Just days after winning the grand prize on Romania’s Survivor and walking away with a cheque for 100,000 euros, former Romania international Gabriel Tamas is heading straight back into the spotlight. The 42-year-old former defender, who earned 66 caps for his country, will co-host a brand new World Cup television show alongside fellow ex-international Dan Alexa, the pair having already won Asia Express together in 2023.
A Unique Path to the World Cup
Tamas and Alexa, who have become unlikely television stars in Romania, will front ‘Fiertzi pe Mondial’ (roughly translating to ‘Fired Up for the World Cup’), a daily show produced by Antena 1 that combines match analysis, live reactions, and entertainment. The format promises to blend football insight with the chemistry that made the duo fan favourites on their previous reality competition appearances.
The show launches on 12 June 2026, coinciding with the start of the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It will stream live on AntenaPLAY immediately after each match day, giving Romanian fans a colourful and unorthodox perspective on world football’s biggest event.
From the Pitch to Primetime
Tamas, who played for clubs including Auxerre, Dynamo Bucharest, and West Bromwich Albion during a wandering 18-year professional career, never had the chance to play in a World Cup finals. Romania qualified for the 1998 and 2002 tournaments but Tamas, who made his senior debut in 2003, missed the boat. This show gives him a front-row seat to the tournament in a different capacity.
‘It is an honour to be part of this project,’ Tamas said at the show’s launch. ‘I never experienced a World Cup as a player. To be involved now, even as a presenter, is something very special.’ His co-host Alexa, a former midfielder with over 30 caps, echoed the sentiment, describing the show as ‘the perfect opportunity to bring Romanian fans closer to the action.’
Format and Line-Up
‘Fiertzi pe Mondial’ will also feature a rotating panel of Romanian football personalities and celebrities, ensuring a mix of tactical breakdowns and lighter entertainment. The production team has described the show as ‘the ultimate World Cup companion for Romanian fans,’ with live audience interaction and social media integration planned throughout the tournament.
For Tamas, the show represents the latest chapter in an extraordinary post-football career that has already included reality TV dominance. Having won both Asia Express and Survivor Romania in consecutive years, the former centre-back has reinvented himself as one of the country’s most bankable television personalities.
Romanian Football and the World Cup
Romania did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup, making shows like ‘Fiertzi pe Mondial’ all the more important for keeping fan engagement high during the tournament. The show will provide a Romanian lens on the global competition, analysing how former Yugoslav and European rivals perform while keeping the domestic audience connected to the action.
With the World Cup kicking off this week, Romanian viewers will have their own unique guide through the tournament — one led by a man who traded the penalty box for the jungle, and now the studio.
