Canada and Romania men to meet for first time in September friendly in Bucharest

Canada will face Romania in Bucharest in an international friendly during the FIFA September international window.

The Sept. 5 game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two sides. The Canadian men rank 31st compared to No. 38 for Romania.

“Romania are a really strong team that finished top of a difficult group at Euro 2024,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch said in a statement. “It will be yet another important challenge for our team on the road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

Romani made it to the round of 16 at Euro 2024, losing 3-0 to the Netherlands after topping a group that included Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine.

Canada Soccer said another September friendly will be announced Wednesday,

Next up for the Canadian men is the March 20 CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against No. 19 Mexico in Inglewood, Calif., with the winner moving on to either the 16th-ranked U.S. or No. 36 Panama in the March 23 final.

Canada will be competing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2025