EXCLUSIVE | March 17, 2026. Trends in online searches / last 24 hours

In the last 24 hours, the public interest in Romania has focused on domestic football, the simulation of the National Assessment, local news with immediate impact, cultural and social current events, and several economic, technological, and utility topics.

The Cluj derby dominated sports searches after Universitatea Cluj defeated CFR Cluj 2-1 on Monday, in the first stage of the play-off, and interest in Liga I was further amplified by the dramatic victory of FC Botoșani, 3-2 against Unirea Slobozia, in the play-out.

Education gained significant attention through the simulation of the National Assessment 2026: on Monday, March 16, eighth-grade students took the Romanian language test, and the grading scale was published by the Ministry of Education on the same day. The discussion about the combination of pension and salary in the public sector also entered the public interest zone, following the announcement that the project is set to enter the Government this week.

International football generated searches through the following matches: Rayo Vallecano drew 1-1 with Levante, Fiorentina won 4-1 against Cremonese, and Brentford and Wolverhampton finished 2-2. The term Iran circulated separately through negotiations regarding the relocation of its matches from the USA to Mexico.

In the entertainment and culture area, the 2026 Oscars attracted attention through the victory of the film One Battle After Another and the award received by Romanian-born filmmaker Natalie Musteață for the short film Two People Exchanging Saliva. This also led to searches about Leonardo DiCaprio. Separately, Jador was heavily searched after announcing a break from music, and Nadia Comăneci returned to the spotlight through a tribute in Brussels, in the year marking 50 years since her perfect score of 10.

Economic and utility topics were fueled by the new OECD report on Romania, updates from ANRE, the launch of DLSS 5 by NVIDIA, the expansion of the e-Sigur road system in Timișoara, and the warm weather in Bucharest, with highs above the normal for the period.

Top 5 search topics

1. U Cluj – CFR Cluj
2. Topics National Assessment 2026 simulation
3. Botoșani – Unirea Slobozia
4. Natalie Musteață
5. Rayo – Levante

***** Analysis format developed by the NewsVibe Romania media monitoring team. Data source: Google Trends.

The analysis, data, and images presented have been enhanced with the help of AI tools.