Stadium
Referee: Jérémie Pignard (France)
15 October 2024 (2024-10-15) 2025 UEFA Q Romania  3–1   Switzerland Bucharest, Romania
18:00 (19:00 EEST)
Report
Stadium: Stadionul Rapid-Giulești
Referee: Marc Nagtegaal (Netherlands)

2025

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21 March 2025 (2025-03-21) Friendly Portugal  0–1  Romania Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal
20:30
Stadium: Estádio Municipal 22 de Junho
25 March 2025 (2025-03-25) Friendly Romania  0–2  Netherlands Bucharest, Romania
19:30 Report
Stadium: Arcul de Triumf Stadium
4 June 2025 (2025-06-04) Friendly Romania  1–0  Georgia Vorau, Austria
19:30
Report Stadium: Urkraft Arena
5 September 2025 (2025-09-05) 2027 UEFA Q Romania  v  Kosovo
9 September 2025 (2025-09-09) 2027 UEFA Q San Marino  v  Romania
14 October 2025 (2025-10-14) 2027 UEFA Q Romania  v  Cyprus
14 November 2025 (2025-11-14) 2027 UEFA Q Finland  v  Romania
18 November 2025 (2025-11-18) 2027 UEFA Q Romania  v  Spain

2026

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27 March 2026 (2026-03-27) 2027 UEFA Q Kosovo  v  Romania
31 March 2026 (2026-03-31) 2027 UEFA Q Romania  v  San Marino
25 September 2026 (2026-09-25) 2027 UEFA Q Cyprus  v  Romania
30 September 2026 (2026-09-30) 2027 UEFA Q Romania  v  Finland
6 October 2026 (2026-10-06) 2027 UEFA Q Spain  v  Romania

Players

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Current squad

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The following players were named in the squad for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, to be played June 2025.[1]

Note: Names in italics denote players that have been called up to the senior team.

Caps and goals are correct as of 4 June 2025, after the match against Georgia

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Răzvan Sava (2002-06-21) 21 June 2002 (age 22) 11 0 Italy Udinese
1GK Otto Hindrich (2002-08-02) 2 August 2002 (age 22) 4 0 Romania CFR Cluj
1GK Vlad Rafailă (2005-02-17) 17 February 2005 (age 20) 1 0 Italy Lecce

2DF Cristian Ignat (2003-01-29) 29 January 2003 (age 22) 12 0 Romania Rapid București
2DF Andrei Borza (2005-11-12) 12 November 2005 (age 19) 11 2 Romania Rapid București
2DF Matei Ilie (2002-12-11) 11 December 2002 (age 22) 9 2 Romania CFR Cluj
2DF Ümit Akdağ (2003-10-06) 6 October 2003 (age 21) 7 1 France Toulouse
2DF Costin Amzăr (2003-07-11) 11 July 2003 (age 21) 5 0 United Arab Emirates Al-Nasr
2DF Dan Sîrbu (2003-04-22) 22 April 2003 (age 22) 4 0 Romania Farul Constanța
2DF Matteo Duțu (2005-11-23) 23 November 2005 (age 19) 3 0 Italy Milan Futuro
2DF Tony Strata (2004-09-07) 7 September 2004 (age 20) 3 0 France Ajaccio

3MF Constantin Grameni (2002-10-23) 23 October 2002 (age 22) 20 3 Romania Rapid București
3MF Marius Corbu (2002-05-07) 7 May 2002 (age 23) 18 1 Cyprus APOEL
3MF Octavian Popescu (2002-12-27) 27 December 2002 (age 22) 16 2 Romania FCSB
3MF Ianis Stoica (2002-12-08) 8 December 2002 (age 22) 15 3 Romania Hermannstadt
3MF Rareș Ilie (2003-04-19) 19 April 2003 (age 22) 12 3 Italy Catanzaro
3MF Cătălin Vulturar (2004-03-09) 9 March 2004 (age 21) 9 1 Romania Rapid București
3MF Ovidiu Perianu (2002-04-16) 16 April 2002 (age 23) 7 0 Romania Unirea Slobozia
3MF Cristian Mihai (2004-09-23) 23 September 2004 (age 20) 4 2 Romania UTA Arad
3MF Zoran Mitrov (2002-01-29) 29 January 2002 (age 23) 1 0 Romania Botoșani

4FW Louis Munteanu (captain) (2002-06-16) 16 June 2002 (age 22) 17 5 Romania CFR Cluj
4FW Vladislav Blănuță (2002-01-12) 12 January 2002 (age 23) 6 0 Romania Universitatea Cluj
4FW Rareș Burnete (2004-01-31) 31 January 2004 (age 21) 4 0 Italy Lecce

Recent call-ups

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Players born in or after 2004 are eligible for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

The following players have also been called up in the past to the Romania under-21 squad and remain eligible to play in the qualification matches for 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship:

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up

DF Mario Tudose (2005-01-21) 21 January 2005 (age 20) 1 0 Romania FC Argeș v.  Georgia, 4 June 2025
DF Robert Bădescu (2005-04-02) 2 April 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Romania Rapid București v.  Netherlands, 25 March 2025
DF David Maftei (2004-07-12) 12 July 2004 (age 20) 2 0 Romania Oțelul Galați v.   Switzerland, 15 October 2024
DF Ștefan Duțu (2004-02-16) 16 February 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Romania Afumați v.  Finland, 10 September 2024
DF Răzvan Pașcalău (2004-05-05) 5 May 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Romania Dinamo București v.   Switzerland, November 21, 2023

MF Alexandru Musi (2004-07-17) 17 July 2004 (age 20) 3 0 Romania FCSB v.  Netherlands, 25 March 2025
MF Mihnea Rădulescu (2005-09-17) 17 September 2005 (age 19) 2 1 Romania Petrolul Ploiești v.   Switzerland, 15 October 2024
MF Rareș Pop (2005-06-14) 14 June 2005 (age 19) 3 0 Romania Rapid București v.  Finland, 10 September 2024

FW Adrian Mazilu (2005-09-13) 13 September 2005 (age 19) 7 0 England Brighton & Hove Albion v.   Switzerland, November 21, 2023
Notes
  • INJ = Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury
  • SUS = Player is serving suspension
  • WD = Player withdrew from the squad
  • COV = Player withdrawn from the squad due to positive COVID-19 test
  • Names in italics denote players that have been capped for the Senior team.

Coaching staff

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Role Name
Head Coach Romania Daniel Pancu
Assistant coaches Romania Lucian Sânmartean
Romania Răzvan Rotaru
Goalkeeping coach Romania Răzvan Stanca
Fitness Coach Romania Vlad Nicoară
Video Analyst Romania Ovidiu Popescu
Doctor Romania Dan Costin
Physioterapists Romania Florin Dragne
Romania Mădălin Tălpălaru
Masseur Romania Marian Ionică
Kit man Romania Ionuț Niculici

See also

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Footnotes

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References

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  1. ^ "Ei sunt România U21 la EURO 2025!" (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 5 June 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
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