Turkey national football team

Early years

The Turkish national team's first game was against Romania, played on 26 October 1923 at Taksim Stadium in Istanbul, a 2–2 draw.^[11] Zeki Rıza Sporel is considered as the first big star of Turkish football as he scored the first two goals against Romania. Turkey played their first ever official match at the 1924 Summer Olympics losing to Czechoslovakia, 5–2. The first two goals in an official game were scored by Bekir Refet.

1950s

Although Turkey qualified for the 1950 World Cup, beating Syria 7–0, they were forced to withdraw from the tournament due to financial problems.

Turkey then qualified for the 1954 World Cup after a play-off with Spain. They first lost 4–1 to Spain, but a 1–0 win a few days later initiated a replay (there was no clause for aggregate results in the rules at the time, which would have qualified Spain). On that occasion, they tied 2–2 after, booking their place after a coin toss. Turkey was grouped along with Hungary and West Germany. The Turks, however, never played Hungary due to the tournament format (Spain had been selected as a seeded team prior to the end of the qualification, and when Turkey qualified at their expense, they inherited the seed), and a 4–1 defeat by the Germans was followed by Turkey carrying out a 7–0 win over South Korea. Turkey lost the play-off game to West Germany 7–2.

In 1956, however, Turkey did play Hungary in a friendly match in Istanbul, defeating what was one of the strongest teams of the era, 3–1.^[12] Lefter Küçükandonyadis, arguably one of the best Turkish strikers of all time, scored two goals during the tournament.

Near misses

Despite the introduction of a national league, and showings by Turkish clubs in European competition, the 1960s would be a barren time for the national team. Most players from the 1954 World Cup squad had already retired, and the new generation of players failed to qualify for a major tournament.

The 1970s saw Turkey holding back in the World Cup and UEFA European Championship qualifiers, but the team was a point too short to qualify for both UEFA Euro 1972 and Euro 1976.

In the 1980s the Turks also suffered one of their worst defeats with 8–0 scorelines twice against England. The Turks had suffered an 8–0 defeat before against Poland in 1968. But the 1990 World Cup qualifiers would mark a turning point for Turkish football, with Turkey only missing out on qualification in the final match. Prominent players in this period included Rıdvan Dilmen, Oğuz Çetin, Rıza Çalımbay, Feyyaz Uçar, and European Golden Boot winner Tanju Çolak.

1990s

In 1990, coach Sepp Piontek was put in charge of the national team. Under his guidance, a group of new players debuted for the national team. Many of these players (which included Bülent Korkmaz, Alpay Özalan, Sergen Yalçın, Rüştü Reçber, and Hakan Şükür) would become the backbone of the national team for many years. Piontek's mission came to an end in 1993, when he was replaced by Fatih Terim, who in turn managed to qualify for Euro 1996. Turkey qualified for its first major tournament since 1954. The appointment of Piontek was a recommended move by another coach, Jupp Derwall, who had coached Galatasaray for three seasons.

Turkey qualified for Euro 1996, defeating both Switzerland and Sweden 2–1 during qualification. Despite a solid performance during the qualifiers, Turkey lost all their matches without scoring a single goal. They did, however, go home with an award: the fair play award, given to Özalan.

2000s

Although Turkey failed to qualify for the 1998 World Cup, they qualified for Euro 2000 after winning a play-off against the Republic of Ireland. Turkey lost their first match 2–1 to Italy, then drew their second match against Sweden 0–0, and beat host nation Belgium 2–0, making it the first time in the history of the UEFA European Championship a host nation had been eliminated in the first round. This victory brought Turkey into the quarter-finals of the tournament, where they were beaten 2–0 by Portugal, with Arif Erdem missing a penalty.

For the 2002 World Cup, Turkey finished second in their qualifying group, losing to Sweden in the match that would decide the number-one spot. The Turks were forced to play the play-offs against Austria. They defeated the Austrians 6–0 on aggregate and booked their place in the finals. The Turkish team started the 2002 World Cup with a 2–1 defeat against eventual winners Brazil.^[13] Turkey qualified from the group stage with a 3–0 win against China PR after drawing 1–1 with Costa Rica.^[14][15] Turkey then faced co-hosts Japan in the second round, winning 1–0.^[16] The Turkish team continued their run, as they beat Senegal 1–0 on a golden goal to book their place in the semi-finals, where a 1–0 defeat against eventual tournament winners Brazil forced them to play the third-place match. The Turks won the bronze medal after a 3–2 victory over co-hosts South Korea.^[17][18][19] Hakan Şükür scored Turkey's first goal in 10.8 seconds, despite the South Koreans kicking off first. It was the fastest goal in World Cup history.^[20][21] Tens of thousands of flag-waving Turkish fans greeted the World Cup squad on their return to Istanbul, where they joined a massive street party at Taksim Square.^[22] Rüştü Reçber, Alpay Özalan and Hasan Şaş were all included in the All-Star Team, with Reçber also being voted as the best goalkeeper in the UEFA Team of the Year 2002, while Şenol Güneş was being voted as the best manager.

In 2003, Turkey finished third at the FIFA Confederations Cup. In the group stage, Turkey defeated the United States 2–1 before losing to Cameroon 1–0. In their final group match, Turkey drew 2–2 against Brazil, eliminating them from the tournament. Turkey lost to eventual tournament winners France 3–2 in the semi-finals, and then defeated Colombia 2–1 in the third-place match. Tuncay scored three goals and an assist, which won him the Silver Shoe Award and the Silver Ball Award for the second-best player of the tournament.

The Turks failed to qualify for Euro 2004 after Latvia won the qualification play-offs. They also missed out on the 2006 World Cup after failing to win the play-offs, this time on away goals against Switzerland, again after finishing second in their group.

Turkey qualified for their first international tournament in six years by finishing second behind Greece in Euro 2008 qualifying Group C to reach the tournament. They were placed alongside Switzerland, Portugal, and the Czech Republic in Group A. In their first match, they played Portugal and were beaten 2–0, but wins over Switzerland (2–1) and the Czech Republic (3–2) – both secured by late goals – meant qualification for the knockout stages.^[23][24][25] Turkey knocked out a host nation – Switzerland – in the group stages for the second time.^[26]

The quarter-final against Croatia was goalless after 90 minutes, and Croatia led 1–0 in the final minute of extra time, but another late Turkish goal by forward Semih Şentürk brought the game to penalties. The goal raised some controversy with Croatia fans and Croatia head coach Slaven Bilić, who claimed that the goal had been scored after extra time had elapsed. This complaint, however, was overruled, and the game went into penalties. Turkey defeated Croatia in penalties, 3–1.^[27]

Turkey went into the semi-final against Germany with just 14 outfield players available as a result of injuries and suspensions but scored first and were drawing 2–2. But they finished third by default after losing 3–2 with a last-minute goal by Philipp Lahm.^[28]

2010s

Turkey was drawn in UEFA Group 5 together with Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia and Spain. Turkey had a mixed qualifying campaign, finishing with 15 points and missing out on a play-off place to Bosnia and Herzegovina with 19 points. Spain topped the group to qualify, winning every game in the process. Coach Fatih Terim announced he would be resigning his post following their failure to qualify.^[29]

Turkey was drawn in Group A in qualification for Euro 2012, together with Kazakhstan, Austria, Belgium, Germany and Azerbaijan. The Turks reached the play-offs after beating Azerbaijan 1–0 but were eliminated 3–0 on aggregate by Croatia.

On 14 November 2012, Turkey celebrated their 500th match in a friendly game played against Denmark at the Türk Telekom Arena, Istanbul, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Before the match, footballers and coaches, who contributed to the national team's success in the past, were honored. Turkish pop singer Hadise, who wore a national team jersey with the number 500, performed a small concert.^[30][31]

Turkey was drawn in Group D in qualification for the 2014 World Cup, together with Andorra, Estonia, Hungary, the Netherlands and Romania, finishing fourth. Abdullah Avcı was sacked soon after. Fatih Terim was put in charge for the third time to lead the national team, but a 2–0 defeat against the Netherlands ended hopes of qualification.

Grouped in Group A in the qualification campaign for Euro 2016, with Iceland, Latvia, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, the team qualified for their first major tournament in eight years as the best third-placed team after beating Iceland 1–0, with Selçuk İnan netting a free kick in the 89th minute, along with Kazakhstan beating Latvia 1–0.^{[32][33][34][35][36]} After a year and a half of going unbeaten, a loss to England as a pre-tournament friendly ended the team's winning streak, subsequently leading to back-to-back losses against Croatia and Spain in the tournament. Turkey won their last game against the Czech Republic, 2–0. They nearly reached the last 16 until a late winner for Ireland against Italy meant that the latter instead qualified as one of the best third-placed teams.^[37]

Placed with Croatia, Finland, Iceland, Kosovo and Ukraine for 2018 World Cup qualifying, manager Fatih Terim left after an off-field incident,^[38] and 72-year-old former Romania manager Mircea Lucescu took over. After seven matches, Turkey were in pole position to qualify for the tournament, First, they boosted their World Cup hopes by beating Croatia 1–0, but a 3–0 defeat to Iceland at home ended automatic qualification hopes. After a 2–2 draw against Finland, the team finished fourth in Group I.

Turkey was drawn with Russia and Sweden in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League B and performed poorly, leading to a bottom finish. In the first game at home against 2018 World Cup host and quarter-finalist Russia, Turkey lost 2–1. Turkey then put up its best performance in the League, winning 3–2 against Sweden on Swedish soil. However, Turkey could not extend their performances and lost to Russia in Sochi before suffering a humiliating 1–0 home loss to Sweden, thus initially relegating Turkey to League C. However, UEFA rule changes meant Turkey was allowed to remain in League B.

Turkey was drawn in Group H in the qualifying stages of Euro 2020 along with 2018 World Cup champions France, Iceland, Albania, Moldova, and Andorra. Veteran coach Şenol Güneş revolutionized the team, with many young talents, combining them with experienced players like Burak Yılmaz and Emre Belözoglu. The team eventually managed to achieve a 2–0 victory against France in Konya and a 1–1 draw at the Stade de France. Turkey then struggled against Andorra in their first match, winning after an 89th-minute goal at Vodafone Park in Istanbul. Turkey's only defeat in the group came against Iceland in Reykjavík, losing 2–1. The defeat came after the ill-treatment of the Turkish group at the Iceland customs, keeping them at the airport for three hours. This was followed by an Icelandic supporter holding a toilet brush to team captain Emre Belozoglu as a pretend microphone during an interview. The events were heavily criticized by the Turkish and European media. Turkey entered matchday nine as group leaders with 19 points. They and Iceland drew 0–0 at Turk Telekom Arena in Istanbul. After finishing behind France, a draw was enough to secure Turkey a spot in Euro 2020 finals, ahead of their away match against Andorra.^[39]

2020s

After qualifying for Euro 2020, which would be postponed to June and July 2021 due to COVID-19, Turkey was drawn against Russia, alongside Hungary, and Serbia in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B. They performed poorly in their two opening games in September 2020. The first game against Hungary at home saw Turkey suffer a 1–0 defeat courtesy of a free kick from Dominik Szoboszlai. Playing in Belgrade, following Aleksandar Kolarov's red card, the Turks were held goalless against Serbia. This hampered their chances of qualifying for League A, as their next opponents in October would be Russia (a country that Turkey hasn't beaten since 1975) and Hungary.

In Moscow, Turkey drew 1–1 after Kenan Karaman's equalizer. The Turkish side then drew 2–2 against Serbia at home.^[40]

Against Russia, Denis Cheryshev scored for the Russians to take an early lead making the Turkish side look hapless. But after Russia's red card reduced the side to ten men, the Turks eventually won 3–2.^[41][42][43] The Turks then traveled to Hungary with the hope that a win against the Hungarians could mean possible promotion, if Russia lost to Serbia. While Russia suffered a humiliating 5–0 defeat away in Belgrade, Turkey also lost 2–0 to the Hungarians. That meant Turkey and Serbia were tied on points, but they were relegated after they lost the head-to-head away goals tiebreaker, 2–0.^[44][45][46] Such an outcome also meant Turkey would have to fight to get a direct Qatar 2022 ticket as play-off qualification appeared slim with their relegation, in which the 2022 World Cup qualifiers that started in March 2021.

Turkey had the honor of opening the Euro 2021 finals, but with Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne scoring, Turkey fell 3–0 to Italy. Roberto Mancini's side had been frustrated by Turkey's defensive approach in the first half but broke through in the 53rd minute when a hard-hit cross from Domenico Berardi flew in off Turkish defender Merih Demiral for an own goal. They went on to lose the next two games to both Switzerland and Wales, losing all three games alongside debutants North Macedonia.

In the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Turkey was drawn into Group G with the Netherlands, Norway, Montenegro, Latvia, and Gibraltar. After they finished second in their group behind the Netherlands,^[47][48][49] they entered 2022 FIFA World Cup UEFA playoffs against Portugal^[50][51] but they lost 3–1 in a game that Burak Yılmaz missed a crucial penalty to equalise and thus failed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.^[52] Afterwards, he announced his international retirement.^[53][54]

In 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C, they were drawn in Group 1 with Luxembourg, the Faroe Islanders, Lithuania. They were promoted to League B after recording 13 points in six games. Their Nations League success not only rewarded them a playoff place should they fail to qualify directly,^[55] but also an easier draw in Group D with Croatia, Wales, Armenia, and Latvia. They subsequently qualified directly on 16 October 2023 and finished first on 19 November 2023.^[56][57][58]

Turkey took part in Euro 2024 Group F together with Portugal, Czech Republic and play-off winner Georgia and finished the group in 2nd place. The team reached the quarter-finals by beating Austria 2–1, then lost to the Netherlands 2–1 and finished the tournament in 5th place.^[59]

In 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B, they were drawn in Group 4 with Iceland, Montenegro, and Wales. Turkey finished second behind Wales following a 3–1 defeat to Montenegro in their final match.^[60] In the promotion play-offs against Hungary in March 2025, Turkey secured a 6–1 aggregate victory (3–1 and 3–0), earning promotion to League A for the first time and their first win over Hungary in 18 years.^[61]

In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Turkey was drawn into Group E alongside Euro 2024 champions Spain, Georgia, and Bulgaria.^[62] Despite earning a 2–2 away draw against Spain in their final group match in November 2025 and winning both home and away matches against Bulgaria and Georgia, Turkey finished second due to an inferior goal difference, largely influenced by a 0–6 home defeat earlier in September, and thus advanced to the play-offs for the second consecutive time.^[63]

Drawn into Path C, Turkey defeated Romania 1–0 in the semi-finals in Istanbul on 26 March 2026, courtesy of a 53rd-minute goal by Ferdi Kadıoğlu.^[64] In the final, played away against Kosovo in Pristina on 31 March, Turkey secured a 1–0 victory through a 53rd-minute strike by Kerem Aktürkoğlu, qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, their first appearance in 24 years.^[65]

2030s

Turkey is set to take part of the UEFA Euro 2032 having automatically qualified as co-host along with Italy who also automatically qualified as co-host.

2025

United States  v  Turkey

7 June Friendly	United States	1–2	Turkey	East Hartford, Connecticut, United States
15:30 EDT (UTC−04:00)	McGlynn 1'	Report	Güler 24' Aktürkoğlu 27'	Stadium: Pratt & Whitney Stadium Attendance: 34,023[80] Referee: Fernando Morón (Panama)

Mexico  v  Turkey

10 June Friendly	Mexico	1–0	Turkey	Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
20:30 EDT (UTC−04:00)	Pineda 45'	Report		Stadium: Kenan Stadium Attendance: 25,606[81] Referee: Moeth Gaymes (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

Georgia  v  Turkey

4 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Georgia	2–3	Turkey	Tbilisi, Georgia
20:00 GET (UTC+04:00)	Davitashvili 63' Kvaratskhelia 90+8'	Report	Müldür 3' Aktürkoğlu 41', 52'	Stadium: Boris Paichadze National Stadium Attendance: 44,238[82] Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)

Turkey  v  Spain

7 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Turkey	0–6	Spain	Konya, Turkey
21:45 TRT (UTC+03:00)		Report	Pedri 6', 62' Merino 22', 45+1', 57' Torres 53'	Stadium: Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium Attendance: 32,059[83] Referee: Michael Oliver (England)

Bulgaria  v  Turkey

11 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Bulgaria	1–6	Turkey	Sofia, Bulgaria
21:45 EEST (UTC+03:00)	Kirilov 13'	Report	Güler 11' Popov 49' (o.g.) Yıldız 52', 56' Çelik 66' Kahveci 90+3'	Stadium: Vasil Levski National Stadium Attendance: 10,059[84] Referee: Luis Godinho (Portugal)

Turkey  v  Georgia

14 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Turkey	4–1	Georgia	İzmit, Turkey
21:45 TRT (UTC+03:00)	Yıldız 14' Demiral 22', 52' Akgün 35'	Report	Kochorashvili 64'	Stadium: Kocaeli Stadium Attendance: 26,633[85] Referee: Radu Petrescu (Romania)

Turkey  v  Bulgaria

15 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Turkey	2–0	Bulgaria	Bursa, Turkey
20:00 TRT (UTC+03:00)	Çalhanoğlu 18' (pen.) Chernev 83' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Centennial Atatürk Stadium Attendance: 42,756[86] Referee: Nick Walsh (Scotland)

Spain  v  Turkey

18 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Spain	2–2	Turkey	Seville, Spain
20:45 CET (UTC+01:00)	Olmo 4' Oyarzabal 62'	Report	Gül 42' Özcan 54'	Stadium: Estadio de La Cartuja Attendance: 30,812[87] Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany)

2026

Turkey  v  Romania

26 March 2026 World Cup qualification play-offs	Turkey	1–0	Romania	Istanbul, Turkey
20:00 TRT (UTC+03:00)	Kadıoğlu 53'	Report		Stadium: Beşiktaş Stadium Attendance: 38,979[88] Referee: François Letexier (France)

Kosovo  v  Turkey

31 March 2026 World Cup qualification play-offs	Kosovo	0–1	Turkey	Pristina, Kosovo
20:45 CEST (UTC+02:00)		Report	Aktürkoğlu 53'	Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium Attendance: 12,887[89] Referee: Michael Oliver (England)

Turkey  v  North Macedonia

1 June Friendly	Turkey	4–0	North Macedonia	Istanbul, Turkey
20:30 TRT (UTC+03:00)	Kökçü 2' Uzun 16' Gül 53' Yılmaz 70'	Report		Stadium: Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium Attendance: 33,994[90] Referee: José Luis Munuera Montero (Spain)

Venezuela  v  Turkey

6 June Friendly	Venezuela	v	Turkey	Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
18:00 EDT (UTC−04:00)				Stadium: Inter Miami CF Stadium

Australia  v  Turkey

13 June 2026 FIFA World Cup	Australia	v	Turkey	Vancouver, Canada
21:00 PDT (UTC−07:00)		Report		Stadium: BC Place

Turkey  v  Paraguay

19 June 2026 FIFA World Cup	Turkey	v	Paraguay	Santa Clara, California, United States
20:00 PDT (UTC−07:00)		Report		Stadium: Levi's Stadium

Turkey  v  United States

25 June 2026 FIFA World Cup	Turkey	v	United States	Inglewood, California, United States
19:00 PDT (UTC−07:00)		Report		Stadium: SoFi Stadium

Turkey  v  France

25 September 2026–27 UEFA Nations League A	Turkey	v	France	Turkey
21:45 TRT (UTC+03:00)		Report

Turkey  v  Italy

28 September 2026–27 UEFA Nations League A	Turkey	v	Italy	Turkey
21:45 TRT (UTC+03:00)		Report

Belgium  v  Turkey

2 October 2026–27 UEFA Nations League A	Belgium	v	Turkey	Brussels, Belgium
20:45 CEST (UTC+02:00)		Report		Stadium: King Baudouin Stadium

Italy  v  Turkey

5 October 2026–27 UEFA Nations League A	Italy	v	Turkey	Italy
20:45 CEST (UTC+02:00)		Report

Turkey  v  Belgium

12 November 2026–27 UEFA Nations League A	Turkey	v	Belgium	Turkey
20:00 TRT (UTC+03:00)		Report

France  v  Turkey

15 November 2026–27 UEFA Nations League A	France	v	Turkey	Bordeaux, France
20:45 CET (UTC+01:00)		Report		Stadium: Stade Atlantique

Current squad

The following 26 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.^[93]
Caps and goals are correct as of 2 June 2026^[update], after the match against North Macedonia.^[94]

More information No., Pos. ...

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Mert Günok	(1989-03-01) 1 March 1989 (age 37)	37	0	Fenerbahçe
12	1GK	Altay Bayındır	(1998-04-14) 14 April 1998 (age 28)	12	0	Manchester United
23	1GK	Uğurcan Çakır	(1996-04-05) 5 April 1996 (age 30)	38	0	Galatasaray
2	2DF	Zeki Çelik (fifth captain)	(1997-02-17) 17 February 1997 (age 29)	60	3	Roma
3	2DF	Merih Demiral (third captain)	(1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 28)	61	6	Al-Ahli
4	2DF	Çağlar Söyüncü (fourth captain)	(1996-05-23) 23 May 1996 (age 30)	60	2	Fenerbahçe
13	2DF	Eren Elmalı	(2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 (age 25)	22	0	Galatasaray
14	2DF	Abdülkerim Bardakcı	(1994-09-07) 7 September 1994 (age 31)	26	2	Galatasaray
15	2DF	Ozan Kabak	(2000-03-25) 25 March 2000 (age 26)	29	2	TSG Hoffenheim
18	2DF	Mert Müldür	(1999-04-03) 3 April 1999 (age 27)	44	3	Fenerbahçe
20	2DF	Ferdi Kadıoğlu	(1999-10-07) 7 October 1999 (age 26)	30	2	Brighton & Hove Albion
25	2DF	Samet Akaydin	(1994-05-13) 13 May 1994 (age 32)	19	1	Çaykur Rizespor
5	3MF	Salih Özcan	(1998-01-11) 11 January 1998 (age 28)	29	1	Borussia Dortmund
6	3MF	Orkun Kökçü	(2000-12-29) 29 December 2000 (age 25)	49	4	Beşiktaş
10	3MF	Hakan Çalhanoğlu (captain)	(1994-02-08) 8 February 1994 (age 32)	104	22	Inter Milan
16	3MF	İsmail Yüksek	(1999-01-26) 26 January 1999 (age 27)	31	1	Fenerbahçe
22	3MF	Kaan Ayhan (vice-captain)	(1994-11-10) 10 November 1994 (age 31)	73	5	Galatasaray
7	4FW	Kerem Aktürkoğlu	(1998-10-21) 21 October 1998 (age 27)	51	15	Fenerbahçe
8	4FW	Arda Güler	(2005-02-25) 25 February 2005 (age 21)	28	6	Real Madrid
9	4FW	Deniz Gül	(2004-07-02) 2 July 2004 (age 21)	7	2	Porto
11	4FW	Kenan Yıldız	(2005-05-04) 4 May 2005 (age 21)	28	5	Juventus
17	4FW	İrfan Can Kahveci	(1995-07-15) 15 July 1995 (age 30)	46	6	Kasımpaşa
19	4FW	Yunus Akgün	(2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 (age 25)	18	3	Galatasaray
21	4FW	Barış Alper Yılmaz	(2000-05-23) 23 May 2000 (age 26)	34	3	Galatasaray
24	4FW	Oğuz Aydın	(2000-10-27) 27 October 2000 (age 25)	10	0	Fenerbahçe
26	4FW	Can Uzun	(2005-11-11) 11 November 2005 (age 20)	5	1	Eintracht Frankfurt

Close

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the team within the last twelve months.

More information Pos., Player ...

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Muhammed Şengezer	(1997-01-05) 5 January 1997 (age 29)	1	0	İstanbul Başakşehir	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
GK	Ersin Destanoğlu	(2001-01-01) 1 January 2001 (age 25)	0	0	Beşiktaş	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
GK	Berke Özer	(2000-05-25) 25 May 2000 (age 26)	2	0	Lille	v.  Georgia, 14 October 2025
DF	Yusuf Akçiçek	(2006-01-25) 25 January 2006 (age 20)	3	0	Al-Hilal	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF	Mustafa Eskihellaç	(1997-05-05) 5 May 1997 (age 29)	3	0	Trabzonspor	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF	Ahmetcan Kaplan	(2003-01-16) 16 January 2003 (age 23)	0	0	NEC	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF	Yasin Özcan	(2006-04-20) 20 April 2006 (age 20)	1	0	Beşiktaş	v.  Romania, 26 March 2026 TRA
DF	Yiğit Demir	(2004-08-02) 2 August 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Fenerbahçe	v.  Romania, 26 March 2026 TRA
DF	Hamza Güreler	(2006-04-10) 10 April 2006 (age 20)	0	0	Başakşehir	v.  Romania, 26 March 2026 TRA
DF	Emirhan Topçu	(2000-10-11) 11 October 2000 (age 25)	2	0	Beşiktaş	v.  Spain, 18 November 2025
DF	Ayberk Karapo	(2004-07-21) 21 July 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Manisa	v.  Bulgaria, 15 November 2025 TRA
MF	Atakan Karazor	(1996-10-13) 13 October 1996 (age 29)	2	0	VfB Stuttgart	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF	Demir Ege Tıknaz	(2004-08-17) 17 August 2004 (age 21)	2	0	Beşiktaş	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF	Eyüp Aydın	(2005-08-02) 2 August 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Kasımpaşa	v.  Romania, 26 March 2026 TRA
MF	Baran Gezek	(2005-08-26) 26 August 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Eyüpspor	v.  Romania, 26 March 2026 TRA
MF	Barış Kalaycı	(2005-08-30) 30 August 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Fatih Karagümrük	v.  Romania, 26 March 2026 TRA
MF	İsak Vural	(2006-05-28) 28 May 2006 (age 20)	0	0	Pisa	v.  Spain, 18 November 2025
FW	Yusuf Sarı	(1998-11-20) 20 November 1998 (age 27)	6	1	Başakşehir	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
FW	Aral Şimşir	(2002-06-19) 19 June 2002 (age 23)	1	0	Midtjylland	2026 FIFA World Cup PRE
FW	Semih Kılıçsoy	(2005-08-15) 15 August 2005 (age 20)	4	0	Cagliari	v.  Kosovo, 31 March 2026
FW	Ahmed Kutucu	(2000-03-01) 1 March 2000 (age 26)	4	0	Galatasaray	v.  Spain, 18 November 2025
Notes PRE = Preliminary squad/standby. INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury. SUS = Player is suspended. RET = Retired from international football. TRA = Player is included for training purposes only.

Close

Most appearances

Top goalscorers

Most clean sheets

Centuriate goals

As of 18 November 2025.^[97][98]

More information Goal no., Date ...

Goal no.	Date	Scorer	Opponent	Result
1st	26 October 1923	Zeki Rıza Sporel	Romania	2–2
100th	23 June 1954	Mustafa Ertan	West Germany	2–7
200th	14 February 1973	Osman Arpacıoğlu	Algeria	4–0
300th	27 February 1991	Uğur Tütüneker	Yugoslavia	1–1
400th	27 March 1999	Sergen Yalçın	Moldova	2–0
500th	9 October 2004	Fatih Tekke	Kazakhstan	4–0
600th	5 September 2009	Arda Turan	Estonia	4–2
700th	3 September 2015	Selçuk İnan	Latvia	1–1
800th	13 November 2021	Kerem Aktürkoğlu	Gibraltar	6–0
900th	18 November 2025	Deniz Gül	Spain	2–2

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FIFA World Cup

More information FIFA World Cup record, Qualification record ...

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Rank	M	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		M	W	D	L	GF	GA	Link
1930	Did not enter										Did not enter						Link
1934	Withdrew										Withdrew						Link
1938	Did not enter										Did not enter						Link
1950	Qualified but withdrew										1	1	0	0	7	0	Link
1954	Group stage	9th	3	1	0	2	10	11	Squad		3	1	1	1	4	6	Link
1958	Withdrew										Withdrew						Link
1962	Did not qualify										4	2	0	2	4	4	Link
1966											6	1	0	5	4	19	Link
1970											4	0	0	4	2	13	Link
1974											6	2	2	2	5	3	Link
1978											6	2	1	3	9	5	Link
1982											8	0	0	8	1	22	Link
1986											8	0	1	7	2	24	Link
1990											8	3	1	4	12	10	Link
1994											10	3	1	6	11	19	Link
1998											8	4	2	2	21	9	Link
2002	Third place	3rd	7	4	1	2	10	6	Squad		12	8	3	1	24	8	Link
2006	Did not qualify										14	7	5	2	27	13	Link
2010											10	4	3	3	13	10	Link
2014											10	5	1	4	16	9	Link
2018											10	4	3	3	14	13	Link
2022											11	6	3	2	28	19	Link
2026	Qualified								Squad		8	6	1	1	19	12	Link
2030	To be determined
2034
Total:3/23	Third place	3rd	10	5	1	4	20	17	—		146	59	28	60	223	218	Link

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More information Year, Round ...

Turkey's FIFA World Cup history
Year	Round	Score	Result	Date	Venue
1954	Group 2	Turkey 1–4  West Germany	Loss	17 June 1954	Bern, Switzerland
		Turkey 7–0  South Korea	Win	20 June 1954	Geneva, Switzerland
		Turkey 2–7  West Germany	Loss	23 June 1954	Zürich, Switzerland
2002	Group C	Turkey 1–2  Brazil	Loss	3 June 2002	Ulsan, South Korea
		Turkey 1–1  Costa Rica	Draw	9 June 2002	Incheon, South Korea
		Turkey 3–0  China	Win	13 June 2002	Seoul, South Korea
	Round of 16	Turkey 1–0  Japan	Win	18 June 2002	Rifu, Japan
	Quarter-final	Turkey 1–0 (a.s.d.e.t.)  Senegal	Win	22 June 2002	Osaka, Japan
	Semi-final	Turkey 0–1  Brazil	Loss	26 June 2002	Saitama, Japan
	Third place play-off	Turkey 3–2  South Korea	Win	29 June 2002	Daegu, South Korea

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UEFA European Championship

More information UEFA European Championship record, Qualification record ...

UEFA European Championship record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Rank	M	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		M	W	D	L	GF	GA	Link
1960	Did not qualify										2	1	0	1	2	3	Link
1964											2	0	0	2	0	7	Link
1968											6	1	2	3	3	8	Link
1972											6	2	1	3	5	13	Link
1976											6	2	2	2	5	10	Link
1980											6	3	1	2	5	5	Link
1984											8	3	1	4	8	16	Link
1988											6	0	2	4	2	16	Link
1992											6	0	0	6	1	14	Link
1996	Group stage	16th	3	0	0	3	0	5	Squad		8	4	3	1	16	8	Link
2000	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	1	2	3	4	Squad		10	5	4	1	16	7	Link
2004	Did not qualify										10	6	2	2	19	8	Link
2008	Semi-finals	3rd	5	2	1	2	8	9	Squad		12	7	3	2	25	11	Link
2012	Did not qualify										12	5	3	4	13	14	Link
2016	Group stage	17th	3	1	0	2	2	4	Squad		10	5	3	2	14	9	Link
2020		24th	3	0	0	3	1	8	Squad		10	7	2	1	18	3	Link
2024	Quarter-finals	7th	5	3	0	2	8	8	Squad		8	5	2	1	14	7	Link
2028	To be determined										To be determined						Link
2032	Qualified as co-hosts										Qualified as co-hosts						Link
2036	To be determined										To be determined						Link
Total	Semi-finals	6/19	23	7	2	14	22	38			128	56	31	41	166	159	Link

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More information Year, Round ...

Turkey's UEFA European Championship history
Year	Round	Score	Result	Date	Venue
1996	Group D	Turkey 0–1  Croatia	Loss	11 June 1996	Nottingham, England
		Turkey 0–1  Portugal	Loss	14 June 1996	Nottingham, England
		Turkey 0–3  Denmark	Loss	19 June 1996	Sheffield, England
2000	Group B	Turkey 1–2  Italy	Loss	11 June 2000	Arnhem, Netherlands
		Turkey 0–0  Sweden	Draw	15 June 2000	Eindhoven, Netherlands
		Turkey 2–0  Belgium	Win	19 June 2000	Brussels, Belgium
	Quarter-final	Turkey 0–2  Portugal	Loss	24 June 2000	Amsterdam, Netherlands
2008	Group A	Turkey 0–2  Portugal	Loss	7 June 2008	Geneva, Switzerland
		Turkey 2–1   Switzerland	Win	11 June 2008	Basel, Switzerland
		Turkey 3–2  Czech Republic	Win	15 June 2008	Geneva, Switzerland
	Quarter-final	Turkey 1–1 (3–1 p)  Croatia	Draw	20 June 2008	Wien, Austria
	Semi-final	Turkey 2–3  Germany	Loss	25 June 2008	Basel, Switzerland
2016	Group D	Turkey 0–1  Croatia	Loss	12 June 2016	Paris, France
		Turkey 0–3  Spain	Loss	17 June 2016	Nice, France
		Turkey 2–0  Czech Republic	Win	21 June 2016	Lens, France
2020	Group A	Turkey 0–3  Italy	Loss	11 June 2021	Rome, Italy
		Turkey 0–2  Wales	Loss	16 June 2021	Baku, Azerbaijan
		Turkey 1–3   Switzerland	Loss	20 June 2021	Baku, Azerbaijan
2024	Group F	Turkey 3–1  Georgia	Win	18 June 2024	Dortmund, Germany
		Turkey 0–3  Portugal	Loss	22 June 2024	Dortmund, Germany
		Turkey 2–1  Czech Republic	Win	26 June 2024	Hamburg, Germany
	Round of 16	Turkey 2–1  Austria	Win	2 July 2024	Leipzig, Germany
	Quarter-final	Turkey 1–2  Netherlands	Loss	6 July 2024	Berlin, Germany

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UEFA Nations League

More information UEFA Nations League record, Season ...

UEFA Nations League record
Season	Division	Group	M	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK
2018–19	B	2	4	1	0	3	4	7		22nd
2020–21	B	3	6	1	3	2	6	8		29th
2022–23	C	1	6	4	1	1	18	5		35th
2024–25	B	4	8	5	2	1	15	7		23rd
2026–27
Total			24	11	6	7	43	27	22nd

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FIFA Confederations Cup

More information FIFA Confederations Cup record, Year ...

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1992	Did not qualify
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003	Third place	3rd	5	2	1	2	8	8	Squad
2005	Did not qualify
2009
2013
2017
Total	Third place	1/10	5	2	1	2	8	8	—

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Olympic Games

For 1968–1988 see this page. Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.

More information Olympic Games record, Year ...

Olympic Games record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1924	Round 1	13th	1	0	0	1	2	5	Squad
1928		14th	1	0	0	1	1	7	Squad
1936		15th	1	0	0	1	0	1	Squad
1948	Quarter-finals	6th	2	1	0	1	5	3	Squad
1952		8th	2	1	0	1	3	8	Squad
1956	Withdrew
1960	Round 1	14th	3	0	1	2	3	10	Squad
1964	Did not qualify
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984	Withdrew
1988	Did not qualify
Since 1992	See Turkey national under-23 football team
Total	Quarter-finals	6/14	10	2	1	7	14	34	—

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Mediterranean Games

More information Mediterranean Games record, Year ...

Mediterranean Games record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1951	Did not participate
1955
1959	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	1	0	7	4
1963	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	1	1	12	7
1967	Fourth place	4th	5	2	1	2	5	7
1971	Third place	3rd	4	3	1	0	4	1
1975	Group stage	7th	4	0	2	2	1	5
1979	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	2	2
1983	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	0	2	4	5
1987	Third place	3rd	5	3	0	2	6	2
1991–present	See Turkey national under-20 football team
Total	Runners-up	8/10	32	15	7	10	41	33

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Mediterranean Cup

More information Mediterranean Cup record, Year ...

Mediterranean Cup record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1949	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	0	1	7	6
1950–53	Fourth place	4th	3	6	1	1	4	4
1953–58	Fourth place	4th	8	2	3	3	7	7
Total	Runners-up	3/3	14	10	4	5	18	17

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Balkan Cup

More information Balkan Cup record, Year ...

Balkan Cup record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1929–31	Did not participate
1931	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	3	5
1932	Did not participate
1933
1934–35
1935
1936
1946
1947
1948
1973–76	Semi-finals	4th	2	1	0	1	6	7
1977–80	Group stage	3rd	4	1	1	2	4	8
Total	Runners-up	3/12	8	3	1	4	13	20

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ECO Cup

More information ECO Cup record, Year ...

ECO Cup record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1965	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	1	0	3	1
1967	Champions	1st	4	2	2	0	8	4
1969	Champions	1st	4	2	2	0	8	2
1970	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	1	0	4	2
1974	Champions	1st	3	2	1	0	3	2
1993	Did not participate
Total	3 titles	5/6	16	9	7	0	26	11

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