Romania’s football clubs and federation gear up for 2026 European fixtures

CFR Cluj prepares for a third‑preliminary round Conference League tie against Norway’s Tromsø, with the first leg scheduled for 6 August 2026 at the Dr. Constantin Rădulescu Stadium. Odds favor Tromsø, while CFR Cluj entered the previous round with a 3‑0 home win over Alashkert.

UEFA has appointed five Romanian referee teams for August’s decisive European matches. Făgărășean Marian Barbu will lead the Europa League game between Benfica Lisbon and Hearts, assisted by Mircea Grigoriu and Imre Bucsi, with Radu Petrescu as the fourth official and a VAR crew of Cătălin Popa and Marcel Bîrsan.

The Romanian Football Federation will launch a digital match‑report system for all its competitions from the 2026‑27 season, making live data such as scorers, line‑ups, substitutions and cards publicly available via the HaiLaFotbal.ro portal.

In the domestic Cupa României, lower‑division sides produced striking results, including a 7‑0 victory for Flacăra Moreni over FC Pucioasa and a 7‑2 win for Olimpic Zărnești against Domnești IF.

Universitatea Cluj announced its return to the Cluj Arena for a home match against UTA Arad on 17 August 2026 after a period of relocation caused by the Untold festival.

Bulgarian media criticised Universitatea Craiova’s performance in the Champions League qualifiers, suggesting that Kairat Almaty presents a tougher opponent for Levski Sofia.