Mircea Lucescu, who currently leads the Romanian national team, will leave his post in the summer of 2026.
Lent.az reports, citing foreign media, that the 79-year-old specialist spoke with the leadership of the Romanian Football Federation some time ago and announced his decision to leave the national team regardless of the results of the 2026 World Cup qualifying stage.
If the Romanian national team qualifies for the World Cup, Lucescu will work with the team in the final tournament; otherwise, he will leave his post after the last qualifying match.
The Romanian specialist cites his age as the main reason for his decision. He turns 80 this month.
Edvard Iordănescu, who Lucescu replaced after the 2024 European Championship, may return to the post of head coach of the Romanian national team. The 47-year-old specialist, who led the team at the European Championship and left after the tournament, and is currently in charge of the Polish "Legia", is considered the main candidate.
It should be recalled that in the qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, the Romanian national team has already played four matches, lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina (0:1), won against San Marino (5:1), lost to Austria (1:2) and defeated Cyprus (2:0). Lucescu's team is currently 3rd in the qualifying group.