THEY ARE THE WORLD CUP GENERATION! Romania’s national football team, led by a Real Madrid player, takes on the FIFA U-17 World Cup, live on AntenaPLAY from November 19 to December 13

In the summer of 2026, Romania experienced the World Cup on Antena. Now, Romania has a story of its own to tell. For the first time ever, the U-17 national team will compete in a World Cup, with selected matches from the tournament in Qatar broadcast live, exclusively in Romania, on AntenaPLAY between November 19 and December 13.

This is a first for Romanian football and a generation worth getting to know. 48 teams, 12 groups and 104 matches. And among them, for the first time, Romania!

The young Tricolours, coached by Mircea Diaconescu, qualified for the final tournament after finishing second in their qualifying group for the UEFA European Under-17 Championship. Although they did not secure a place at the EURO, their results earned these young footballers the opportunity to compete in the most important international tournament in their age category.

In Qatar, the host country of the final tournament, Romania will compete in Group K alongside Mexico, Venezuela and Cameroon. It is a huge challenge for a generation that will have the opportunity to test its strength against some of the world's most prominent national teams.

For the young Tricolours, qualifying for the final tournament means much more than simply taking part in a competition: it is an opportunity to prove that Romania can build a generation capable of making its mark on the international stage. Romania's first-ever appearance at a FIFA U-17 World Cup comes at a time when Romanian football needs new stories, young talents to believe in and generations that can inspire.

A generation raised in Romania and at some of Europe's biggest academies

The players in Romania's U-17 national team were born in 2009. Youngsters who grew up in Bucharest, Constanța or Cluj, as well as children of Romanians who moved to Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium and other parts of Europe. The squad includes footballers trained or developed at renowned academies and clubs such as Real Madrid, Real Betis, Standard Liège, Lazio, Borussia Mönchengladbach, VfL Wolfsburg, Villarreal and Fiorentina, alongside young talents who have come through Romania's own academies.

Their story goes beyond the country's borders. They are children who grew up far from Romania but chose to wear the national team's jersey. They come from families where grandparents are back home, parents work in Italy or Spain, and the children were born and raised abroad. Now, they will all have the same reason to celebrate: Romania is at the World Cup!

For the millions of Romanians living abroad, this generation could become a symbol of a Romania that extends far beyond its borders. A World Cup that brings together families, communities and supporters living thousands of kilometres apart.

Romania's schedule at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. All of the national team's matches, live on AntenaPLAY

The competition takes place in Qatar between November 19 and December 13. A selection of the tournament's most important matches, as well as all of Romania's games, will be available to watch live, exclusively in Romania, on AntenaPLAY.

Romania will compete in Group K, and the Tricolours' schedule is as follows:

• November 21, 5:30 PM: Romania – Mexico
• November 24, 2:30 PM: Romania – Venezuela
• November 27, 6:00 PM: Romania – Cameroon

All group-stage matches will be played at Aspire Zone in Doha, the sports complex in Qatar's capital.

Here is ROMANIA'S complete squad. THEY ARE THE WORLD CUP GENERATION:

Goalkeepers
Tudor COȘA (Universitatea Cluj), Victor KROES (Real Betis | Spain), Yanis CROITOR (Standard Liège | Belgium)

Defenders
Cosmin MATEI (CFR Cluj), Erik MĂNĂILĂ (FC Rapid), Alexandru MILOIU (SS Lazio | Italy), David LOGHIN (Universitatea Craiova), Robert CORDUNEANU (ACF Fiorentina | Italy), Eduardo CORLAT (Real Madrid CF | Spain), Claudiu STANCU (CSM Slatina), Lorand BENCZE (Puskás Akadémia | Hungary)

Midfielders
Matei PĂDURE (VfL Wolfsburg | Germany), Ioan PRECUP (Villarreal CF | Spain), Denys MUNTEAN (Universitatea Craiova), Andrei NICULCEA (FC Rapid), Darius TRIPON (Farul Constanța), Alexandru GONCEAR (Farul Constanța), Denis AEVOAEI (Venezia FC | Italy)

Forwards
Eduardo BODNAR (Universitatea Cluj), Rareș SILITRĂ (Borussia Mönchengladbach | Germany), Darius BOTA (AFK Csíkszereda)

The FIFA U-17 World Cup, November 19 – December 13, live exclusively in Romania on AntenaPLAY. Finally, Romania is at the World Cup!