Romania’s youth national team is preparing for its first-ever appearance at the U17 World Cup, with two players developed at the Szeklerland Football Academy included in the squad.

Romania’s youth national team is preparing for its first-ever appearance at the U17 World Cup, with two players developed at the Szeklerland Football Academy included in the squad: FK Csíkszereda forward Bota Darius and our former player Bencze Lóránd, who now plays for Puskás Akadémia. At the tournament in Qatar, which begins on 19 November, Romania will face Mexico, Venezuela and Cameroon in the group stage.

Two talents developed at the Szeklerland Football Academy could be part of a historic achievement. Romania’s national team of players born in 2009 has qualified for the U17 World Cup for the first time. The tournament will take place in Qatar from 19 November to 13 December. The squad announced by head coach Mircea Diaconescu includes two footballers with ties to our academy.

The national team, which now belongs to the U18 age group, secured its World Cup qualification while still competing at U17 level. In the European Championship qualifying elite round in March, the young Romanians beat Iceland 5–2 and Portugal 1–0 before losing 2–1 to Italy. They finished second in their group with six points, securing their place at the World Cup as one of the best group runners-up.

Bota Darius represents FK, Bencze Lóránd represents Puskás Akadémia

FK Csíkszereda player Bota Darius (first from the right in the photo) has been named in the World Cup squad as a forward. This season, the young footballer has mainly played for our academy’s U18 side in the Youth League, but he has already had a taste of senior football: he has also appeared for our Superliga team during the 2026–2027 season. The youth national team’s coaching staff have regularly called upon him in recent months, and he was also part of the team that secured World Cup qualification in the spring.

The other player in the squad with ties to Szeklerland is Bencze Lóránd, who has been called up as a defender. Our former academy player joined Puskás Akadémia in Felcsút in August this year, where he has been given opportunities with both the U19 side and the club’s NB III team. Another important step in his development was announced on 21 October, when he signed a three-year professional contract with the Hungarian club, running until the summer of 2029.

Bencze was also part of the historic World Cup qualification campaign. He represented the national team in the spring while still an FK Csíkszereda player and retained his place in the squad following his summer transfer.

Opponents from three continents in the group

At the 48-team World Cup, Romania have been drawn in Group K alongside Mexico, Venezuela and Cameroon. The tournament’s group-stage matches will be played at the Aspire Zone sports complex in Doha.

Romania’s group-stage fixtures (Romanian time):

• Saturday, 21 November, 17:30: Mexico–Romania

• Tuesday, 24 November, 14:30: Venezuela–Romania

• Friday, 27 November, 18:00: Romania–Cameroon

The top two teams in each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 32, where the competition will continue in a knockout format. The World Cup final will take place on 13 December.

Romania’s matches will be broadcast live on AntenaPLAY.

It is a particular source of pride for the Szeklerland Football Academy that two players developed here will have the chance to compete among the world’s best. We congratulate Bota Darius and Bencze Lóránd and wish them every success at the World Cup!

R. A.
Photo: Frf.ro