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FRF has ended its collaboration with Costin Curelea / Adrian Mutu is expected to take over the U21 national team

Gabriel Dumitrache

29 October 2026, 12:42

Sport

Nicodim/NurPhoto / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

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The Romanian Football Federation announced on Thursday the end of Costin Curelea’s tenure as head coach of the Under-21 national team, after Romania failed to qualify for the 2027 European Championship.

Curelea, aged 42, took charge of the youth team in the summer of 2025. During his tenure, Romania U21 played 11 matches, with a record of five wins, one draw and five defeats.

Romania’s national team finished the qualifiers in third place, behind Spain and Finland, a position that did not allow it to qualify for the 2027 European final tournament. The result led to a change in the coaching position.

According to gsp.ro, Adrian Mutu is the leading candidate to take over the position. The former international has been without a team since parting ways with Petrolul Ploiești in March this year.

Mutu previously coached the U21 national team between 2020 and 2021. Under his leadership, Romania reached the group stage of the 2021 European Championship. His appointment has not been officially confirmed by the Romanian Football Federation.

Context: FRF put Costin Curelea’s future on the agenda after the U21 campaign marked by failures and controversies

Before the announcement regarding the end of his tenure, the Romanian Football Federation had decided not to extend Costin Curelea’s contract, with him and his staff set to remain in office for approximately 20 more days for the U21 national team’s final action in November. The decision came after Romania U21 failed to qualify for Euro 2027, while the results generated public criticism, including after photographs emerged showing members of the staff at a party in Ibiza, at Nicu Gheară’s residence.

The campaign was also marked by a 7-1 defeat to Spain U21 in the Euro 2027 qualifiers, after Romania had taken the lead. The team was thus left without any chance of reaching the final tournament, finishing third in the group, while the dispute fueled debates about the effectiveness of how the “U21 Rule” was implemented.