Romania will meet the Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Estonia and Andorra in Group D of World Cup preliminary in 2014, according to the draw that took place on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro. World Cup 2014 preliminaries will be played between September 7, 2012 and October 15, 2013, the group's winner being qualified directly in Brazil.

Netherlands is the world vice-champion and ranked second in FIFA rankings position. Also, the Netherlands was Romania’s opponent at the European Championship in 2008. Turkey ranks 24th in FIFA rankings, while Hungary occupies the 47th place.

See the full FIFA Preliminary Draw here.

The World Cup 2014 will take place between June 12 and July 13, in the tournament being 32 teams. Brazil, the country that organizes the 2014 World Cup, has organized the FIFA World Cup in 1950, a competition held between June 24 and July 16.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Sxc.hu)