UEFA has made a radical decision that could upend Gica Hagi’s plans and potentially place Romania in a “Group of Death” during the European Championship qualifiers. On May 20, 2026, the UEFA Executive Committee convened in Istanbul, where the Europa League final is taking place between Aston Villa and Freiburg.
New Qualifying Structure
The meeting saw the adoption of a new, unprecedented structure for European and World Cup qualifiers. The decision, which could heavily impact Hagi's national team, has dramatically reduced their chances of qualifying for a major tournament. President of FRF, Răzvan Burleanu, attended the meeting where the new structure was decided.
The new reform, effective after the 2028 European Championship, abolishes traditional group stages with home-and-away matches. The Nations League will transition to a format with three leagues of 18 teams each, with three groups of six teams in each league. Teams will face five different opponents from different urns and play home-and-away matches against their urn-mates.
Implications for Romania
The effects on Romania's national team appear to be negative. If the team struggled to qualify for the European Championship in the past decade, the new system could make it even harder to overcome top-ranked teams. According to the new reform, the performance in the Nations League will determine the order for the two leagues.
The new qualifying format for the European Championship is similar to Romania’s Cup. The performances in the Nations League will decide the order for the two leagues. The new format of European Qualifiers for final tournaments (EURO and World Cup) proposes an innovative system, similar to the group stage of the Romanian Cup Betano and European club competitions.
Although they are directly qualified for the final tournament, host teams will participate in European Qualifiers with an objective tied to their position in the next edition of the UEFA Nations League. The best-ranked teams from each group in League 1 will qualify directly, while the remaining spots will be allocated through a playoff system, ensuring fair chances for teams in League 2.
In the current context, Romania could be placed in the third urn of League 1, meaning they would face at least two top-ranked teams from the first urn and potentially two weaker teams.
This is a huge setback for Gica Hagi and the Romanian national team. With the new qualifying structure, their chances of qualifying for the Euros or World Cup just took a massive hit. How do you think Hagi will adapt to these new challenges?