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Turkey national football team facts for kids

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Turkey
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Ay-Yıldızlılar
(The Crescent-Stars)
Bizim Çocuklar
(Our Boys)
Association Turkish Football Federation (TFF)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Vincenzo Montella
Captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu
Most caps Rüştü Reçber (120)
Top scorer Hakan Şükür (51)
Home stadium Various
FIFA code TUR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 41 Decrease 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest 5 (June 2004)
Lowest 67 (October 1993)
Elo ranking
Current 44 Decrease 5 (3 March 2019)
Highest 10 (16 October 2020, November 2002)
Lowest 72 (13 November 1985, 29 October 1986)
First international
 Turkey 2–2 Romania 
(Istanbul, Turkey; 26 October 1923)
Biggest win
 Turkey 7–0 Syria 
(Ankara, Turkey; 20 November 1949)
 Turkey 7–0 South Korea 
(Geneva, Switzerland; 20 June 1954)
 Turkey 7–0 San Marino 
(Istanbul, Turkey; 10 November 1996)
Biggest defeat
 Poland 8–0 Turkey 
(Chorzów, Poland; 24 April 1968)
 Turkey 0–8 England 
(Istanbul, Turkey; 14 November 1984)
 England 8–0 Turkey 
(London, England; 14 October 1987)
World Cup
Appearances 2 (first in 1954)
Best result Third place (2002)
European Championship
Appearances 6 (first in 1996)
Best result Semi-finals/Third place (2008)
Olympic Games
Appearances 6 (first in 1924)
Best result Quarter-finals (1948, 1952)
Confederations Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2003)
Best result Third place (2003)
Medal record
Website tff.org

The Turkey national football team (Turkish: Türkiye Millî Futbol Takımı; officially recognized as Türkiye by FIFA) represents Turkey in men's international football matches. The team is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation (Turkish: Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu), the governing body for football in Turkey, which was founded in 1923 and has been a member of FIFA since 1923 and UEFA since 1962.

The team played their first official international game in 1923 and has represented the nation in major competitions since their debut appearance at the 1924 Summer Olympics. They have participated in Summer Olympics a total of six times (1924, 1928, 1936, 1948, 1952 and 1960), and reached the quarter-finals twice, in 1948 and 1952.

The team enjoyed their highest achievements in the 2000s, most notably finishing in third place at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, and reaching the semi-finals at UEFA Euro 2008. They qualified for FIFA World Cup three times (1950, 1954 and 2002) and reached the semi-finals in 2002, winning bronze medals. The team qualified for UEFA European Championships five times. Making their debut at Euro 96, they reached the quarter-finals in Euro 2000 and semi-finals in Euro 2008. In recent years, Turkey qualified to the Euro 2016, Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 championships. Turkey also qualified as a co-host for the Euro 2032 championship.

Since its introduction in 1992, the FIFA World Rankings has ranked the team between 5th and 57th place. Following their success at the 2002 World Cup, Turkey managed to stay in the top 10 in rankings between 2002 and 2004, ranking 5th in June 2004. The team climbed once again up to 10th place in December 2008, following their success at Euro 2008. Turkey achieved their highest victory margin with 7–0 wins over Syria in 1949, South Korea in 1954 and San Marino in 1996, while their biggest losses were 8–0 defeats to Poland in 1968 and England in 1984 and 1987.

As of 2020, the most capped player to play on the national team is Rüştü Reçber with 120 senior international caps between 1994 and 2012, and the most scoring player is Hakan Şükür with 51 goals scored between 1992 and 2007. The longest-serving captain is Turgay Şeren with the captaincy of 35 international encounters from 1950 to 1966.

History

Early years

Militakim1922
One of the early formations in 1922
Ilkmac1923
Turkey against Romania in 1923

The Turkish National Team's first game was against Romania, played on 26 October 1923 at Taksim Stadium in Istanbul, a 2–2 draw. 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.

1950 FIFA World Cup

Turkey national football team (28.05.1950)
Turkey in 1950

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

1954 FIFA World Cup

Turkey then qualified for the 1954 World Cup after a play-off with Spain. The Turkish team first lost 4–1 to Spain, but a 1–0 win a few days later initiated a replay. On that occasion, they tied 2–2 after, booking their place after a coin toss. Turkey was put in a group along with Hungary and West Germany. The Turks, however, never played Hungary due to the tournament format, 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 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. Lefter Küçükandonyadis, arguably one of the best Turkish strikers of all time, scored two goals during the tournament.

Near misses

Voetbal Nederland tegen Turkije in het Olympisch stadion Elftallen, Bestanddeelnr 909-5589
Turkey against Netherlands in 1958

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 were 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 Turkish team also suffered their worst defeats with 8–0 scorelines against Poland and twice against England. Yet 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.

1990–1997

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, marking another turning point for Turkish football. The appointment of Piontek was a recommended move by another coach, Jupp Derwall, who had coached Galatasaray for three seasons. Derwall is regarded as the revolutionizer of Turkish football since his introduction of training techniques and tactical ideas to the Turkish game also heavily influenced the national team.

Euro 1996

Stamp of Azerbaijan 425
Turkish national football team on an Azerbaijan stamp for Euro 1996

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 Alpay Özalan.

Euro 2000

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, they 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 last eight of the tournament, where they were beaten 2–0 by Portugal, with Arif Erdem missing a critical penalty.

2002 FIFA World Cup

Turkey national football team stamp
Turkish national football team on an Azerbaijan stamp for the 2002 FIFA World Cup

For the 2002 World Cup, Turkey finished second in their qualifying group, despite starting well and being the favorites to top the group. They lost 2–1 to Sweden in the crucial match that would decide the top 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. Turkey qualified from the group stage with a 3–0 win against China PR after drawing 1–1 with Costa Rica.

Turkey then faced home team Japan in the second round, winning 1–0. 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, and a bronze medal was won after a 3–2 victory over co-hosts South Korea. Hakan Şükür scored Turkey's first goal in 10.8 seconds, even when the South Koreans kicked off first. It was the fastest goal in World Cup history. 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. 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.

2003 FIFA Confederations Cup

In the summer of 2003, Turkey reached third place at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. In the group stages, Turkey defeated the United States 2–1 before losing to Cameroon 0–1. 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-final match. Turkey then defeated Colombia 2–1 to win the bronze medal. Tuncay scored three goals and made an assist, which won him the Silver Shoe Award and the Silver Ball Award for the second-best player of the tournament.

Euro 2004

The Turkish team did not qualify for Euro 2004 after Latvia won the qualification play-offs. This also marked a turning point for the national team as new players were introduced to the national team to create a new generation.

2006 FIFA World Cup

The Turkish team once again narrowly missed out on the World Cup finals after failing to win a play-off, this time on away goals against Switzerland, again after finishing second in their group. There were scenes of violence after the game on and off the pitch where the Turkish team brawled with Swiss players down the tunnel.

Euro 2008

Turkey qualified for their first international tournament in six years by finishing second behind Greece in Euro 2008 qualifying Group C to reach the Euro 2008 final stages. 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 – brought qualification for the knockout stages. Again, Turkey knocked out a host nation – Switzerland – in the group stages for the second time.

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.

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. Both Russia and Turkey were given bronze medals in the dressing rooms after the semi-finals.

5 juin 2009, stade Gerland à Lyon. France - Turquie (1-0)
Turkey against France on 5 June 2009

2010 FIFA World Cup

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.

Euro 2012

Tuerkische Fußballnationalmannschaft 2011-09-06 (02)
The Turkish team during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualification

Turkey was drawn in Group A in qualification for Euro 2012, together with Kazakhstan, Austria, Belgium, Germany and Azerbaijan. The Turkish team reached the play-offs after beating Azerbaijan 1–0 but got 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.

2014 FIFA World Cup

Turkey was drawn in Group D in qualification for the 2014 World Cup, together with Andorra, Estonia, Hungary, the Netherlands and Romania, finishing fourth. Turkey began to lose critical points during qualification and 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.

Euro 2016

AUT vs. TUR 2016-03-29 (001)
Turkey against Austria on 29 March 2016

Turkey was drawn in Group A in the qualification campaign for the Euro 2016, together with Iceland, Latvia, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. The Turkish 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 and combined with Kazakhstan beating Latvia 1–0. After over 18 months 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 were close to reaching 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. Despite elimination, youngster Emre Mor's skillful display and assist during the game revealed a hopeful future for Turkish football.

2018 FIFA World Cup

Turkey was drawn in UEFA Group I for the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. together with Croatia, Finland, Iceland, Kosovo and Ukraine. During the qualifiers, head coach Fatih Terim stood down after an off-field incident, and 72-year-old former Romania manager Mircea Lucescu took over. After eight games, Turkey stood a strong chance of qualifying for the tournament, but a 0–3 defeat against Iceland at home ended automatic qualification hopes. After a 2–2 draw against Finland, the team finished fourth in Group I.

2018–19 UEFA Nations League and Euro 2020

Turkey was drawn with Russia and Sweden in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League B and Turkey had a poor performance which led the country to finish bottom. At the first game held at home against 2018 World Cup host and quarter-finalist Russia, Turkey lost 1–2 despite an equalizer by Serdar Aziz. Turkey then put up its best performance in the League, winning 3–2 against Sweden right on Swedish soil. However, Turkey could not capitalize on this opportunity and lost 0–2 to Russia in Sochi before suffering a humiliating 0–1 home loss to Sweden, thus initially sending 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 stage along with the 2018 FIFA World Cup champions France, as well as 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 restructuring proved to be genius, as Turkey had one of the best campaigns in recent history.

Turkey managed to achieve a 2–0 victory against the group favorites France in Konya and later a 1–1 draw at Stade de France. Turkey struggled against the group underdogs Andorra in their first match against them, winning by an 89th-minute goal at the Vodafone Arena in Istanbul. Turkey's only defeat in the group came against Iceland in Reykjavik, losing 2–1. The defeat came after the ill-treatment of the Turkish group at the Iceland customs, keeping them at the airport for 3 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. In an interview, Turkish Coach Şenol Güneş, said that had come here 40 years ago, nothing had changed about the stadium and the country, except that some Icelandic people had lost the hospitality they had 40 years ago. Turkey entered matchday 9 against Iceland as group leaders with 19 points. Turkey and Iceland were drawn 0–0 at Turk Telekom Arena in Istanbul. Though unable to defeat Iceland and losing the first place to France, a draw was enough to secure Turkey a spot in Euro 2020 finals, ahead of their away match against Andorra.

Turkey had the honor of opening the Euro 2020 Finals but it soon turned out to be a night to forget for the Turkish. Turkey kicked off the European Championship with a 3–0 loss against Italy in Group A at the Olympic Stadium with Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne on target. 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 Turkey defender Merih Demiral for an own goal. They went on to lose the next two games from both Switzerland and Wales, losing all three games in a row alongside debutants North Macedonia.

Baku Olympic Stadium hosted final stage of European Football Championship Turkey-Wales Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents watched the game, June 2021 10
Turkey during the UEFA Euro 2020 group stage match against Wales in Baku

2020–21 UEFA Nations League and 2022 World Cup

After qualifying for Euro 2020, Turkey entered with momentum, even though they had to face old foe Russia, alongside Hungary, and Serbia in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B.

However, despite all these improvements, Turkey performed poorly in their two opening games in September 2020. The first game against Hungary at home saw Turkey suffer a 0–1 loss by a free kick from Dominik Szoboszlai. Going to Belgrade against Serbia, after repeated Serbian pressure, Turkey had a one-man advantage following Aleksandar Kolarov's red card, however, the Turks failed to capitalize and were held goalless. This damaged their chances of qualifying for League A, as their next opponents in October will be Russia (who had had a strong start) and Hungary. The early poor performance could also represent a detrimental effect for Turkey, as this season's Nations League was used for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification process.

Turkey continued to find its first win in the Nations League. Against Russia in Moscow, a team which Turkey has failed to win on Russian soil since its last win in 1966 and still finding its first win over the Russians since 1975 in general, Turkey once again failed to register a win, though they got an encouraging 1–1 draw thanked for Kenan Karaman's equalizer. Yet, the Turkish side was disappointed with only a 2–2 draw over Serbia at home soil.

November 2020 proved to be very important as Turkey must gain important wins to stay or even better get the possible promotion. Their first game in this month's Nations League was against Russia, but Denis Cheryshev scored an early lead making the Turkish side look hapless. Yet, a red card to Andrei Semyonov proved to be a game changer, and with a one-man advantage, the Turks turned the deficit to finally break down its winless run against Russia with a 3–2 home win. The Turks then traveled to Hungary with the hope that a win against the Hungarians could mean possible promotion, at least if Russia lost to Serbia. However, while Russia suffered a humiliating 0–5 defeat away in Belgrade, Turkey failed to gain the advantage and instead lost 2–0 to the Hungarians, despite late pressure to find an equalizer in the second half. 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 to 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C. Such an outcome also meant Turkey would have to fight to get a direct 2022 FIFA World Cup ticket as play-off qualification appeared to be slim with their relegation, in which the 2022 World Cup qualifiers that started in March 2021.

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, they entered 2022 FIFA World Cup UEFA playoffs against Portugal 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. Afterwards, he announced his international retirement.

2022–23 UEFA Nations League and Euro 2024

In the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C, they were drawn in Group 1 with Luxembourg, the Faroe Islanders, Lithuania. They were promoted to 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B after having 13 points in 6 games. Their Nations League success not only rewarded them a playoff place should they fail to qualify directly, but also rewarded with an easier draw in Group D with Croatia, Wales, Armenia, and Latvia. They subsequently qualified directly on 16 October 2023 and finished top on 19 November 2023.

Euro 2032

On 10 October 2023, Turkey was selected to co-host the UEFA Euro 2032 alongside Italy. They earned an automatic qualification as co-host.

Kit suppliers

Turkey's kit colors were home red kits and white away kits; they were manufactured by Adidas from 1982 to 2002, and they later announced their manufacturer as Nike in 2003. Starting in 2020, they switched their kit colors so that white is home and red is away.

Kit provider Period
Adidas 1982–2002
Nike 2003–present

Rivalries

Turkey has developed several notable rivalries, the most well-known being with Croatia, and Greece, with a smaller rivalry against Armenia.

Turkey and Croatia have played each other nine times, with their first encounter at Euro 1996; where both countries made their debuts in the opening match, which Croatia won 1–0. A well-remembered match between them was at Euro 2008, which Turkey won on penalties after a 1–1 deadlock even after extra-time. With the win, Turkey reached the semi-finals in only their third appearance overall at the Euro finals. The two teams faced each other in the 2012 Euro qualifying play-offs, with Croatia winning 3–0 in the first-leg in Istanbul, and advancing to the tournament finals following a 0–0 draw in the second-leg. The two teams faced each other once again in a European competition at Euro 2016, playing in the opening match of Group D; with Croatia winning 1–0. Only three months after the match at the Euros, the two teams played in their opening match in Group I of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, which finished 1–1. Exactly one year after this, Turkey won the reverse fixture 1–0 at home, which played a key part in both countries' qualifying campaign, although Turkey would not qualify for World Cup while Croatia would go on to qualify and finish second in that edition.

Turkey also has a historical rivalry with Greece. They played a total of 14 times. Among these competitions, Turkey won against Greece 8 times, drew 3 times, and lost only 3 times. Both countries have been described as "punching above their weight"; with Greece winning Euro 2004 despite being classified as underdogs before the competition, and Turkey followed-up their World Cup bronze medal in 2002 by advancing to the semi-finals of Euro 2008, where they were knocked out by Germany. Due to tension between the two countries and the dispute over Cyprus, coupled with several incidents occurring during matches between Turkish and Greek clubs, it has been described as one of the biggest international football rivalries.

Turkey has a rivalry with Armenia. They met four times, with Turkey won three and drew one. The root of the rivalry, however, traced further back to the Armenian genocide in 1915. However, due to massive disparity between the two national sides, the rivalry is more relevant in Armenia than in Turkey. Despite the indifference of Turkish populace toward Armenia, the rivalry is sometimes stressed to importance due to hostility between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the latter sharing a common cultural and heritage link with Turkey.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 8 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023

2024

All Time Record

The following table shows Turkey's all-time international record, as of 26 March  2024 (2024 -03-26)

Opponents Pld W D L GF GA GD
Total (91) 624 242 146 234 858 889 -31

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach Italy Vincenzo Montella
Assistant coaches Italy Daniele Russo
Turkey Selçuk Şahin
Goalkeeping coaches Turkey Ozan Özerkan
Turkey Emrah Karakovan
Fitness coach Italy Pierpaolo Polino
Turkey Ömür Serdal Altunsöz
Turkey Vural Durmuş
Match analyst Italy Massimo Crivellaro
Turkey Okan Aydıner
Team manager Turkey Hamit Altıntop

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendly match against Hungary and Austria on 22 and 26 March 2024, respectively.

Caps and goals are correct as of 26 March 2024, after the match against  Austria.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Mert Günok (1989-03-01) 1 March 1989 (age 35) 28 0 Turkey Beşiktaş
12 1GK Okan Kocuk (1995-07-27) 27 July 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Turkey Samsunspor
23 1GK Uğurcan Çakır (1996-04-05) 5 April 1996 (age 28) 27 0 Turkey Trabzonspor
1GK Muhammed Şengezer (1997-01-05) 5 January 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir

2 2DF Zeki Çelik (1997-02-17) 17 February 1997 (age 27) 44 2 Italy Roma
3 2DF Merih Demiral (1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 26) 42 2 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
4 2DF Samet Akaydin (1994-03-13) 13 March 1994 (age 30) 5 0 Greece Panathinaikos
15 2DF Ozan Kabak (2000-03-25) 25 March 2000 (age 24) 25 2 Germany 1899 Hoffenheim
18 2DF Mert Müldür (1999-04-03) 3 April 1999 (age 25) 22 1 Turkey Fenerbahçe
24 2DF Cenk Özkacar (2000-10-06) 6 October 2000 (age 24) 8 0 Spain Valencia
2DF Abdülkerim Bardakcı (1994-09-07) 7 September 1994 (age 30) 6 1 Turkey Galatasaray

5 3MF Salih Özcan (1998-01-11) 11 January 1998 (age 26) 17 0 Germany Borussia Dortmund
6 3MF Orkun Kökçü (2000-12-29) 29 December 2000 (age 23) 26 2 Portugal Benfica
10 3MF Hakan Çalhanoğlu (captain) (1994-02-08) 8 February 1994 (age 30) 84 18 Italy Inter Milan
16 3MF İsmail Yüksek (1999-01-26) 26 January 1999 (age 25) 14 1 Turkey Fenerbahçe
17 3MF Arda Güler (2005-02-25) 25 February 2005 (age 19) 6 1 Spain Real Madrid
20 3MF Abdülkadir Ömür (1999-06-25) 25 June 1999 (age 25) 13 0 England Hull City
22 3MF Kaan Ayhan (vice-captain) (1994-11-10) 10 November 1994 (age 30) 56 5 Turkey Galatasaray
25 3MF Can Uzun (2005-11-11) 11 November 2005 (age 19) 1 0 Germany Nürnberg

7 4FW Kerem Aktürkoğlu (1998-10-21) 21 October 1998 (age 26) 28 5 Turkey Galatasaray
8 4FW İrfan Kahveci (1995-07-15) 15 July 1995 (age 29) 31 2 Turkey Fenerbahçe
9 4FW Enes Ünal (1997-05-10) 10 May 1997 (age 27) 33 3 England Bournemouth
11 4FW Yusuf Yazıcı (1997-01-29) 29 January 1997 (age 27) 42 3 France Lille
14 4FW Yunus Akgün (2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 (age 24) 9 2 England Leicester City
19 4FW Kenan Yıldız (2005-05-04) 4 May 2005 (age 19) 5 1 Italy Juventus
21 4FW Barış Alper Yılmaz (2000-05-23) 23 May 2000 (age 24) 13 1 Turkey Galatasaray
26 4FW Oğuz Aydın (2000-10-27) 27 October 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Turkey Alanyaspor

Recent call-ups

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


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Altay Bayındır (1998-04-14) 14 April 1998 (age 26) 8 0 England Manchester United v.  Wales, 21 November 2023
GK Ertaç Özbir (1989-10-25) 25 October 1989 (age 35) 0 0 Turkey Adana Demirspor v.  Wales, 21 November 2023
GK Doğan Alemdar (2002-10-29) 29 October 2002 (age 22) 2 0 France Troyes v.  Latvia, 15 October 2023

DF Rıdvan YılmazINJ (2001-05-21) 21 May 2001 (age 23) 7 0 Scotland Rangers v.  Austria, 26 March 2024
DF Ahmetcan Kaplan (2003-01-16) 16 January 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Netherlands Ajax v.  Hungary, 22 March 2024
DF Ferdi KadıoğluINJ (1999-10-07) 7 October 1999 (age 25) 14 1 Turkey Fenerbahçe v.  Hungary, 22 March 2024
DF Çağlar Söyüncü (1996-05-23) 23 May 1996 (age 28) 55 2 Turkey Fenerbahçe v.  Wales, 21 November 2023
DF Eren Elmalı (2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 (age 24) 10 0 Turkey Trabzonspor v.  Wales, 21 November 2023
DF Rayyan Baniya (1999-02-18) 18 February 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Turkey Trabzonspor v.  Latvia, 15 October 2023
DF Onur Bulut (1994-04-16) 16 April 1994 (age 30) 3 0 Turkey Beşiktaş v.  Japan, 12 September 2023
DF Kazımcan Karataş (2003-01-16) 16 January 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Turkey Galatasaray v.  Japan, 12 September 2023

MF Berkan Kutlu (1998-01-25) 25 January 1998 (age 26) 8 0 Turkey Galatasaray v.  Wales, 21 November 2023
MF Emre Akbaba (1992-10-04) 4 October 1992 (age 32) 6 3 Turkey Adana Demirspor v.  Wales, 21 November 2023
MF Berat Özdemir (1998-05-23) 23 May 1998 (age 26) 3 0 Turkey Trabzonspor v.  Wales, 21 November 2023
MF Salih Uçan (1994-01-06) 6 January 1994 (age 30) 2 0 Turkey Beşiktaş v.  Japan, 12 September 2023

FW Semih Kılıçsoy (2005-08-15) 15 August 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Turkey Beşiktaş v.  Hungary, 22 March 2024
FW Cengiz ÜnderINJ (1997-07-14) 14 July 1997 (age 27) 51 16 Turkey Fenerbahçe v.  Hungary, 22 March 2024
FW Yusuf Sarı (1998-11-20) 20 November 1998 (age 26) 4 1 Turkey Adana Demirspor v.  Wales, 21 November 2023
FW Bertuğ Yıldırım (2002-01-12) 12 January 2002 (age 22) 3 2 France Rennes v.  Wales, 21 November 2023
FW Cenk Tosun (1991-06-07) 7 June 1991 (age 33) 50 20 Turkey Beşiktaş v.  Latvia, 15 October 2023
FW Halil Dervişoğlu (1999-12-08) 8 December 1999 (age 24) 16 6 Turkey Galatasaray v.  Japan, 12 September 2023
FW Umut Nayir (1993-06-28) 28 June 1993 (age 31) 4 1 Turkey Fenerbahçe v.  Armenia, 8 September 2023INJ
FW Kenan Karaman (1994-03-05) 5 March 1994 (age 30) 31 6 Germany Schalke 04 v.  Wales, 19 June 2023
FW Umut Bozok (1996-09-19) 19 September 1996 (age 28) 1 0 Turkey Trabzonspor v.  Latvia, 16 June 2023

Notes
  • PRE = Preliminary squad/standby.
  • INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury.
  • SUS = Player is suspended.
  • RET = Retired from international football.

Player records

Players in bold are still active with Turkey.

Most appearances

Rustu Recber 2010
Rüştü Reçber is Turkey's most capped player with 120 caps and Turkey's record holder in clean sheets.
Rank Name Caps Career
1 Rüştü Reçber 120 1994–2012
2 Hakan Şükür 112 1992–2007
3 Bülent Korkmaz 102 1990–2005
4 Emre Belözoğlu 101 2000–2019
5 Arda Turan 100 2006–2017
6 Tugay Kerimoğlu 94 1990–2007
7 Alpay Özalan 90 1995–2005
8 Hakan Çalhanoğlu 84 2013–present
9 Hamit Altıntop 82 2004–2014
10 Mehmet Topal 81 2008–2018

Top goalscorers

Hakan
Hakan Şükür is Turkey's all-time record goalscorer with 51 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Hakan Şükür 51 112 0.46 1992–2007
2 Burak Yılmaz 31 77 0.4 2006–2022
3 Tuncay Şanlı 22 80 0.28 2002–2010
4 Lefter Küçükandonyadis 21 46 0.46 1948–1963
5 Cenk Tosun 20 50 0.4 2013–present
6 Metin Oktay 19 36 0.53 1956–1968
Cemil Turan 19 44 0.43 1969–1979
Nihat Kahveci 19 68 0.28 2000–2011
9 Hakan Çalhanoğlu 18 84 0.2 2013–present
10 Arda Turan 17 100 0.17 2006–2017

Most clean sheets

Players in bold are still available to play in Turkey national team.
Rank Player Clean sheets Caps Ratio Career
1 Rüştü Reçber 58 120 0.48 1994–2012
2 Volkan Demirel 22 63 0.35 2004–2014
3 Turgay Şeren 16 46 0.35 1950–1966
4 Volkan Babacan 15 35 0.43 2014–present
5 Mert Günok 13 29 0.45 2011–present
6 Ömer Çatkıç 10 19 0.53 2000–2005
Engin İpekoğlu 10 32 0.31 1989–1999
8 Uğurcan Çakır 9 27 0.33 2019–present
9 Sabri Dino 7 12 0.58 1969–1975
Sinan Bolat 7 12 0.58 2009–present

Centuriate goals

AUT vs. TUR 2016-03-29 (253)
Selçuk İnan scored Turkey's 700th overall goal in November 2015.

As of 29 September 2020.

Rank Date Scorer Opponent Score
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

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter Did not enter
Italy 1934 Withdrew Withdrew
France 1938 Did not enter Did not enter
Brazil 1950 Qualified but withdrew 1 1 0 0 7 0
Switzerland 1954 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 10 11 Squad 3 1 1 1 4 6
Sweden 1958 Withdrew Withdrew
Chile 1962 Did not qualify 4 2 0 2 4 4
England 1966 6 1 0 5 4 19
Mexico 1970 4 0 0 4 2 13
West Germany 1974 6 2 2 2 5 3
Argentina 1978 6 2 1 3 9 5
Spain 1982 8 0 0 8 1 22
Mexico 1986 8 0 1 7 2 24
Italy 1990 8 3 1 4 12 10
United States 1994 10 3 1 6 11 19
France 1998 8 4 2 2 21 9
South Korea Japan 2002 Third place 3rd 7 4 1 2 10 6 Squad 12 8 3 1 24 8
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 14 7 5 2 27 13
South Africa 2010 10 4 3 3 13 10
Brazil 2014 10 5 1 4 16 9
Russia 2018 10 4 3 3 14 13
Qatar 2022 11 6 3 2 28 19
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Third place 2/22 10 5 1 4 20 17 139 53 27 59 204 206

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 3
Spain 1964 2 0 0 2 0 7
Italy 1968 6 1 2 3 3 8
Belgium 1972 6 2 1 3 5 13
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 6 2 2 2 5 10
Italy 1980 6 3 1 2 5 5
France 1984 8 3 1 4 8 16
West Germany 1988 6 0 2 4 2 16
Sweden 1992 6 0 0 6 1 14
England 1996 Group stage 16th 3 0 0 3 0 5 Squad 8 4 3 1 16 8
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Quarter-finals 6th 4 1 1 2 3 4 Squad 10 5 4 1 16 7
Portugal 2004 Did not qualify 10 6 2 2 19 8
Austria Switzerland 2008 Semi-finals 3rd 5 2 1 2 8 9 Squad 12 7 3 2 25 11
Poland Ukraine 2012 Did not qualify 12 5 3 4 13 14
France 2016 Group stage 17th 3 1 0 2 2 4 Squad 10 5 3 2 14 9
European Union 2020 24th 3 0 0 3 1 8 Squad 10 7 2 1 18 3
Germany 2024 Qualified 8 5 2 1 14 7
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032 Qualified as co-host Qualified as co-host
European Union 2036 To be determined To be determined
Total Third place 6/20 18 4 2 12 14 30 128 56 31 41 166 159

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Season Division Group Pld W D* L GF GA P/R RK
2018–19 B 2 4 1 0 3 4 7 Same position 22nd
2020–21 B 3 6 1 3 2 6 8 Fall 29th
2022–23 C 1 6 4 1 1 18 5 Rise 35th
2024–25 B 4 To be determined
Total 16 6 4 6 28 20 22nd

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Saudi Arabia 1992 Did not qualify
Saudi Arabia 1995
Saudi Arabia 1997
Mexico 1999
South Korea Japan 2001
France 2003 Third place 3rd 5 2 1 2 8 8 Squad
Germany 2005 Did not qualify
South Africa 2009
Brazil 2013
Russia 2017
Total Third place 1/10 5 2 1 2 8 8

Olympic Games

Ilk-turk-milli-takımı
Turkey at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris
Egypt-Turkey 1928 Summer Olympics
Turkey at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam

1968–1988 see Turkey national amateur football team. Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.

Olympic Games record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
France 1924 Round 1 13th 1 0 0 1 2 5 Squad
Netherlands 1928 14th 1 0 0 1 1 7 Squad
Nazi Germany 1936 15th 1 0 0 1 0 1 Squad
United Kingdom 1948 Quarter-finals 6th 2 1 0 1 5 3 Squad
Finland 1952 8th 2 1 0 1 3 8 Squad
Australia 1956 Withdrew
Italy 1960 Round 1 14th 3 0 1 2 3 10 Squad
Japan 1964 Did not qualify
Mexico 1968
West Germany 1972
Canada 1976
Soviet Union 1980
United States 1984 Withdrew
South Korea 1988 Did not qualify
Since 1992 See Turkey national under-23 football team
Total Quarter-finals 6/14 10 2 1 7 14 34

Mediterranean Games

Mediterranean Games record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
Egypt 1951 Did not participate
Spain 1955
Lebanon 1959 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 1 0 7 4
Italy 1963 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 12 7
Tunisia 1967 Fourth place 4th 5 2 1 2 5 7
Turkey 1971 Third place 3rd 4 3 1 0 4 1
Algeria1975 Group stage 7th 4 0 2 2 1 5
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1979 Group stage 5th 3 1 1 1 2 2
Morocco 1983 Runners-up 2nd 4 2 0 2 4 5
Syria 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

Mediterranean Cup

Mediterranean Cup record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
Greece 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

Balkan Cup

Balkan Cup record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
1929–31 Did not participate
Bulgaria 1931 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 3 5
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1932 Did not participate
Romania 1933
Greece 1934–35
Bulgaria 1935
Romania 1936
Albania 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

ECO Cup

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

Head-to-head record

The following table shows Turkey's all-time international record, as of 26 March  2024 (2024 -03-26)       Positive Record       Neutral Record       Negative Record

Opponents Pld W D L GF GA GD
 Albania 12 6 2 4 13 14 -1
 Algeria 3 1 0 2 4 2 +2
 Andorra 4 4 0 0 10 0 +10
 Angola 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1
 Armenia 4 3 1 0 7 2 +5
 Australia 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3
 Austria 17 7 1 9 23 24 -1
 Azerbaijan 8 6 1 1 11 3 +8
 Belarus 4 2 1 1 8 7 +1
 Belgium 11 3 5 3 17 18 -1
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 2 2 2 6 7 -1
 Brazil 6 0 2 4 3 10 -7
 Bulgaria 23 7 6 10 36 43 -7
 Cameroon 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1
 Canada 2 2 0 0 6 1 +5
 Chile 3 2 1 0 3 0 +3
 China 2 2 0 0 7 0 +7
 Colombia 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1
 Costa Rica 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Croatia 12 2 6 4 11 15 -4
 Czech Republic 20 6 3 12 18 44 -26
 Denmark 10 2 5 3 9 12 -3
 East Germany 5 3 1 1 10 5 +5
 Ecuador 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1
 Egypt 6 4 0 2 13 10 +3
 England 11 0 2 9 1 33 -32
 Estonia 8 5 3 0 17 4 +13
 Ethiopia 2 1 1 0 3 0 +3
 Faroe Islands 3 1 1 1 6 3 +3
 Finland 15 5 4 6 24 22 +2
 France 6 1 1 4 5 13 -8
 Georgia 5 3 1 1 12 5 +7
 Germany 22 4 4 14 16 52 -36
 Ghana 2 0 2 0 3 3 0
 Gibraltar 2 2 0 0 9 0 +9
 Greece 14 9 2 3 22 11 +11
 Guinea 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Honduras 3 3 0 0 5 0 +5
 Hungary 15 4 2 9 17 32 -15
 Iceland 13 2 3 8 11 23 -12
 Iran 7 5 2 0 14 2 +12
 Iraq 3 2 1 0 8 1 +7
 Israel 6 4 0 2 9 12 -3
 Italy 15 0 4 11 10 29 -19
 Ivory Coast 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Japan 2 1 0 2 3 5 -2
 Kazakhstan 6 6 0 0 19 2 +17
 Kosovo 2 2 0 0 6 1 +5
 Latvia 10 4 5 1 22 15 +7
 Libya 2 0 1 1 2 3 -1
 Liechtenstein 2 2 0 0 9 0 +9
 Lithuania 2 2 0 0 8 0 +8
 Luxembourg 9 7 1 1 18 9 +9
 Malaysia 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3
 Malta 6 5 1 0 15 4 +11
 Moldova 13 11 2 0 35 3 +32
 Montenegro 4 2 2 0 7 5 +2
 Netherlands 14 4 4 6 14 21 -7
 New Zealand 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1
 Macedonia 8 5 2 1 14 9 +5
 Northern Ireland 12 5 2 5 12 12 0
 Norway 11 5 3 3 15 16 -1
 Pakistan 5 4 1 0 20 10 +10
 Paraguay 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Poland 17 3 3 11 12 39 -27
 Portugal 9 2 0 7 9 19 -10
 Qatar 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1
 Republic of Ireland 14 3 6 5 16 27 -11
 Romania 26 5 7 14 24 49 -25
 Russia 23 4 3 16 14 40 -26
 San Marino 4 3 1 0 16 1 +15
 Saudi Arabia 3 3 0 0 6 1 +5
 Scotland 2 2 0 0 4 2 +2
 Senegal 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
 Slovakia 6 4 1 1 8 3 +5
 Slovenia 2 1 0 1 1 2 -1
 South Africa 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2
 South Korea 7 4 2 1 13 4 +9
 Spain 11 1 4 6 5 17 -12
 Serbia 12 1 5 6 16 28 -12
 Sweden 12 5 4 3 15 14 +1
 Switzerland 16 8 3 5 22 23 -1
 Syria 1 1 0 0 7 0 +7
 Tunisia 5 1 4 0 6 3 +3
 Ukraine 9 4 3 2 11 9 +2
 United States 4 1 1 2 5 6 -1
 Uruguay 1 0 0 1 2 3 -1
 Uzbekistan 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2
 Wales 10 4 2 4 11 12 -1
Total (91) 624 242 146 234 858 889 -31

Honours

Decoration

In 2002, the national team was honored with the Turkish "State Medal of Distinguished Service" for their third place achievement at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. All the team members, coaches and officials were given medals.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Turquía para niños

  • Turkey national under-21 football team
  • Turkey national under-20 football team
  • Turkey national under-19 football team
  • Turkey national under-17 football team
  • Turkey national youth football team
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