Turkey 2026 World Cup Preview - Crescent-Stars Confident After Ending 24-year Drought

Matthew Marshall

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Last updated: Wed 03 Jun 2026 22:27

Matthew Marshall 2 hours ago

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Turkey return to the World Cup after 24 years, guided by Vincenzo Montella
Squad features emerging talents including Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz
The Crescent-Stars are outsiders but have every chance of topping Group D

Vincenzo Montella will be hoping Arda Guler can inspire Turkey to a deep run at the 2026 World Cup (Getty)

Turkey enters the 2026 World Cup as one of the most compelling wildcards in the tournament. After coming through a tough playoff final in Kosovo, they head to the big dance with nothing to fear.

World Cup History
The Road to 2026 - Playoff Success
The Manager - Vincenzo Montella
The Squad - Lethal Attack
Players to Watch
Group D Schedule and Path to the Final
2026 World Cup Winner Odds
Group D Winner Odds

Italian tactician Vincenzo Montella has stamped his mark on the squad and successfully broken a 24-year drought.

Few are expecting the Crescent-Stars to replicate their legendary run in 2002, but they will be quietly confident after landing in a winnable group.

World Cup History

Turkey have been rare guests at the World Cup, their first appearance coming in 1954 when they suffered a 4-1 defeat to West Germany before thrashing South Korea 7-0 in Geneva.

A play-off was required against the West Germans which ended in a 7-2 loss in Zurich.

Their only appearance since came in 2002 when they got out of a group that included Brazil, Costa Rica and China.

They got past Japan and Senegal before meeting Brazil in the semi-finals. They went down 1-0 in Saitama before beating South Korea 3-2 in the match for third place.

Year	Host	Stage Reached
1954	Switzerland	Group Stage
2002	South Korea/Japan	Third Place

The Road to 2026 - Playoff Success

Turkey had a tough draw in the qualifiers, losing once in Group E where they finished three points behind Spain. It was enough to get into the playoffs.

Ferdi Kadioglu scored in the semi-finals as the Crescent-Stars beat Romania 1-0 in Istanbul. They had to travel to Kosovo for the final, overcoming the hosts 1-0 in Pristina thanks to Kerem Akturkoglu's second half strike.

The first World Cup friendly came against North Macedonia, Orkun Kokcu and Can Uzun scoring early in Istanbul where Turkey ran out 4-0 winners. They will take on Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale on 6 June.

The Manager - Vincenzo Montella

Montella is a former Italian international who managed clubs in Italy and Spain before a spell at Turkish side Adana Demirspor. He took over the Turkish national team in 2023 and has won 19 of his 32 games in charge.

The 51-year-old guided Turkey to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals where they fell 2-1 to the Netherlands. He took his side from League B to League A in the UEFA Nations League after a 6-1 aggregate victory over Hungary in the playoffs.

Montella has reinvented Turkey’s structure, integrated a number of talented youngsters and guided the team to its first World Cup in over two decades.

The Squad - Lethal Attack

Turkey have three promising youngsters who are adept at playing behind the striker. Arda Guler, Can Uzun and Kenan Yildiz are all 21-years-old or under and are valued at over €45m each.

Stocks are low up front where Kerem Akturkoglu often leads the line ahead of Deniz Gul.

Pos	Player	Age	Club
GK	Mert Gunok	37	Fenerbahce
GK	Altay Bayindir	28	Manchester United
GK	Ugurcan Cakir	30	Galatasaray
DF	Zeki Celik	29	Roma
DF	Merih Demiral	28	Al-Ahli
DF	Caglar Soyuncu	30	Fenerbahce
DF	Eren Elmali	25	Galatasaray
DF	Abdulkerim Bardakci	31	Galatasaray
DF	Ozan Kabak	26	Hoffenheim
DF	Mert Muldur	27	Fenerbahce
DF	Ferdi Kadioglu	26	Brighton & Hove Albion
DF	Samet Akaydin	32	Rizespor
MF	Salih Ozcan	28	Borussia Dortmund
MF	Orkun Kokcu	25	Besiktas
MF	Hakan Calhanoglu	32	Inter Milan
MF	Ismail Yuksek	27	Fenerbahce
MF	Kaan Ayhan	31	Galatasaray
FW	Kerem Akturkoglu	27	Fenerbahce
FW	Arda Guler	21	Real Madrid
FW	Deniz Gul	21	Porto
FW	Kenan Yildiz	21	Juventus
FW	Irfan Can Kahveci	30	Kasimpasa
FW	Yunus Akgun	25	Galatasaray
FW	Baris Alper Yilmaz	26	Galatasaray
FW	Oguz Aydin	25	Fenerbahce
FW	Can Uzun	20	Eintracht Frankfurt

Predicted XI (4-3-3) Ugurcan Cakir; Zeki Celik, Merih Demiral, Caglar Soyuncu, Ferdi Kadioglu; Ismail Yuksek, Hakan Calhanoglu; Baris Alper Yilmaz, Arda Guler, Kenan Yildiz, Kerem Akturkoglu

Players to Watch

Merih Demiral: Demiral provides physicality, aggression and tactical intelligence in Turkey's defence. His experience at the highest levels of European football will be crucial at the World Cup.

Hakan Calhanoglu: Operating as a deep-lying playmaker, Calhanoglu's elite distribution and world-class set-piece deliveries are critical. The 32-year-old is the only player in the squad with over 100 caps.

Arda Guler: The 21-year-old Real Madrid prodigy is Turkey's x-factor. Guler has a game-changing quality that makes him a vital player for his nation.

Kenan Yildiz: Yildiz offers raw pace and direct dribbling that can unbalance defenders. The Juventus forward was named Serie A's best Under-23 player last season.

Kerem Akturkoglu: Akturkoglu will be a crucial asset at the World Cup due to his tactical versatility and explosive speed. Operating up front in Montella's fluid attacking system, he gives Turkey a focal point without a traditional target man.

Group D Schedule and Path to the Final

Turkey begin their campaign in Vancouver where they will face Australia. They then make their way down the west coast, facing Paraguay and the United States in California.

Date	Opponent	Venue
June 12	Australia	BC Place, Vancouver
June 19	Paraguay	Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara
June 25	United States	SoFi Stadium, Inglewood

Finishing top of Group D would see Turkey face a third placed team before a Round of 16 clash against the winners of Group G, likely to be Belgium or Egypt.

Second spot would see Vincenzo Montella's side meet Belgium or Egypt in the Round of 32. Navigating that path would set up a difficult Round of 16 match against the winners of Group H, expected to be Spain.

2026 World Cup Winner Odds

Turkey are long shots to win the World Cup, currently listed at 80/1 alongside Switzerland, Mexico and Croatia.

Team	Odds
Spain	5.50
France	6.00
England	7.00
Brazil	9.00
Argentina	9.00
Portugal	11.00
Germany	15.00
Netherlands	21.00
Norway	26.00
Belgium	34.00
Colombia	34.00
Japan	51.00
Morocco	51.00
USA	67.00
Uruguay	67.00
Switzerland	81.00
Mexico	81.00
Turkey	81.00
Croatia	81.00
Ecuador	101.00
Senegal	126.00
Sweden	126.00
Austria	151.00
Paraguay	151.00
Canada	151.00
Scotland	251.00
Bosnia and Herzegovina	251.00
Ivory Coast	301.00
Egypt	301.00
Czech Republic	301.00
Ghana	401.00
Algeria	401.00
South Korea	501.00
Australia	501.00
Tunisia	501.00
Iran	501.00
DR Congo	751.00
Saudi Arabia	1001.00
South Africa	1001.00
New Zealand	1501.00
Panama	1501.00
Iraq	1501.00
Uzbekistan	1501.00
Qatar	2001.00
Cape Verde	2001.00
Jordan	2501.00
Haiti	3001.00
Curacao	3501.00

Source: Stake.com and correct on 3 June 2026

Group D Winner Odds

Turkey sit narrowly behind co-hosts USA in the market to win Group D. Victories over Australia and Paraguay could see the Crescent-Stars require a draw on the final matchday in order to preserve top spot.