Match Overview

The highly anticipated 6th-round fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign will see Cyprus clash with Romania on September 9 at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia. This preview offers an in-depth analysis, including a detailed prediction, betting tips, and key statistics for the Cyprus vs. Romania encounter.

Cyprus Team Analysis

Cyprus’ Recent Form

Cyprus, under the guidance of Apostolos Mantzios, suffered a narrow 0-1 away defeat to Austria in their previous fixture. This latest loss marks their ninth in the last eleven World Cup qualification encounters, alongside just one victory and one draw. Notably, the team has struggled offensively, failing to find the net in seven of these matches. Currently, the Cypriot squad sits in fourth place in their group with three points.

Key Cypriot Statistics

• The team has avoided defeat in regular time in 7 out of their last 10 home World Cup qualification matches, securing 4 wins and 3 draws.
• In 5 of their last 6 home European qualification games, at least one team failed to score within the 90 minutes.
• Cyprus has failed to score in the second half in 5 of their last 7 home World Cup qualification fixtures.

Predicted Cyprus Line-up (4-4-2)*

Cyprus Starting XI

Fabiano Freitas – Andreas Shikkis, Konstantinos Laifis, Christos Sielis, Costas Pileas – Charalambos Charalambous, Costakis Artymatas, Grigoris Kastanos, Loizos Loizou – Marinos Tzionis, Ioannis Pittas.

Romania Team Analysis

Romania’s Current Campaign

Romania’s journey in the current qualification cycle has seen them secure two wins and endure two losses, accumulating a total of six points with an 8:4 goal difference, placing them third in their group. The team’s offensive output in World Cup qualifiers has been modest; over their last nine matches, they have managed to score more than one goal on just three occasions. In a recent friendly encounter, the Romanians faced Canada and were defeated 0-3.

Key Romanian Statistics

• Romania has failed to win in regular time in 8 of their last 11 away World Cup qualification fixtures, recording 3 draws and 5 losses.
• In 6 of their previous 8 away European qualification games, the team scored exactly 1 or 2 goals within the 90 minutes.
• Romania has kept a clean sheet in the first half in 8 of their last 9 away World Cup qualification matches.

Predicted Romania Line-up (4-3-3)*

Romania Starting XI

Horațiu Moldovan – Andrei Rațiu, Virgil Ghiță, Andrei Burcă, Nicușor Bancu – Răzvan Marin, Nicolae Stanciu, Marius Marin – Dennis Man, Denis Drăguș, Alex Dobre.

Match Referee

Referee Details

Matej Jug (Slovenia)

Referee Statistics

Matches officiated – 13 (International fixtures, 2024/25–2025/26);

Yellow cards issued (including second yellows) – 59;

Average yellow cards per match – 4.5;

Red cards issued – 3;

Average fouls committed per match – 26;

Penalty decisions – 31%.

Match Prediction: Cyprus vs Romania

Home Advantage for Cyprus

Despite their limited success in World Cup qualification tournaments, Cyprus frequently demonstrates resilience when playing on home soil. In their last ten home World Cup qualifiers, the national team has been defeated only three times. Furthermore, only two of these losses were by a margin greater than a single goal, occurring against formidable opponents like Croatia and Russia.

Romania’s Away Struggles

Conversely, Romania’s away record is less impressive. Over their last 11 European qualification matches on the road, they have managed only three victories, two of which were against arguably the weakest European teams, Liechtenstein and San Marino. This period also saw Romania draw 0-0 with Kazakhstan and suffer a 2-3 defeat to Armenia.

Final Betting Tip

Considering these factors, I anticipate the home side will offer significant resistance to Romania. My final prediction for this match is:  «Cyprus with a handicap (+1.5)» with odds of 1.48

Note on Line-ups

*The listed line-ups represent the starting XI from each team’s last match.