Only 23 FIFA ranking places separate USA, Türkiye, Australia and Paraguay, making Group D the most balanced group.
Turkey
Returning after 24-year absence · UEFA · 3rd World Cup appearance · Group D
Featured facts
Turkey won both UEFA play-off matches 1-0, with the winning goal arriving in the 53rd minute both times.
Turkey lost both of their previous World Cup opening games: 1-4 vs West Germany (1954) and 1-2 vs Brazil (2002). In both games they scored first.
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Turkey have won 4 of their last 6 World Cup matches (4W-1D-1L).
Turkey have kept 3 clean sheets in their last 5 World Cup matches, scoring 8 goals at the other end.
Turkey have won 5 of their last 6 international matches (5W-1D-0L).
Turkey are unbeaten in their last 8 international matches (7W-1D-0L).
Turkey have won their last 4 international matches, scoring 8 and conceding 1 goals.
Turkey have kept 3 clean sheets in their last 5 international matches, scoring 10 goals at the other end.
Turkey have scored in each of their last 8 international matches, netting 22 goals in total.
2026 Fixtures
World Cup record
3
World Cup appearances
Best result: Third place
10
matches played
5 won · 1 drawn · 4 lost
+3
goal difference
20 scored · 17 conceded
Recent World Cups
All-time top scorers
1Ilhan Mansiz3goals
2Mamat Suat3goals
3Sargin Burhan3goals
4Umit Davala2goals
5Kucukandonyanides Lefter2goals
6Hasan Sas2goals
7Hakan Sukur1goal
8Erol Keskin1goal
9Erton Mustafa1goal
10Emre Belözoglu1goal
Team profile
Turkey's best World Cup finish is a third-place finish, reached in 2002.
Turkey have an average squad age of 27.2 at the 2026 World Cup.
2026 Squad
| # | Name | Birthdate (Age) | Club | WC Apps | WC Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mert GünokG | 1 Mar 1989(37) | Fenerbahçe | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Zeki ÇelikD | 17 Feb 1997(29) | Roma | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Merih DemiralD | 5 Mar 1998(28) | Al-Ahli | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Çağlar SöyüncüD | 23 May 1996(30) | Fenerbahçe | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Salih ÖzcanM | 11 Jan 1998(28) | Borussia Dortmund | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Orkun KökçüM | 29 Dec 2000(25) | Beşiktaş | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Kerem AktürkoğluF | 21 Oct 1998(27) | Fenerbahçe | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Arda GülerF | 25 Feb 2005(21) | Real Madrid | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Deniz GülF | 2 Jul 2004(21) | Porto | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Hakan ÇalhanoğluM | 8 Feb 1994(32) | Inter Milan | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Kenan YıldızF | 4 May 2005(21) | Juventus | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Altay BayındırG | 14 Apr 1998(28) | Manchester United | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Eren ElmalıD | 7 Jul 2000(25) | Galatasaray | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Abdülkerim BardakcıD | 7 Sept 1994(31) | Galatasaray | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Ozan KabakD | 25 Mar 2000(26) | TSG Hoffenheim | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | İsmail YüksekM | 26 Jan 1999(27) | Fenerbahçe | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | İrfan Can KahveciF | 15 Jul 1995(30) | Kasımpaşa | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Mert MüldürD | 3 Apr 1999(27) | Fenerbahçe | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Yunus AkgünF | 7 Jul 2000(25) | Galatasaray | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Ferdi KadıoğluD | 7 Oct 1999(26) | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Barış Alper YılmazF | 23 May 2000(26) | Galatasaray | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Kaan AyhanM | 10 Nov 1994(31) | Galatasaray | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Uğurcan ÇakırG | 5 Apr 1996(30) | Galatasaray | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Oğuz AydınF | 27 Oct 2000(25) | Fenerbahçe | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Samet AkaydinD | 13 Mar 1994(32) | Çaykur Rizespor | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Can UzunF | 11 Nov 2005(20) | Eintracht Frankfurt | 0 | 0 |