Turkey have finally ended a 24 year wait to return to the World Cup and they’ll be taking an exciting squad to the USA, Canada and Mexico this summer.
The Crescent-Stars needed a playoff in order to qualify for the tournament but they finished just three points behind Euro 2024 winners Spain in their group and were able to overcome Romania and Kosovo by 1-0 scorelines in Path C of the playoffs.
With 21 year old duo Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz leading the line, Turkey are an exciting prospect and they’ll certainly be a team worth watching during this summer’s tournament.
Turkey route to the World Cup
Turkey appeared to be facing an uphill battle to qualify for the 2026 World Cup when they were hammered 0-6 in Konya by Spain on Matchday Two in Group E of Uefa qualifying.
However, they very nearly chased down la Roja to top the group, finishing just three points behind the Euro 2024 winners after drawing 2-2 in Sevilla in the final group stage game. A win there would have sent them in as group winners.
Instead, the point took them into the playoffs where Vincenzo Montella’s side unsurprisingly came out on top over Romania and then Kosovo by 1-0 scorelines in each game to end the country’s long and agonising wait to return to the World Cup.
Turkey World Cup 2026 fixtures
Turkey have been placed in an interesting group, but fans at home will have to get up early to catch their first World Cup game since 2002 as they take on Australia in Vancouver in a game that will played at 7am TMT on Sunday June 14th.
The Crescent-Stars will then head south of the border to California where they will take on Paraguay at Levi’s Stadium before completing their group stage phase against co-hosts USA at SoFi Stadium.
Get the latest Turkey World Cup odds here
Turkey key players for World Cup 2026
Turkey top World Cup Golden Boot contender: Kenan Yildiz
- Key stat: Kenan Yildiz averages 2.5 shots per game in the 2025/26 season across his games for Turkey and Juventus
Although Kenan Yildiz has only five international goals to his name so far, three of those were vital goals in qualifying for this competition and at the time of writing he’s racked up 14 goals in all competitions for club and country this season. At just 21, the Juventus attacking midfielder has a huge future ahead of him, but Turkey do tend to share their goals relatively equally throughout the squad.
Turkey primary playmaker: Arda Guler
- Key stat: Arda Guler created 12 chances and made four assists in Uefa World Cup qualifying – only two players managed more
Another young starlet with a huge future ahead of him, Arda Guler made his Turkey debut in 2022 aged just 17 before joining Real Madrid in 2023. Now 21, the attacking midfielder, who is also capable of playing on the wing, has scored six times in 28 caps so far for his country and provided four assists in qualifying. In La Liga this season he has provided nine further assists and created 3.13 chances per 90 minutes played.
Turkey card magnets & top tacklers: Ismail Yuksek
- Key stat: Only four players made more tackles than Ismail Yuksek in Uefa qualifying with the Fenerbahce midfielder winning 21 tackles and picked up three yellow cards.
Providing a ballast in midfield for the more creative Yildiz and Guler, Fenerbahce midfielder Ismail Yuksek does an important if unspectacular job for this team. He won 21 tackles in just six qualifying matches, but giving away 12 fouls and being shown three yellow cards in the process. He may not start ahead of Orkun Kokcu and Hakan Calhanoglu but could help sure up the Turkish backline if and when needed.
Turkey rising star: Deniz Gul
- Key stat: Deniz Gul has won 2.19 aerial duels per 90 minutes in Primeira Liga this season – more than 85% of players in the Portuguese top tier.
Guler and Yildiz are now too established in the national team set-up to be considered still rising stars, but Deniz Gul is another 21 year old hoping to enhance his reputation this summer. The Swedish-born forward has five goals to his name for Porto this term. At 6’4 he offers a physical presence and could prove to be the perfect foil to bring those other attacking stars into play.
STAND-OUT STAT: Turkey have become the first UEFA nation to lose a qualifier by six goals and still qualify for the World Cup. They were beaten 6-0 by Spain in qualifying for this tournament.
Turkey set-piece specialists
- Penalties: Hakhan Calhanoglu
- Free kicks: Hakhan Calhanoglu, Arda Guler
- Corners: Hakhan Calhanoglu, Arda Guler
Turkey tactical analysis and formation
Vincenzo Montella usually opts for a very fluid 4-2-3-1 formation and it’s particularly loose in the front four. With Kerem Akturkoglu, Kenan Yildiz, Arda Guler and Baris Alper Yilmaz, the Turkey boss possesses four exciting technical players but with none of them being a traditional number nine, they will often rotate within games and Guler in particular will be given license to roam and find pockets of space.
Providing the base for this exciting frontline is the evergreen skipper Hakan Calhanoglu and the Inter Milan star is usually partnered by Ismail Yuksek. Turkey will no doubt look to dominate possession as often as possible, particularly in the group stages.
Defensively, Abdulkerim Bardakci is a likely starter at centre-back and will probably be partnered by Ozan Kabak. Zeki Celik and Brighton’s Ferdi Kadioglu will likely line up in the full back positions. Galatasaray keeper Ugurcan Cakir could start in goal ahead of Manchester United’s Altay Bayindir.
Get the latest Turkey World Cup goals, shots, tackle, assist stats are more here.
Turkey manager analysis
Vincenzo Montella has enjoyed a varied managerial career so far. This is his first managerial job after working in the top divisions in his native Italy as well as in Spain and Turkey. It was the fine work he did in leading Adana Demirspor to their best ever league position of fourth in the Super Lig in 2022/23 that put him in the frame for the Turkish national team job, where he has performed well so far.
After leading the team to the quarter finals of Euro 2024, Montella then secured promotion to League A in the National League. They enjoyed a decent qualifying campaign for this tournament. They earned a draw away to much-fancied Spain before overcoming Kosovo and Romania in the group stages.
Montella will hope for success in transition with the speed and creativity he possesses in the attacking areas of the pitch. When space opens up he’ll encourage his team to attacking with direct running. He’ll make sure this Turkey team are exciting to watch no matter who they face at this summer’s tournament.
| Coach | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vincenzo Montella | Turkey | 31 | 18 | 5 | 8 | 55 | 41 | 58.06 |
Turkey World Cup FAQs
Have Turkey ever won the World Cup?
No, Turkey have never won the World Cup. They have only qualified twice before, though they did reach the semi-final stage in 2002.
Where did Turkey finish in the last World Cup?
Turkey failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after finishing second behind Netherlands in their Uefa qualifying group. They were then beaten 3-1 by Portugal in their playoff semi-final.
Who will be Turkey captain at the World Cup?
Hakan Calhanoglu will continue to captain Turkey at this summer’s World Cup. The Inter Milan midfielder was first named skipper in 2022.
Who is Turkey’s top scorer at World Cups?
Three different players have scored three times at World Cups for Turkey. Ilhan Mansiz scored three of his country’s 10 goals in 2002. Burhan Sargun and Suat Mamat both scored three goals each at the 1954 edition of the tournament.
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