Romania women's national handball team
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AssociationRomanian Handball Federation
CoachOvidiu Mihăilă
Assistant coachIulia Curea
Most capsMariana Tîrcă (335)
| Romania | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Information | |||
| Association | Romanian Handball Federation | ||
| Coach | Ovidiu Mihăilă | ||
| Assistant coach | Iulia Curea | ||
| Most caps | Mariana Tîrcă (335) | ||
| Most goals | Mariana Tîrcă (2043) | ||
| Colours | |||
| |||
| Results | |||
| Summer Olympics | |||
| Appearances | 4 (First in 1976) | ||
| Best result | 4th (1976) | ||
| World Championship | |||
| Appearances | 27 (First in 1957) | ||
| Best result | 1st (1962) | ||
| European Championship | |||
| Appearances | 15 (First in 1994) | ||
| Best result | 3rd (2010) | ||
| Last updated on Unknown. | |||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| World Championship | ||
 | 1962 Romania | |
 | 1973 Yugoslavia | |
| 2005 Russia | |
 | 2015 Denmark | |
| European Championship | ||
| 2010 Denmark/Norway | |
The Romanian women's national team represents Romania in senior women's international handball and is controlled by the Romanian Handball Federation, the governing body for handball in Romania. It competes in the three major international tournaments; the Olympic Games, the IHF World Championship and the EHF European Championship.
Since first entering World Championship, Romania are the only team to have appeared in all 25 tournaments to date.[1]
They were crowned winners in the IHF World Championship three times: 1956, 1960 and 1962, and finished as runners-up in 1973 and 2005 and also finished third in 2015. Since first entering in 1994, Romania have never won the EHF European Championship, with their best performances being a third-place finish in 2010.
Other awards
- Bronze medalists: 2010
Competitions
| Competition |  |  |  | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| World Championship | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| European Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Olympic Games
| Year | Pos. | Pld | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1976 | 4th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
 1980 | did not qualify | ||||
 1984 | |||||
 1988 | |||||
 1992 | |||||
| 1996 | |||||
 2000 | 7th | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 2004 | did not qualify | ||||
 2008 | 7th | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
 2012 | did not qualify | ||||
 2016 | 9th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
 2020 | did not qualify | ||||
 2024 | |||||
| Total | 4/12 | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 |
World Championship
Since their first appearance in 1957, Romania has participated in 25 World Championships. They were crowned world champions for the first time in 1962 after beating Denmark (8–5) in the final.
| Year | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GS | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1957 | 9th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | -7 |
 1962 | 1st  | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 17 | +24 |
 1965 | 6th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 21 | -3 |
 1971 | 4th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 51 | 51 | 0 |
| 1973 | 2nd  | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 67 | 52 | +15 |
| 1975 | 4th | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 102 | 83 | +19 |
 1978 | 7th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 78 | 67 | +11 |
 1982 | 8th | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 159 | 122 | +37 |
| 1986 | 5th | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 151 | 129 | +22 |
| 1990 | 7th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 90 | 100 | -10 |
 1993 | 4th | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 156 | 129 | +27 |
 1995 | 7th | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 232 | 175 | +57 |
| 1997 | 12th | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 186 | 161 | +25 |
 1999 | 4th | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 250 | 196 | +54 |
 2001 | 17th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 129 | 135 | -6 |
 2003 | 10th | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 244 | 206 | +38 |
 2005 | 2nd | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 322 | 249 | +73 |
| 2007 | 4th | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 323 | 284 | +39 |
| 2009 | 8th | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 306 | 231 | +75 |
| 2011 | 13th | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 166 | 183 | -17 |
 2013 | 10th | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 161 | 127 | +34 |
| 2015 | 3rd  | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 270 | 225 | +45 |
| 2017 | 10th | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 150 | 140 | +10 |
| 2019 | 12th | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 181 | 227 | -46 |
| 2021 | 13th | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 202 | 146 | +56 |
 2023 | 12th | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 185 | 164 | +21 |
| 2025 | 9th | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 197 | 165 | +32 |
| 2027 | TBD | |||||||
| 2029 | ||||||||
 2031 | ||||||||
| Total | 27/30 | 176 | 99 | 12 | 65 | 4419 | 3794 | +625 |
Record against other teams at the world championship
European Championship
| Year | Pos. | Pld | W | D | L | GS | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 10th | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 112 | 124 | -12 |
| 1996 | 5th | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 155 | 139 | +16 |
| 1998 | 11th | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 148 | 168 | -20 |
 2000 | 4th | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 168 | 164 | +4 |
| 2002 | 7th | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 169 | 166 | +3 |
| 2004 | 7th | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 206 | 187 | +19 |
| 2006 | did not qualify | |||||||
 2008 | 5th | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 209 | 199 | +10 |
| 2010 | 3rd  | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 205 | 197 | +8 |
| 2012 | 10th | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 136 | 139 | -3 |
| 2014 | 9th | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 136 | 137 | -1 |
| 2016 | 5th | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 173 | 158 | +15 |
| 2018 | 4th | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 213 | 212 | +1 |
| 2020 | 12th | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 135 | 160 | -25 |
  2022 | 12th | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 184 | 181 | -11 |
 2024 | 11th | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 184 | 199 | -15 |
  2026 | Qualified as co-host | |||||||
| 2028 | TBD | |||||||
| 2030 | ||||||||
| 2032 | ||||||||
| Total | 15/20 | 93 | 46 | 4 | 43 | 2335 | 2331 | +4 |
Record against other teams at the European Championship
GF World Cup
- GF World Cup '05 – 4th
- GF World Cup '06 – 2nd
- GF World Cup '07 – 5th
- GF World Cup '08 – 8th
- GF World Cup '09 – Winner
- GF World Cup '10 – Winner
Team
Current squad
Roster for the 2025 World Women's Handball Championship.[2][3]
Head coach: Ovidiu Mihai Mihaila
|
Notable players
- IHF World Player of the Year
- Cristina Neagu (left back), 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018
- EHF Player of the Year
- Cristina Neagu (left back), 2017, 2018
- MVP
- Cristina Neagu (left back), 2015 World Championship
- All-Star Team members
- Irina Klimovschi (goalkeeper), 1956 World Championship, 1960 World Championship
- Doina Furcoi-Solomonov (pivot), 1975 World Championship
- Mariana Tîrcă (right back), 1995 World Championship
- Luminiţa Dinu (goalkeeper), 2000 European Championship, 2005 World Championship
- Valentina Ardean-Elisei (left wing), 2005 World Championship, 2008 European Championship, 2015 World Championship
- Ionela Stanca (pivot), 2007 World Championship
- Ramona Farcău (right wing), 2008 Summer Olympics
- Cristina Neagu (left back), 2010 European Championship, 2014 European Championship, 2016 European Championship, 2015 World Championship
- Crina Pintea (pivot), 2018 European Championship
- Top scorers
- Victoria Dumitrescu (left back), 1956 World Championship
- Carmen Amariei (left back), 1999 World Championship
- Simona Gogîrlă (left back), 2000 European Championship
- Ramona Farcău (right wing), 2008 Summer Olympics
- Cristina Vărzaru (right wing), 2009–2010 EHF Champions League
- Cristina Neagu (left back), 2010 European Championship, 2015 World Championship, 2014–2015 EHF Champions League, 2017–2018 EHF Champions League, 2019-2020 EHF Champions League, 2020-2021 EHF Champions League, 2021-2022 EHF Champions League
- Other notable players
- Medal leaders
- World Championship
| Player | Gold |
|---|---|
| Irina Klimovschi | |
| Ana Starck-Stănișel | |
| Iozefina Ștefănescu | |
| Victoria Dumitrescu | |
| Maria Constantinescu | |
| Aurelia Szőke-Tudor | |
Coaching history
| Period | Head Coach |
|---|---|
| 1953–1965 | Constantin Popescu |
| 1965–1969 | Francisc Spier |
| 1969 | Valeriu Gogâltan |
| 1969–1970 | Pompiliu Simion |
| 1971–1973 | Gabriel Zugrăvescu |
| 1973–1976 | Constantin Popescu |
| 1976–1978 | Francisc Spier |
| 1978–1982 | Constantin Lache |
| 1982–1986 | Eugen Bartha |
| 1986–1993 | Bogdan Macovei |
| 1993–1994 | Gheorghe Sbora |
| 1994–1995 | Gheorghe Tadici |
| 1995–1996 | Gheorghe Ionescu |
| 1996–1999 | Cornel Bădulescu |
| 1999–2000 | Bogdan Macovei |
| 2000–2002 | Dumitru Muși |
| 2002–2005 | Cornel Oțelea |
| 2005–2008 | Gheorghe Tadici |
| 2008–2012 | Radu Voina |
| 2012–2015 | Gheorghe Tadici |
| 2015–2016 | Tomas Ryde |
| 2016–2019 | Ambros Martín |
| 2019–2020 | Tomas Ryde |
| 2020–2021 | Bogdan Burcea |
| 2021–2022 | Adrian Vasile |
| 2022–2025 | Florentin Pera[4] |
| 2025– | Ovidiu Mihăilă |
Individual all-time records
Most matches played
Total number of matches played in official competitions only.
| # | Player | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mariana Tîrcă | 335 |
| 2 | Valentina Cozma | 322 |
| 3 | Aurelia Brădeanu | 273 |
| 4 | Valentina Ardean-Elisei | 256 |
| 5 | Marilena Doiciu | 237 |
| 6 | Maria Török-Duca | 226 |
| 7 | Steluța Luca | 223 |
| 8 | Ramona Farcău | 214 |
| 9 | Simona Arghir-Sandu | 206 |
| Lidia Drăgănescu | 206 |
Last updated: 29 September 2019
Most goals scored
Total number of goals scored in official matches only.
| # | Player | Goals | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mariana Tîrcă | 2043 | 335 | 6.09 |
| 2 | Steluța Luca | 1013 | 223 | 4.54 |
| 3 | Valentina Cozma | 980 | 322 | 3.04 |
| 4 | Valentina Ardean-Elisei | 915 | 256 | 3.57 |
| 5 | Carmen Amariei | 855 | 182 | 4.69 |
| 6 | Cristina Neagu | 830 | 198 | 4.12 |
| 7 | Ramona Farcău | 689 | 214 | 3.21 |
| 8 | Aurelia Brădeanu | 685 | 273 | 2.50 |
| 9 | Lidia Drăgănescu | 658 | 206 | 3.19 |
| 10 | Maria Török-Duca | 626 | 226 | 2.76 |
Last updated: 29 September 2019
