Romanian Football Federation ends collaboration with Costin Curelea after failed Euro 2027 qualification

The Romanian Football Federation announced on Thursday, October 29, 2026, that it has ended its collaboration with Costin Curelea. He is no longer the coach of the Romania U21 national team. The decision follows the team's failure to qualify for the 2027 European Championship.

Romania U21 finished third in their qualifying group behind Spain and Finland. This result means the team will miss a European final tournament for the first time after four consecutive participations. The failure to qualify was confirmed by a 1-7 loss to Spain in the qualifiers.

Curelea’s contract expired at the end of October 2026 and was not renewed. He took over the Romania U21 team in summer 2025, replacing Daniel Pancu. During his tenure, he coached the team in 11 matches. His record included five wins, one draw, and five losses.

Prior to his departure, the FRF sanctioned Curelea and assistant coach Ionuț Stancu with a 25 percent reduction in their last salary. This penalty followed an internal investigation into an incident in Ibiza involving staff members. Marius Niculae and Iulian Oțelea also received salary reductions as part of the same sanctions.

Adrian Mutu is reported as the main favorite to replace Curelea. Mutu previously held the role from January 2020 to April 2021. During that period, Romania U21 qualified for the European Championship and finished the group stage undefeated. The team drew 1-1 with Netherlands, beat Hungary 2-1, and drew 0-0 with Germany at Euro 2021.

Mutu stated he is prepared to return to the Romania U21 coaching position if offered. He has been without a club since March 2025, when he left Petrolul Ploiești after two months. Marius Măldărășanu denied having official discussions to coach the team, although he expressed interest in the role.