Turkey national under-21 football team
National under-21 association football team representing Turkey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Turkey national Under-21 football team (Turkish: Ümit Millî Futbol Takımı), also known as Turkey Under-21s or Turkey U-21s, is the Under-21 years of age team of the Turkey national football team.
Nickname(s)Ümit Millî
(The Youth Team)
Ay-Yıldızlılar
(The Crescent-Stars)[1]
Bizim Çocuklar
(Our Guys)
(The Youth Team)
Ay-Yıldızlılar
(The Crescent-Stars)[1]
Bizim Çocuklar
(Our Guys)
AssociationTurkish Football Federation (TFF)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachEgemen Korkmaz[2]
| |||
| Nickname(s) | Ümit Millî (The Youth Team) Ay-Yıldızlılar (The Crescent-Stars)[1] Bizim Çocuklar (Our Guys) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Turkish Football Federation (TFF) | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Egemen Korkmaz[2] | ||
| Captain | Doğan Alemdar | ||
| Most caps | Nihat Kahveci (32) | ||
| Top scorer | Berkant Göktan (11) | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 Turkey 3–1 Egypt  (Ankara; 28 October 1950) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Turkey 5–0 Austria  (Istanbul; 15 November 1983) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Germany 7–0 Turkey (Berlin; 25 October 1983) | |||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2000) | ||
| Best result | Group stage | ||
History
This team is for Turkish players aged 21 or under at the start of a two-year UEFA European Under-21 Championship campaign, so players can be, and often are, up to 23 years old. Also in existence are teams for Under-20s (for non-UEFA tournaments), Under-19s and Under 17s. As long as they are eligible, players can play at any level, making it possible to play for the U-21s, senior side and again for the U-21s, as Oğuzhan Özyakup has done recently. It is also possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior level (providing the player is eligible).
Competitive Record
Summer Olympics record
UEFA European Under-21 Championship Record
| Edition | Round | M | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No host 1978 | did not qualify | |||||||||
| No host 1980 | ||||||||||
| No host 1982 | ||||||||||
| No host 1984 | ||||||||||
| No host 1986 | ||||||||||
| No host 1988 | ||||||||||
| No host 1990 | ||||||||||
| No host 1992 | ||||||||||
 1994 | ||||||||||
 1996 | ||||||||||
 1998 | ||||||||||
 2000 | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | -9 | ||
 2002 | did not qualify | |||||||||
| 2004 | ||||||||||
 2006 | ||||||||||
 2007 | ||||||||||
 2009 | ||||||||||
 2011 | ||||||||||
 2013 | ||||||||||
 2015 | ||||||||||
 2017 | ||||||||||
  2019 | ||||||||||
  2021 | ||||||||||
 2023 | ||||||||||
| 2025 | ||||||||||
  2027 |
To be determined | |||||||||
| Total:1/25 | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | -9 | ||
UEFA Under-23 Qualification
| # | Year | M | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1972 UEFA European Under-23 Championship | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | -8 |
| 2 | 1974 UEFA European Under-23 Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 |
| 3 | 1976 UEFA European Under-23 Championship | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 |
| Total | 3/3 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 16 | -13 |
UEFA Under-21 Qualification
- As of 2025
Toulon Tournament
- 2002 Toulon Tournament - 8th place
- 2004 Toulon Tournament - 7th place
- 2008 Toulon Tournament - 6th place
- 2012 Toulon Tournament - 2nd place
- 2018 Toulon Tournament - 3rd place
Results and fixtures
Win Draw Loss
2023
| 17 June International friendly | Turkey | 1–0 |  Azerbaijan | Istanbul, Turkey |
| 18:00 (19:00 TRT) | Stadium: Esenyurt Necmi Kadıoğlu Stadyumu Referee: Mehmet Türkmen (Turkey) |
| 20 June International friendly | Turkey | 4–1 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | Istanbul, Turkey |
| 19:00 (20:00 TRT) |
|
Stadium: Eyüp Stadı Referee: Abdullah Buğra Taşkınsoy (Turkey) |
| 8 September UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification | Republic of Ireland  | 3–2 | Turkey | Cork, Ireland |
| 20:30 | Andrew Moran  56'Zak Gilsenan 87' (pen.)Aidomo Emakhu 90+6'Sean Roughan  90+9' |
Report | Kenan Yıldız 22' (pen.) Cihan Çanak 76' |
Stadium: Turners Cross Referee: Joonas Jaanovits (Estonia) |
| 12 September UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification | Turkey | 0–2 | Italy | Adapazari, Turkey |
| 18:30 (19:30 TRT) | Report | Stadium: New Sakarya Atatürk Stadium Referee: Pierre Gaillouste (France) |
| 13 October UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification | Turkey | 5–0 | San Marino | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Stadium: Ümraniye Municipality City Stadium Referee: Viktor Shimusik (Belarus) |
| 17 October UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification | Latvia  | 2-1 | Turkey | Jelgava, Latvia |
|
|
Stadium: Zemgale Olympic Center |
| 17 November International friendly | Turkey | 1-1 | Slovenia | Turkey, Istanbul |
|
|
Stadium: Pendik Stadium |
| 21 November UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification | Turkey | 2-0 |  Norway | Alanya, Turkey |
| Stadium: Alanya Oba Stadium |
2024
| 22 March International friendly | Turkey | 2–1 | Georgia | Alanya, Turkey |
| 18:30 (20:30 TRT) |
|
Stadium: Alanya Oba Stadium Referee: Fevzi Erdem Akbas (Turkey) |
| 26 March 2024 2025 Championship qual. | Italy | 1–1 | Turkey | Ferrara, Italy |
| 18:15 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Stadio Paolo Mazza Referee: Cesar Soto Grado (Spain) |
| 3 June International friendly | Turkey | 2–1 |  Scotland | Istanbul, Turkey |
| 19:00 (20:30 TRT) |
|
Stadium: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium |
Players
Current squad
Players born on or after 1 January 2004 are eligible for 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying games.[3]
The following players were called up for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group H matches against Ukraine and Hungary on 26 September and 6 October 2026; respectively.[4]
Caps and goals updated as of 26 September 2026, after the match against Ukraine.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Serhat Öztaşdelen | 9 December 2004 | 0 | 0 | Kocaelispor |
| 23 | GK | Jankat Yılmaz | 16 August 2004 | 5 | 0 | Galatasaray |
| GK | Deniz Ertaş | 20 March 2005 | 6 | 0 | Konyaspor | |
| 2 | DF | Ayberk Karapo | 25 July 2004 | 20 | 0 | Kasımpaşa |
| 3 | DF | Yasin Özcan | 20 April 2006 | 21 | 0 | Beşiktaş |
| 4 | DF | Yiğit Efe Demir | 2 August 2004 | 7 | 0 | Fenerbahçe |
| 5 | DF | Yusuf Akçiçek | 25 January 2006 | 2 | 0 |  Al Hilal |
| 14 | DF | Deniz Ofli | 29 March 2007 | 2 | 0 | Karlsruher |
| 15 | DF | Hamza Güreler | 10 April 2006 | 13 | 1 | İstanbul Başakşehir |
| 22 | DF | Mertcan Ayhan | 8 September 2006 | 1 | 0 | Schalke 04 |
| 6 | MF | Yunus Emre Konak | 10 January 2006 | 16 | 0 |  Lincoln City |
| 8 | MF | Baran Ali Gezek | 26 August 2005 | 5 | 1 | Alanyaspor |
| 10 | MF | Emirhan İlkhan | 1 June 2004 | 12 | 3 | Torino |
| 16 | MF | İzzet Çelik | 20 June 2004 | 9 | 1 | Alanyaspor |
| 18 | MF | Hamza Akman | 27 September 2004 | 2 | 0 | Eyüpspor |
| 20 | MF | İsak Vural | 28 May 2006 | 5 | 0 | Pisa |
| MF | Emirhan Acar | 25 July 2005 | 1 | 0 | Erzurumspor | |
| MF | Emirhan Boz | 12 February 2006 | 1 | 0 | Kasımpaşa | |
| 7 | FW | İlhan Fakılı | 20 January 2006 | 2 | 0 | Beşiktaş |
| 9 | FW | Ali Habeșoğlu | 29 July 2004 | 9 | 3 | Trabzonspor |
| 11 | FW | Arda Usluoğlu | 12 October 2006 | 1 | 0 | Alanyaspor |
| 17 | FW | Melih Bostan | 8 April 2004 | 7 | 0 | Ümraniyespor |
| 19 | FW | Arda Çolak | 8 December 2004 | 1 | 0 | Iğdır |
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still eligible to represent.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Deniz Dilmen | 5 June 2005 | 1 | 0 | Pendikspor |
v.  Kosovo 3 June 2026 |
| GK | Onuralp Çevikkan | 2 January 2006 | 1 | 0 | Trabzonspor |
v. Kosovo 3 June 2026 |
| DF | Berkay Yılmaz | 25 February 2005 | 8 | 0 | 1. FC Nürnberg |
v. Kosovo 3 June 2026 |
| DF | Yusuf Kocatürk | 27 July 2004 | 0 | 0 | Ümraniyespor |
v. Kosovo 3 June 2026 |
| MF | Eyüp Aydın | 2 August 2004 | 9 | 0 | Kasımpaşa |
v. Kosovo 3 June 2026 |
| MF | Emre Demir | 15 January 2004 | 3 | 0 | Sakaryaspor |
v. Kosovo 3 June 2026 |
| MF | Salih Malkoçoğlu | 23 February 2005 | 1 | 1 | Trabzonspor |
v. Kosovo 3 June 2026 |
| FW | Poyraz Efe Yıldırım | 15 January 2005 | 10 | 1 | Sakaryaspor |
v. Kosovo 3 June 2026 |
| FW | Başar Önal | 6 July 2004 | 8 | 1 | NEC Nijmegen |
v. Kosovo 3 June 2026 |
| FW | Livan Burcu | 28 September 2004 | 7 | 1 | Union Berlin |
v. Kosovo 3 June 2026 |
| FW | Mustafa Erhan Hekimoğlu | 22 April 2007 | 7 | 1 | Beşiktaş |
v. Kosovo 3 June 2026 |
- SEN = Player have been called up to the senior team.
- INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury.
Player records
- As of 3 June 2024
Most appearances
The following is the top 10 most capped under-21 players:
| Rank | Name | Period | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berkant Göktan | 1998–2001 | 29 | 10 |
| Kemal Aslan | 2000–2003 | 29 | 5 | |
| 3 | Serkan Aykut | 1994–1997 | 24 | 12 |
| Erhan Albayrak | 1998–2000 | 24 | 7 | |
| Nihat Kahveci | 1998–2000 | 24 | 1 | |
| Feti Okuroğlu | 1990–1993 | 24 | 0 | |
| 7 | Serhat Akın | 2000–2002 | 23 | 12 |
| Güngör Öztürk | 1997–2000 | 23 | 2 | |
| 9 | Mehmet Topuz | 2004–2005 | 22 | 2 |
| Hüseyin Çimşir | 1998–2001 | 22 | 1 | |
| Ravil Tagir | 2019–present | 22 | 1 | |
| Metin Uzun | 1990–1995 | 22 | 1 | |
| Mehmet Nas | 1998–2001 | 22 | 0 | |
| Şenol Yavaş | 1992–1995 | 22 | 0 |
Top goalscorers
The following is the top 10 under-21 players goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Period | Goals | Caps | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serhat Akın | 2000–2002 | 12 | 23 | 0.52 |
| Serkan Aykut | 1994–1997 | 12 | 24 | 0.5 | |
| 3 | Tuncay Şanlı | 2002–2003 | 10 | 14 | 0.71 |
| Berkant Göktan | 1998–2001 | 10 | 29 | 0.34 | |
| 5 | Oktay Derelioğlu | 1994–1997 | 9 | 14 | 0.64 |
| 6 | Halil Dervişoğlu | 2018-2020 | 8 | 11 | 0.73 |
| 7 | Bertuğ Yıldırım | 2022-2024 | 7 | 11 | 0.64 |
| Erhan Albayrak | 1998-2000 | 7 | 24 | 0.29 | |
| 9 | Semih Kılıçsoy | 2024-present | 6 | 9 | 0.67 |
| Bülent Uygun | 1992–1993 | 6 | 14 | 0.43 | |
| Mustafa Özkan | 1996–1997 | 6 | 15 | 0.4 | |
| Emrah Başsan | 2012-2015 | 6 | 17 | 0.35 | |
| Enis Destan | 2021-2024 | 6 | 21 | 0.29 | |
| Semih Şentürk | 2003-2005 | 6 | 21 | 0.29 |
Former squads
Former players
- Abdullah Ercan
- Alpay Özalan
- Arda Turan
- Arif Erdem
- Berkant Göktan
- Bülent Korkmaz
- Colin Kazim-Richards
- Emre Aşık
- Emre Belözoğlu
- Fatih Terim
- Gökhan Töre
- Gökhan Zan
- Hakan Şükür
- Halil Altıntop
- Mehmet Topal
- Mehmet Topuz
- Nihat Kahveci
- Necati Ateş
- Nuri Şahin
- Okan Buruk
- Saffet Sancaklı
- Semih Şentürk
- Sergen Yalçın
- Tuncay Şanlı
- Ümit Özat
- Volkan Demirel
- Yıldıray Baştürk
Former Coaches
- 1957–1959:
Şeref Görkey - 1960–1962: Şeref Görkey
- 1976–1977: Candan Tarhan
- 1981–1982: Şeref Görkey
- 1984–1984: Yılmaz Gökdel
- 1990–1993: Fatih Terim
- 1993–1996: Erdoğan Arıca
- 1996–1998: Rıza Çalımbay
- 1998–2005: Raşit Çetiner
- 2005–2006: Reha Kapsal
- 2006–2006: Tolunay Kafkas
- 2006–2007: Ünal Karaman
- 2007–2008: Ümit Davala
- 2008–2010: Hami Mandıralı
- 2010–2012: Raşit Çetiner
- 2013–2018: Abdullah Ercan
- 2018–2018: Alpay Özalan
- 2018–2020: Vedat İnceefe
- 2020–2023: Tolunay Kafkas
- 2023–2024: Levent Sürme
- 2024–2025 Gökhan Gönül
- 2025–present Egemen Korkmaz
