Turkey's World Cup Squad: A Blend of Youth and Experience

This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.

The plan

The last time Turkey made it to the World Cup, Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz were not even born. After a 24-year hiatus, the Crescent Stars ended their exile by navigating a tense playoff path, eliminating Romania and then Kosovo. The coach, Vincenzo Montella, has guided the national team to back-to-back international tournaments with arguably their strongest squad ever.

Turkey lost one game in their qualifying campaign – against Spain, the reigning European champions – picking up 13 out of 18 points. “I wouldn’t trade these players for anyone,” Montella said after the Kosovo win. “They have shown they can make sacrifices.”

Guler and Yildiz were just breaking into the team at Euro 2024; the team now revolves around the duo. Turkish football has built a reputation for throwing around the term wonderkid loosely, but Guler, of Real Madrid, and Yildiz, of Juventus, merit the title.

Ugurcan Cakir is a safe pair of hands and heads into the tournament having lifted the league title with Galatasaray. A centre-back pairing of Abdulkerim Bardakci and Merih Demiral provide a fairly solid defence. The right-back Ferdi Kadioglu is well known to Brighton fans after a terrific season. Hakan Calhanoglu is now the elder statesman and has assumed a deep-lying playmaker role, while Besiktas’s Orkun Kokcu is in hot form and could make a name for himself.

The team is young, but the spine remains largely unchanged from the Euros two years ago. And the same problem persists: Montella does not have a proven striker. The position is up for grabs, with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Can Uzun a contender. The side will enter the World Cup capable of magic and madness.

The coach

Vincenzo Montella has been the architect behind the national team’s resurgence since his appointment in 2023. L’Aeroplanino – ‘the little airplane’ – has fully immersed himself in the culture and he definitely gets the Turkish psyche. “Turkish culture is very close to that of the place where I spent my childhood. I was born and raised near Naples,” he says. Montella has managed the team better than most Turkish coaches of the past. Gone are the major fractures or squabbles between players and staff. The Italian’s default is a 4-2-3-1 setup, but he is not afraid to mix things up and has proven to be an astute tactician. Montella is a stylish, composed, likable character who has built one of the strongest Turkey teams in modern history.

Star player

Arda Guler has successfully managed the transition from prodigy to established force at Real Madrid. The 21-year-old is unfazed by pressure, which is a blessing considering the weight of the country’s expectations are on his shoulders. Described by Thierry Henry as “an undisputed, elite world-class talent”, he is the creative spark in this team with an eye for goal. The midfielder has risen to the occasion for his country when called upon. The national team is not short on talent, but there is no doubt that Guler is a gamechanger.

One to watch

An argument could be made for Kenan Yildiz – whose surname does mean star – being just as important and talented as Güler. Long tipped for success since making a name for himself in the Bayern Munich academy, Yildiz has come into his own at Juventus and is poised for a breakthrough on the world stage. The charismatic forward has technical elegance and physical power in equal measure, a joy to watch for the neutral, and loves to take on defenders. While Montella is not yet clear on who his No 9 will be, Yildiz is a winger with an eye for goal. With 11 goals and 10 assists for Juventus last season, and three goals in qualifying for Turkey, he could be the outlet for his team.

Unsung hero

Orkun Kokcu’s move from Benfica to Besiktas last year appeared strange on the face of it. But it made more sense after he revealed it was a childhood dream to play for the Black Eagles and it has turned into an inspired move. A hard worker who does the dirty work that often gets unnoticed, he also plays a key role in attack. Kokcu scored 10 goals and provided nine assists for Besiktas in all competitions; impressive numbers for a central midfielder. The 25-year-old possesses impressive technique and passing range and, like Ferdi Kadioglu, was born in the Netherlands.

Probable starting XI

What to expect from fans?

While not comparable to the Turkish diaspora in Europe, there is a sizeable community in the US, with estimates ranging from 250,000 to 500,000. Turkey fans do not get the opportunity to see the national team often at the World Cup, but considering the distance and the exuberant price of travel and tickets there will not be many organised ultra groups making the trip. Expect lots of flags, but not so many flares.

Relations with the US/Trump?

Turkey-US relations are less complicated than some of their neighbours in the region. There are no major diplomatic rows and Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump get along well. After a phone call on 20 May Trump said: “Isn’t it nice to have relationships with some very tough people? He’s a tough guy, and I have a relationship with him that nobody else has.” Hopefully, though, the focus will be on football, which is a relief considering Turkey and the US are in the same group.