Romania were one of the 13 teams in the inaugural World Cup in 1930, and one of only four European nations to make the long trip to Uruguay for that first tournament. They have participated in seven World Cups, the last of them in 1998. Their best result was reaching the quarter-finals in 1994.

Romania have now missed seven World Cups in a row. They came closest in the 2026 cycle, reaching a qualifying play-off before losing to Türkiye.

Romania's World Cup Results

Across their seven appearances Romania have played 21 World Cup matches, winning eight, drawing five and losing eight.

Here is Romania's record at each World Cup:

Year Host Result P W D L GF GA
1930 Uruguay Group stage 2 1 0 1 3 5
1934 Italy First round 1 0 0 1 1 2
1938 France First round 2 0 1 1 4 5
1970 Mexico Group stage 3 1 0 2 4 5
1990 Italy Round of 16 4 1 2 1 4 3
1994 USA Quarter-finals 5 3 1 1 10 9
1998 France Round of 16 4 2 1 1 4 3
Total (7) 21 8 5 8 30 32

Romania did not enter in 1950, and failed to qualify for every other tournament, a run that now stretches from 2002 to 2026.

The Golden Generation

Romania's strongest era came either side of the 1989 revolution, built around Gheorghe Hagi, Gheorghe Popescu, Dan Petrescu and Florin Raducioiu. After reaching the round of 16 in 1990, where they went out to the Republic of Ireland on penalties, they peaked at USA 1994. Hagi's side beat Colombia 3-1 and the United States 1-0 in the group, then knocked out Diego Maradona's Argentina 3-2 in one of the great World Cup knockout matches. In the quarter-final they drew 2-2 with Sweden after extra time and lost the shoot-out 5-4.

In 1998 Romania topped their group, beating England 2-1 along the way, and famously dyed their hair blond before the final group match against Tunisia. They were beaten 1-0 by Croatia in the round of 16.

The Long Wait

Since France 1998 Romania have failed to reach a World Cup, losing play-offs in the 2002, 2014 and 2026 qualifying campaigns.

In qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, Romania finished third in European Group H behind Austria, who qualified directly, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their 13 points from eight matches were not enough for a top-two place, but their UEFA Nations League ranking earned them a play-off spot. In the Path C semi-final in Istanbul on 26 March 2026 they lost 1-0 to Türkiye, Ferdi Kadioglu scoring the only goal in the second half. Romania hit the woodwork twice.

By the time the next World Cup comes around in 2030, Romania will have gone 32 years without an appearance at the finals.

Trivia

  • The Romanian team in World Cup 1930 were selected by their King. The 'football-crazy' King Carol II of Romania personally selected the team, and asked the employers to grant each player a three-month leave with full pay.
  • The first substitution of a goalkeeper was Romania's Necula Raducanu who replaced Steve Adamache in a match against Brazil on 10 June 1970.
  • Gheorghe Hagi, nicknamed 'the Maradona of the Carpathians', played at three World Cups (1990, 1994 and 1998). He returned as national team coach in April 2026, following the death of Mircea Lucescu.
  • Romania's 1938 campaign lasted two matches against the same opponent. They drew 3-3 with Cuba after extra time in the first round, then lost the replay 1-2.
  • Romania have twice been eliminated from a World Cup by a penalty shoot-out, in 1990 and 1994, and have never won one at the finals.