Turkey national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Turkey women's national football team.

Turkey
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Ay-Yıldızlılar
(The Crescent-Stars)[1]
AssociationTürkiye Futbol Federasyonu (TFF)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachŞenol Güneş[2]
CaptainEmre Belözoğlu
Most capsRüştü Reçber (120)
Top scorerHakan Şükür (51)
FIFA codeTUR[3]
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 40 Decrease 5 (4 April 2024)[4]
Highest5 (June 2004)
Lowest67 (October 1993)
First international
 Turkey 2–2 Romania 
(Istanbul, Turkey; 26 October 1923)[5]
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
Appearances2 (first in 1954)
Best resultThird place (2002)
European Championship
Appearances5 (first in 1996)
Best resultThird place (2008)
Olympic Games
Appearances6 (first in 1924)
Best resultQuarter-finals (1948, 1952)
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2003)
Best resultThird place (2003)

The Turkey national football team (Turkish: Türkiye Millî Futbol Takımı) represents Turkey in men's international football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. The team represents both FIFA and UEFA.

Turkey has qualified three times for the FIFA World Cup, in 1950, 1954, and 2002, although they withdrew from the 1950 event. Turkey has also qualified five times for the UEFA European Championship, in 1996, 2000, 2008, 2016, and 2020. They have reached the semi-finals of three major tournaments: the 2002 World Cup, the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, and Euro 2008. After their third-place finish at the 2002 World Cup, which marked a high point in Turkish football history, Turkey occupied a spot in the top ten of the FIFA World Rankings for the first time since the rankings were introduced in December 1992.[7]

History

Further information: History of Turkish football
Turkey against Romania in 1923.

Early years

The Turkey national team played their first ever match against Romania in 1923, drawing 2–2.[8] 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 5–2 to Czechoslovakia.

1950 FIFA World Cup

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.[9] 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 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.

1990–1996

In 1990, German 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, where 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 after having failed to qualify for both Euro 1992 and the 1994 World Cup. The appointment of Piontek was a recommended move by another German coach, Jupp Derwall, who had coached Galatasaray for three seasons. Derwall is regarded as the revolutionizer of Turkish football, since his introduction of modern Western European training techniques and tactical ideas to the Turkish game also heavily influenced the national team.

Euro 1996

Turkey national football team on an Azerbaijan stamp for Euro 1996.

Turkey qualified for Euro 1996, defeating both Switzerland and Sweden 2–1 en route 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

For the 2002 World Cup, Turkey finished second in their qualifying group, despite starting well and being the favourites 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 at the finals. The Turkish team started the 2002 World Cup with a 2–1 defeat against eventual winners Brazil.[10] Turkey qualified from the group stage with a 3–0 win against China PR after drawing 1–1 with Costa Rica.[11][12]

Turkey then faced home team Japan in the second round, winning 1–0.[13] 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.[14][15][16] 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.[17][18] 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.[19] 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 failed to qualify for Euro 2004 on play-offs due to a loss to Latvia after finishing second in their group. This 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.

Turkey against France on 5 June 2009.

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.[20][21][22] Again, Turkey knocked out a host nation – Switzerland – in the group stages for the second time.[23]

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.[24]

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

2010 FIFA World Cup

The Turkish team during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualification.

Turkey were 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.[26]

Euro 2012

Turkey were 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 honoured. Turkish pop singer Hadise, who wore a national team jersey with the number 500, performed a small concert.[27][28]

2014 FIFA World Cup

Turkey against Austria on 29 March 2016.

Turkey were 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

Turkey were 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. 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 minutes away from 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 were 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,[29] 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.

Euro 2020

Turkey were 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 revolutionised the team, with many young talents, only keeping Burak Yılmaz and Emre Belözoglu from the older generation. 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 favourites France in Konya and later a 1–1 draw at Stade de France. The results against France dramatically improved Turkey's hopes to qualify out of the group. Turkish players performed a salute to the Turkish soldiers performing a military operation in northern Syria against the Kurdish separatist groups PYD/YPG, which is considered as terrorist by Ankara. The salute was criticised by French and European media outlets and politicians.

Surprisingly Turkey struggled against the group underdogs Andorra in their first match against them, winning by a 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 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 criticised 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.

Kit suppliers

Kit provider Period
Germany Adidas 1982–2003
United States Nike 2003–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Main article: Turkey at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA 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 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 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 To be determined To be determined
Canada Mexico United States 2026
Total Third place 2/21 10 5 1 4 20 17 128 47 24 57 176 187

UEFA European Championship

Main article: Turkey at the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record UEFA European Championship qualifying record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA 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 8 4 3 1 16 8
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Quarter-finals 6th 4 1 1 2 3 4 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 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 10 5 3 2 14 9
Europe 2020 Qualified 10 7 2 1 18 3
Germany 2024 To be determined To be determined
Total Third place 4/16 15 4 2 9 13 22 120 51 29 40 152 152

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Year Division Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA
2018–19 B Group stage
Relegated 		3rd 4 1 0 3 4 7
2020–21 B To be determined
Total Group stage
League B 		1/1 4 1 0 3 4 7
Turkey at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Turkey at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
France 1924 Round 1 13th 1 0 0 1 2 5
Netherlands 1928 Round 1 14th 1 0 0 1 1 7
Nazi Germany 1936 Round 1 15th 1 0 0 1 0 1
United Kingdom 1948 Quarter-finals 6th 2 1 0 1 5 3
Finland 1952 Quarter-finals 8th 2 1 0 1 3 8
Australia 1956 Withdrew
Italy 1960 Round 1 14th 3 0 1 2 3 10
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
Spain 1992
United States 1996
Australia 2000
Greece 2004
China 2008
United Kingdom 2012
Brazil 2016
Japan 2020
Total Quarter-finals 6/22 10 2 1 7 14 34

FIFA Confederations Cup

Main article: Turkey at the FIFA Confederations Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position GP 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 —
*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Mediterranean Games

Turkey B Turkey

Mediterranean Games record
Year Result GP W D L GF GA
Egypt 1951 Did not participate
Spain 1955
Lebanon 1959 2nd 2 1 1 0 7 4
Italy 1963 2nd 5 3 1 1 12 7
Tunisia 1967 4th 5 2 1 2 5 7
Turkey 1971 3rd 4 3 1 0 4 1
Algeria1975 7th 4 0 2 2 1 5
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1979 5th 3 1 1 1 2 2
Morocco 1983 2nd 4 2 0 2 4 5
Syria 1987 3rd 5 3 0 2 6 2
1991 – present See Turkey national under-20 team
Total 8/10 32 15 7 10 41 33

Balkan Cup

Main article: Balkan Cup

ECO Cup

Main article: ECO Cup

All-time head-to-head record

The following table shows Turkey's all-time international record, correct as of 17 November 2019.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

  1. ^ Includes matches against  Czechoslovakia.
  2. ^ Includes matches against  West Germany.
  3. ^ Includes matches against  Soviet Union.
  4. ^ Includes matches against  Yugoslavia.

Results and fixtures

Main article: Turkey national football team results

  Win   Draw   Loss

2019

30 May Friendly Turkey  2–1  Greece Antalya, Turkey
20:00 (UTC+3) Ünder 11'
Karaman 17'		 Report Kourbelis 90+3' Stadium: Antalya Stadium
Referee: Radu Petrescu (Romania)
2 June Friendly Turkey  2–0  Uzbekistan Alanya, Turkey
21:00 (UTC+3) Çelik 17', 57' Report Stadium: Alanya Stadium
Referee: Srđan Jovanović (Serbia)
8 June UEFA Euro 2020 Q Turkey  2–0  France Konya, Turkey
21:45 (UTC+3) Ayhan 30'
Ünder 40'		 Report Stadium: Büyükşehir Stadium
Attendance: 36,783
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
11 June UEFA Euro 2020 Q Iceland  2–1  Turkey Reykjavík, Iceland
18:45 (UTC±0) R. Sigurðsson 21', 32' Report Toköz 40' Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur
Attendance: 9,680
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
7 September UEFA Euro 2020 Q Turkey  1–0  Andorra Istanbul, Turkey
21:45 (UTC+3) Tufan 89' Report Stadium: Vodafone Park
Referee: Donald Robertson (Scotland)
10 September UEFA Euro 2020 Q Moldova  0–4  Turkey Chișinău, Moldova
21:45 (UTC+3) Report Tosun 37', 79'
Türüç 57'
Yazıcı 88'		 Stadium: Zimbru Stadium
Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)
11 October UEFA Euro 2020 Q Turkey  1–0  Albania Istanbul, Turkey
21:45 (UTC+3) Tosun 90' Report Stadium: Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (Romania)
14 October UEFA Euro 2020 Q France  1–1  Turkey Saint-Denis, France
20:45 (UTC+2) Giroud 76' Report Ayhan 81' Stadium: Stade de France
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
14 November UEFA Euro 2020 Q Turkey  0–0  Iceland Istanbul, Turkey
20:00 (UTC+3) Report Stadium: Türk Telekom Stadium
Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)
17 November UEFA Euro 2020 Q Andorra  0–2  Turkey Andorra la Vella, Andorra
20:45 (UTC+1) Report Ünal 17', 21' (pen.) Stadium: Estadi Nacional
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (Slovakia)

2020

TBD Friendly Slovenia  v  Turkey Ljubljana, Slovenia
Report Stadium: Stožice Stadium
TBD 2021 or 2022 Friendly Austria  v  Turkey Vienna, Austria
Report Stadium: Ernst-Happel-Stadion
TBD Friendly Turkey  v  Azerbaijan Antalya, Turkey
Report Stadium: New Antalya Stadium
TBD Friendly Croatia  v  Turkey Osijek, Croatia
Report Stadium: Stadion Gradski vrt
TBD Friendly Republic of Ireland  v  Turkey Republic of Ireland
Report
3 September UEFA Nations League Group B3 Turkey  v  Hungary
20:45 (CET) Report
6 September UEFA Nations League Group B3 Serbia  v  Turkey
20:45 (CET) Report
9 October UEFA Nations League Group B3 Russia  v  Turkey
20:45 (CET) Report
12 October UEFA Nations League Group B3 Turkey  v  Serbia
20:45 (CET) Report
14 November UEFA Nations League Group B3 Turkey  v  Russia
18:00 (CET) Report
17 November UEFA Nations League Group B3 Hungary  v  Turkey
20:45 (CET) Report

2021

June UEFA Euro 2020 Group A Turkey  v  Italy Rome, Italy
21:00 (UTC+2) Report Stadium: Stadio Olimpico
June UEFA Euro 2020 Group A Turkey  v  Wales Baku, Azerbaijan
20:00 (UTC+4) Report Stadium: Olympic Stadium
June UEFA Euro 2020 Group A Switzerland  v  Turkey Baku, Azerbaijan
20:00 (UTC+4) Report Stadium: Olympic Stadium

Players

Current squad

The following players have been called up for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Iceland and Andorra, on 14 and 17 November 2019.
All caps and goals as of 17 November 2019 after match against Andorra.[30]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Sinan Bolat (1988-09-03) 3 September 1988 (age 35) 12 0 Belgium Antwerp
23 1GK Uğurcan Çakır (1996-04-05) 5 April 1996 (age 28) 2 0 Turkey Trabzonspor
12 1GK Altay Bayındır (1998-04-14) 14 April 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Turkey Fenerbahçe
3 2DF Hasan Ali Kaldırım (1989-12-09) 9 December 1989 (age 34) 32 1 Turkey Fenerbahçe
22 2DF Kaan Ayhan (1994-11-10) 10 November 1994 (age 29) 28 3 Germany Fortuna Düsseldorf
2 2DF Zeki Çelik (1997-02-17) 17 February 1997 (age 27) 14 2 France Lille
15 2DF Merih Demiral (1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 26) 12 0 Italy Juventus
13 2DF Umut Meraş (1995-12-20) 20 December 1995 (age 28) 6 0 France Le Havre
4 2DF Mert Müldür (1999-04-03) 3 April 1999 (age 25) 2 0 Italy Sassuolo
21 2DF Nazım Sangaré (1994-05-30) 30 May 1994 (age 29) 2 0 Turkey Antalyaspor
5 2DF Mert Çetin (1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 27) 1 0 Italy Roma
18 2DF Ozan Kabak (2000-03-25) 25 March 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Germany Schalke 04
6 3MF Ozan Tufan (1995-03-23) 23 March 1995 (age 29) 50 5 Turkey Fenerbahçe
10 3MF Hakan Çalhanoğlu (3rd captain) (1994-02-08) 8 February 1994 (age 30) 48 10 Italy Milan
8 3MF Okay Yokuşlu (1994-03-09) 9 March 1994 (age 30) 24 1 Spain Celta
11 3MF Yusuf Yazıcı (1997-01-29) 29 January 1997 (age 27) 20 1 France Lille
19 2DF Ömer Bayram (1991-07-27) 27 July 1991 (age 32) 9 0 Turkey Galatasaray
20 3MF Deniz Türüç (1993-01-29) 29 January 1993 (age 31) 6 1 Turkey Fenerbahçe
9 3MF Berkay Özcan (1998-02-15) 15 February 1998 (age 26) 4 0 Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir
7 3MF Emre Kılınç (1994-08-23) 23 August 1994 (age 29) 2 0 Turkey Sivasspor
16 4FW Enes Ünal (1997-05-10) 10 May 1997 (age 26) 13 2 Spain Valladolid
17 4FW Güven Yalçın (1999-01-18) 18 January 1999 (age 25) 3 0 Turkey Beşiktaş
14 4FW Ahmed Kutucu (2000-03-01) 1 March 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Germany Schalke 04

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Mert Günok (1989-03-01) 1 March 1989 (age 35) 15 0 Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir v.  Iceland, 14 November 2019
GK Gökhan Akkan (1994-01-01) 1 January 1994 (age 30) 0 0 Turkey Çaykur Rizespor v.  Iceland, 14 November 2019 INJ
DF Çağlar Söyüncü (1996-05-23) 23 May 1996 (age 27) 28 1 England Leicester City v.  Iceland, 14 November 2019
DF Mahmut Tekdemir (1988-01-20) 20 January 1988 (age 36) 15 0 Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir v.  Iceland, 14 November 2019
DF Emre Taşdemir (1995-08-08) 8 August 1995 (age 28) 4 0 Turkey Kayserispor v.  Uzbekistan, 2 June 2019
DF Ömer Ali Şahiner (1992-01-02) 2 January 1992 (age 32) 1 0 Turkey Konyaspor v.  Uzbekistan, 2 June 2019
MF Emre Belözoğlu (Captain) (1980-09-07) 7 September 1980 (age 43) 101 9 Turkey Fenerbahçe v.  Iceland, 14 November 2019
MF Cengiz Ünder (1997-07-14) 14 July 1997 (age 26) 20 6 Italy Roma v.  Iceland, 14 November 2019
MF Efecan Karaca (1989-11-16) 16 November 1989 (age 34) 2 0 Turkey Alanyaspor v.  Iceland, 14 November 2019
MF İrfan Kahveci (1995-06-15) 15 June 1995 (age 28) 15 0 Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir v.  Iceland, 14 November 2019 PRE
MF Dorukhan Toköz (1996-05-21) 21 May 1996 (age 27) 6 1 Turkey Beşiktaş v.  Albania, 11 October 2019 PRE
MF Abdülkadir Parmak (1994-12-28) 28 December 1994 (age 29) 1 0 Turkey Trabzonspor v.  Albania, 11 October 2019 PRE
MF Yunus Mallı (1992-02-24) 24 February 1992 (age 32) 25 1 Germany Union Berlin v.  Andorra, 7 September 2019
MF Oğuzhan Özyakup (1992-09-23) 23 September 1992 (age 31) 43 1 Netherlands Feyenoord v.  Iceland, 11 June 2019
MF Abdülkadir Ömür (1999-06-25) 25 June 1999 (age 24) 4 0 Turkey Trabzonspor v.  Iceland, 11 June 2019
FW Burak Yılmaz (Vice-captain) (1985-07-15) 15 July 1985 (age 38) 59 24 Turkey Beşiktaş v.  Iceland, 14 November 2019
FW Cenk Tosun (1991-06-07) 7 June 1991 (age 32) 42 16 England Crystal Palace v.  Iceland, 14 November 2019 INJ
FW Kenan Karaman (1994-03-05) 5 March 1994 (age 30) 11 1 Germany Fortuna Düsseldorf v.  France, 14 October 2019
Notes
  • PRE = Preliminary squad.
  • INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury.

Coaching staff

Şenol Güneş, the current manager of the Turkey national football team.
Main article: List of Turkey national football team managers

Current technical staff

Position Name
Head coach Turkey Şenol Güneş
Assistant coach(es) Turkey Bayram Bektaş
Turkey Eren Şafak
Turkey Şeref Çiçek
Fitness coach Turkey Ömür Serdal Altunsöz
Physiotherapist Turkey Aşkın Dede
Goalkeeping coach Turkey Emrah Karakovan
Doctors Turkey Sarper Çetinkaya
Turkey Ufuk Şentürk
Video analyst Turkey Erdoğan Kaynak

Previous squads

Rivalries

Main article: Greece–Turkey football rivalry

Turkey has developed several notable rivalries, the most well-known being with Croatia[31] and Greece.

Turkey and Croatia have played each other 9 times,[32] with their first encounter at Euro 1996; where both countries made their debuts in the opening match, which Croatia won 1–0.[33] 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.[34] 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.[35][36] 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 through a sensational Luka Modrić volley.[37][38] 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.[39] 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.[40][41]

Turkey also has a historical rivalry with Greece; having played them a total of 13 times, winning seven, drawing three and losing three games.[42] Both countries have been described as "punching above their weight"; with Greece winning Euro 2004 despite being classified as underdogs prior to 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.[43]

Honours

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

3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third place (1): 2002

3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third place (1): 2003

3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Semi-finals (1): 2008

Summary

As of May 2019

Event Gold Silver Bronze Total
Football
FIFA World Cup 0 0 1 1/21
FIFA U-20 World Cup 0 0 0 0/22
FIFA U-17 World Cup 0 0 0 0/18
FIFA Club World Cup 0 0 0 0/16
FIFA Confederations Cup 0 0 1 1/10
FIFA Women's World Cup 0 0 0 0/8
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup 0 0 0 0/9
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 0 0 0 0/7
FIFA Women's Club World Cup 0 0 0 0/1
UEFA European Championship 0 0 1 1/15
UEFA European Under-21 Championship 0 0 0 0/21
UEFA European Under-19 Championship 1 2 2 5/65
UEFA European Under-17 Championship 2 0 1 3/37
UEFA Nations League 0 0 0 0/1
UEFA Women's Championship 0 0 0 0/12
UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship 0 0 0 0/20
UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship 0 0 0 0/12
UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup 0 0 1 1/5
Football at the Summer Olympics 0 0 0 0/34
Football at the Mediterranean Games 1 7 2 10/18
Football at the Islamic Solidarity Games 0 0 1 1/3
UEFA Champions League 0 0 1 1/64
UEFA Europa League 0 1 1 2/48
UEFA Super Cup 1 0 0 1/43
UEFA Youth League 0 0 0 0/6
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 0 0 0 0/39
UEFA Women's Champions League 0 0 0 0/18
UEFA Regions' Cup 0 0 2 2/10
UEFA Amateur Cup 0 0 0 0/4
Balkan Cup 0 1 0 1/11
Balkans Cup 3 1 3 7/27
ECO Cup 3 2 0 5/6
Futsal
FIFA Futsal World Cup 0 0 0 0/9
UEFA Futsal Championship 0 0 0 0/11
UEFA Futsal Under-21 Championship 0 0 0 0/1
UEFA Under-19 Futsal Championship 0 0 0 0/1
UEFA Women's Futsal Championship 0 0 0 0/1
UEFA Futsal Champions League 0 0 0 0/18
Beach Soccer
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 0 0 0 0/20
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification (UEFA) 0 0 0 0/7
Euro Beach Soccer League 0 0 0 0/21
Euro Beach Soccer Cup 0 0 0 0/15
Euro Winners Cup 0 0 1 1/7
Women's Euro Winners Cup 0 0 0 0/4
Beach Soccer at the European Games 0 0 0 0/2
Beach Soccer at the Mediterranean Beach Games 0 0 0 0/2
eSports
FIFA eWorld Cup 0 0 0 0/14
Total 11 14 18 43

Player history

Main article: List of Turkey international footballers

Most capped players

Rüştü Reçber is Turkey's most capped player with 120 caps.

Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.[44] As of October 14, 2019.

# Name Career Caps Goals
1 Rüştü Reçber 1994–2012 120 0
2 Hakan Şükür 1992–2007 112 51
3 Bülent Korkmaz 1990–2005 102 3
4 Emre Belözoğlu 2000– 101 9
5 Arda Turan 2006– 100 17
6 Tugay Kerimoğlu 1990–2007 94 2
7 Alpay Özalan 1995–2005 90 4
8 Hamit Altıntop 2004–2014 82 7
9 Mehmet Topal 2008– 81 2
10 Tuncay 2002–2010 80 22

Top goalscorers

Hakan Şükür is Turkey's all-time record goalscorer with 51 goals.

Goalscorers with an equal number of goals are ranked in chronological order of reaching the milestone. Bold indicates still active players.[45] As of October 14, 2019.

# Name Career Goals Caps Rate
1 Hakan Şükür 1992–2007
51
112
0.46
2 Burak Yılmaz 2006–
24
58
0.43
3 Tuncay 2003–2010
22
80
0.28
4 Lefter Küçükandonyadis 1948–1963
21
46
0.46
5 Metin Oktay 1956–1968
19
36
0.53
Cemil Turan 1969–1979
19
44
0.43
Nihat Kahveci 2000–2011
19
68
0.28
8 Arda Turan 2006–
17
100
0.17
9 Cenk Tosun 2013-
16
42
0.38
10 Zeki Rıza Sporel 1923–1932
15
16
0.94

Past managers

Main article: List of Turkey national football team managers

Decoration

In 2002, the national team was honored with the Turkish "State Medal of Distinguished Service" for its third place achievement at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. All the team members, coaches and officials were given medals.[46]

Gallery

Notes

See also

References

  1. ^ "Turkey sneak through as best third-placed team". UEFA. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ Beşiktaş boss Şenol Güneş appointed Turkey national team coach
  3. ^ Jeffree, Iain (6 August 2015). "FIFA Country Codes". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  4. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  5. ^ Since the Republic was not formally declared by the time of the event, the game was played between Romania and TFF. The city also was not consistently known as Istanbul in the English speaking world until 1930
  6. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  7. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Associations - Turkey - Men's - FIFA.com". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  8. ^ Erdinç, Sivritepe. "Turkey 2–2 Romania". Turkey international football matches. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  9. ^ "Magical Magyars beating". Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  10. ^ "Brazil beat brave Turks". BBC Sport. 3 June 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  11. ^ "Parks strike denies Turkey". BBC Sport. 14 June 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  12. ^ "Turkey reach last 16". BBC Sport. 13 June 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  13. ^ "Turkey end Japan's dream". BBC Sport. 18 June 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  14. ^ "Turkey's golden delight". BBC Sport. 22 June 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  15. ^ "Brazil stride into final". BBC Sport. 26 June 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  16. ^ "Turkey finish in style". BBC Sport. 29 June 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  17. ^ "World Cup Rewind: Hakan Şükür scores the tournament's fastest ever goal". guinnessworldrecords.com. Guinness World Records. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  18. ^ Fastest Goals in World Cup History
  19. ^ "Turkey heroes return home". BBC Sport. 1 July 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  20. ^ "Portugal 2–0 Turkey". BBC Sport. 7 June 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  21. ^ "Switzerland 1–2 Turkey". BBC Sport. 11 June 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  22. ^ "Turkey 3–2 Czech R & Switzerland 2–0 Portugal". BBC Sport. 15 June 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  23. ^ "Turkey edge out Czechs in thriller". FIFA.com. FIFA. 15 June 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  24. ^ "Croatia 1–1 Turkey (1–3 pens)". BBC Sport. 20 June 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  25. ^ "Germany 3–2 Turkey". BBC Sport. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  26. ^ "Terim Resignation". Guardian Sport. 7 June 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  27. ^ "Turkey marks 500th match". Hürriyet Daily News. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  28. ^ Er, İsmail (15 November 2012). "Türkiye 1–1 Danimarka". Hürriyet Spor (in Turkish). Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  29. ^ "Terim leaves Turkey role after brawl". goal.com. Goal. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  30. ^ "Andorra (0–2) Turkey". eu-football.info. 17 November 2019.
  31. ^ "Croatia and Turkey resume old European rivalry in Paris". AP News. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  32. ^ "Croatia national football team: record v Turkey". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  33. ^ uefa.com (6 October 2003). "UEFA EURO 1996 - History - Turkey-Croatia – UEFA.com". Uefa.com. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  34. ^ uefa.com (20 June 2008). "UEFA EURO 2008 - History - Croatia-Turkey – UEFA.com". Uefa.com. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  35. ^ uefa.com (11 November 2011). "UEFA EURO 2012 - History - Turkey-Croatia – UEFA.com". Uefa.com. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  36. ^ uefa.com (15 November 2011). "UEFA EURO 2012 - History - Croatia-Turkey – UEFA.com". Uefa.com. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  37. ^ "Turkey 0-1 Croatia". BBC Sport. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  38. ^ "[VIDEO] Modrić golčinom srušio žestoke Turke!". Hrvatska radiotelevizija. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  39. ^ FIFA.com. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - Matches - Croatia-Turkey - FIFA.com". FIFA.com. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  40. ^ FIFA.com. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - Matches - Turkey-Croatia - FIFA.com". FIFA.com. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  41. ^ "[VIDEO] Hrvatska izgubila u Eskisehiru, Turci slavili 1:0". Hrvatska radiotelevizija. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  42. ^ "Turkey national football team: record v Greece". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  43. ^ Duke, Greg. "Top 10 international rivalries". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  44. ^ "A Milli Takım En Fazla Milli Olan Oyuncularımız TFF". Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  45. ^ "Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu Ana Sayfa TFF". tff.org. Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  46. ^ "Hata Sayfası". Retrieved 29 October 2016.

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