kids encyclopedia robot

Turkey national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
For the women's team, see Turkey women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Turkey
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Ay-Yıldızlılar
(The Crescent-Stars)
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 (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
FIFA World Cup
Bronze 2002 Korea/Japan Team
UEFA European Championship
Bronze 2008 Austria–Switzerland Team
FIFA Confederations Cup
Bronze 2003 France Team
Website tff.org

The Turkey national football team (Turkish: Türkiye Millî Futbol Takımı), 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 the 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 the FIFA World Cup three times (1950, 1954, and 2002) and reached the semi-finals in 2002, winning the bronze medal. The team qualified for the UEFA European Championship six times. Making their debut at Euro 1996, they reached the quarter-finals in Euro 2000 and semi-finals in Euro 2008. In recent years, Türkiye qualified to the Euro 2016, Euro 2020, and Euro 2024 championships, reaching the quarter-finals of the latter. Türkiye was named as a co-host for UEFA Euro 2032, and will qualify automatically.

History

Further information: History of Turkish football

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.

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. Turkey then qualified for the 1954 World Cup after a play-off with Spain. They 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 grouped 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 had already 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 Turks also suffered their worst defeats with 8–0 scorelines against Poland and twice against England. But 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.

1990s

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. The appointment of Piontek was a recommended move by another coach, Jupp Derwall, who had coached Galatasaray for three seasons.

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 Özalan.

2000s

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, then 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 quarter-finals of the tournament, where they were beaten 2–0 by Portugal, with Arif Erdem missing a penalty.

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

For the 2002 World Cup, Turkey finished second in their qualifying group, losing to Sweden in the match that would decide the number-one 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 co-hosts 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. The Turks won the bronze medal after a 3–2 victory over co-hosts South Korea. Hakan Şükür scored Turkey's first goal in 10.8 seconds, despite the South Koreans kicking 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.

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

The Turks failed to qualify for Euro 2004 after Latvia won the qualification play-offs. They also missed out on the 2006 World Cup after failing to win the play-offs, this time on away goals against Switzerland, again after finishing second in their group.

Turkey qualified for their first international tournament in six years by finishing second behind Greece in Euro 2008 qualifying Group C to reach the tournament. 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 – meant qualification for the knockout stages. 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.

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

2010s

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.

Tuerkische Fußballnationalmannschaft 2011-09-06 (02)
The Turks during Euro 2012 qualification

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

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

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

Grouped in Group A in the qualification campaign for Euro 2016, with Iceland, Latvia, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, the 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, along with Kazakhstan beating Latvia 1–0. After a year and a half of going 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 nearly reached 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.

Placed with Croatia, Finland, Iceland, Kosovo and Ukraine for 2018 World Cup qualifying, manager Fatih Terim left after an off-field incident, and 72-year-old former Romania manager Mircea Lucescu took over. After eight games, Turkey were in pole position to qualify for the tournament, but a 3–0 defeat to Iceland at home ended automatic qualification hopes. After a 2–2 draw against Finland, the team finished fourth in Group I.

Turkey was drawn with Russia and Sweden in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League B and performed poorly, leading to a bottom finish. In the first game at home against 2018 World Cup host and quarter-finalist Russia, Turkey lost 2–1. Turkey then put up its best performance in the League, winning 3–2 against Sweden on Swedish soil. However, Turkey could not extend their performances and lost to Russia in Sochi before suffering a humiliating 1–0 home loss to Sweden, thus initially relegating 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 stages of Euro 2020 along with 2018 World Cup champions France, 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 eventually managed to achieve a 2–0 victory against France in Konya and a 1–1 draw at the Stade de France. Turkey then struggled against Andorra in their first match, winning after an 89th-minute goal at Vodafone Park in Istanbul. Turkey's only defeat in the group came against Iceland in Reykjavík, losing 2–1. The defeat came after the ill-treatment of the Turkish group at the Iceland customs, keeping them at the airport for three 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. Turkey entered matchday nine as group leaders with 19 points. They and Iceland drew 0–0 at Turk Telekom Arena in Istanbul. After finishing behind France, a draw was enough to secure Turkey a spot in Euro 2020 finals, ahead of their away match against Andorra.

2020s

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

After qualifying for Euro 2020, which would be postponed to June and July 2021 due to COVID-19, Turkey was drawn against Russia, alongside Hungary, and Serbia in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B. They performed poorly in their two opening games in September 2020. The first game against Hungary at home saw Turkey suffer a 1–0 defeat courtesy of a free kick from Dominik Szoboszlai. Playing in Belgrade, following Aleksandar Kolarov's red card, the Turks were held goalless against Serbia. This hampered their chances of qualifying for League A, as their next opponents in October would be Russia (a country that Turkey hasn't beaten since 1975) and Hungary.

In Moscow, Turkey drew 1–1 after Kenan Karaman's equalizer. The Turkish side then drew 2–2 against Serbia at home.

Against Russia, Denis Cheryshev scored for the Russians to take an early lead making the Turkish side look hapless. But after Russia's red card reduced the side to ten men, the Turks eventually won 3–2. The Turks then traveled to Hungary with the hope that a win against the Hungarians could mean possible promotion, if Russia lost to Serbia. While Russia suffered a humiliating 5–0 defeat away in Belgrade, Turkey also lost 2–0 to the Hungarians. 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. Such an outcome also meant Turkey would have to fight to get a direct Qatar 2022 ticket as play-off qualification appeared slim with their relegation, in which the 2022 World Cup qualifiers that started in March 2021.

Turkey had the honor of opening the Euro 2021 finals, but with Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne scoring, Turkey fell 3–0 to Italy. 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 Turkish defender Merih Demiral for an own goal. They went on to lose the next two games to both Switzerland and Wales, losing all three games alongside debutants North Macedonia.

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.

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

Turkey took part in Euro 2024 Group F together with Portugal, Czech Republic and play-off winner Georgia and finished the group in 2nd place. The team reached the quarter-finals by beating Austria 2–1, then lost to the Netherlands 2–1 and finished the tournament in 5th place.

2030s

Turkey is set to take part of the UEFA Euro 2032 having automatically qualified as co-host along with Italy who also automatically qualified as co-host.

Kit suppliers

Turkey's kit colors were home red kits and white away kits, manufactured by Adidas, from 1982 to 2002. Nike became the manufacturer in 2003. 17 years later, they switched their kit colors to white for home kits and red as the away color.

Kit provider Period
Germany Adidas 1982–2002
United States Nike 2003–present

Rivalries

Main article: Greece–Turkey football rivalry

Turkey has developed several notable rivalries, the most well-known being 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. In Euro 2008, Turkey won on penalties after a 1–1 deadlock. 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 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 later, Turkey won the reverse fixture 1–0 at home, which played a key part in both countries' qualifying campaigns, although Turkey would not qualify for the World Cup while Croatia would finish runners-up behind France. Turkey and Croatia would again face each other during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, where Turkey managed to shock Croatia with a 1–0 win away as the Turks managed to top the table of a qualification group for the first time in their history, whereas Croatia, despite a 2–0 away win earlier to Turkey, had struggled with a rather poor performance and only managed to qualify at the last hurdle.

Turkey also has a historical rivalry with Greece. Playing 14 times, Turkey won eight matches, drew thrice, and lost only three games. Both countries have been described as "punching above their weight", with Greece winning Euro 2004 after being classified as underdogs before the competition, and Turkey 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.

Results and fixtures

Main article: Turkey national football team results
Main article: Turkey national football team results (2020–present)

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

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024

2025

Coaching staff

Main article: List of Turkey national football team managers
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 Ceyhun Kazanci

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Wales and Montenegro on 16 and 19 November 2024, respectively.

Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2024, after the match against  Montenegro.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Mert Günok (1989-03-01) 1 March 1989 (age 36) 37 0 Turkey Beşiktaş
12 1GK Altay Bayındır (1998-04-14) 14 April 1998 (age 27) 10 0 England Manchester United
23 1GK Uğurcan Çakır (1996-04-05) 5 April 1996 (age 29) 29 0 Turkey Trabzonspor
1GK Muhammed Şengezer (1997-01-05) 5 January 1997 (age 28) 0 0 Turkey Başakşehir
2 2DF Zeki Çelik (1997-02-17) 17 February 1997 (age 28) 53 2 Italy Roma
3 2DF Merih Demiral (1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 27) 53 4 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
4 2DF Samet Akaydin (1994-03-13) 13 March 1994 (age 31) 12 1 Turkey Fenerbahçe
13 2DF Eren Elmalı (2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 (age 24) 14 0 Turkey Trabzonspor
15 2DF Emirhan Topçu (2000-10-11) 11 October 2000 (age 24) 2 0 Turkey Beşiktaş
18 2DF Mert Müldür (1999-04-03) 3 April 1999 (age 26) 33 2 Turkey Fenerbahçe
14 2DF Yasin Özcan (2006-04-20) 20 April 2006 (age 19) 0 0 Turkey Kasımpaşa
2DF Gökhan Sazdağı (1994-09-20) 20 September 1994 (age 30) 0 0 Turkey Kayserispor
5 3MF Okay Yokuşlu (1994-03-09) 9 March 1994 (age 31) 47 1 Turkey Trabzonspor
6 3MF Orkun Kökçü (2000-12-29) 29 December 2000 (age 24) 38 2 Portugal Benfica
8 3MF Arda Güler (2005-02-25) 25 February 2005 (age 20) 18 3 Spain Real Madrid
10 3MF Hakan Çalhanoğlu (captain) (1994-02-08) 8 February 1994 (age 31) 95 20 Italy Inter Milan
16 3MF İsmail Yüksek (1999-01-26) 26 January 1999 (age 26) 21 1 Turkey Fenerbahçe
21 3MF Doğucan Haspolat (2000-02-11) 11 February 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Belgium Westerlo
22 3MF Kaan Ayhan (vice-captain) (1994-11-10) 10 November 1994 (age 30) 68 5 Turkey Galatasaray
7 4FW Kerem Aktürkoğlu (1998-10-21) 21 October 1998 (age 26) 40 10 Portugal Benfica
9 4FW Enes Ünal (1997-05-10) 10 May 1997 (age 28) 34 3 England Bournemouth
11 4FW Barış Alper Yılmaz (2000-05-23) 23 May 2000 (age 25) 24 2 Turkey Galatasaray
17 3MF Yunus Akgün (2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 (age 24) 14 2 Turkey Galatasaray
4FW Bertuğ Yıldırım (2002-01-12) 12 January 2002 (age 23) 5 2 Spain Getafe
20 4FW Semih Kılıçsoy (2005-08-15) 15 August 2005 (age 19) 4 0 Turkey Beşiktaş
19 4FW Kenan Yıldız (2005-05-04) 4 May 2005 (age 20) 17 2 Italy Juventus
4FW Cihan Çanak (2005-01-24) 24 January 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Turkey Trabzonspor

Recent call-ups

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


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Emre BilginTRA (2004-02-26) 26 February 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Turkey Fatih Karagümrük v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
GK Berke Özer (2000-05-25) 25 May 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Turkey Eyüpspor v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
GK Doğan AlemdarINJ (2002-10-29) 29 October 2002 (age 22) 2 0 France Stade Rennais v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
GK Jankat YılmazTRA (2004-08-16) 16 August 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Turkey Adanaspor v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
GK Deniz DilmenTRA (2005-06-05) 5 June 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Turkey Başakşehir v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
GK Okan Kocuk (1995-07-27) 27 July 1995 (age 29) 0 0 Turkey Samsunspor v.  Austria, 26 March 2024
DF Abdülkerim BardakcıSUS (1994-09-07) 7 September 1994 (age 30) 17 1 Turkey Galatasaray v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
DF Çağlar SöyüncüINJ (1996-05-23) 23 May 1996 (age 29) 56 2 Turkey Fenerbahçe v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
DF Ferdi KadıoğluINJ (1999-10-07) 7 October 1999 (age 25) 22 1 England Brighton v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
DF Ozan KabakINJ (2000-03-25) 25 March 2000 (age 25) 26 2 Germany Hoffenheim v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
DF Cenk ÖzkacarINJ (2000-10-06) 6 October 2000 (age 24) 9 0 Spain Real Valladolid v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
DF Metehan BaltacıTRA (2002-11-03) 3 November 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Turkey Galatasaray v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
DF Emrecan TerziTRA (2004-01-05) 5 January 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Turkey Beşiktaş v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
DF Ahmetcan Kaplan (2003-01-16) 16 January 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Netherlands Ajax UEFA Euro 2024
DF Serdar SaatçıTRA (2002-02-14) 14 February 2002 (age 23) 0 0 Portugal Braga UEFA Euro 2024PRE
DF Uğur YıldızTRA (2002-08-06) 6 August 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Turkey Keçiörengücü UEFA Euro 2024PRE
DF Rıdvan Yılmaz (2001-05-21) 21 May 2001 (age 24) 7 0 Scotland Rangers v.  Austria, 26 March 2024
MF Yunus KonakTRA (2006-01-10) 10 January 2006 (age 19) 0 0 England Brentford v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
MF İrfan KahveciINJ (1995-07-15) 15 July 1995 (age 29) 37 4 Turkey Fenerbahçe v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
MF Atakan Karazor (1996-10-13) 13 October 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Germany Stuttgart v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
MF Salih Özcan (1998-01-11) 11 January 1998 (age 27) 22 0 Germany Wolfsburg v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
MF Can Uzun (2005-11-11) 11 November 2005 (age 19) 1 0 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
MF Bartuğ ElmazTRA (2003-02-17) 17 February 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Turkey Fenerbahçe v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
MF Yusuf Özdemir (2001-01-10) 10 January 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Turkey Alanyaspor v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
MF Berat Özdemir (1998-05-23) 23 May 1998 (age 27) 4 0 Turkey Başakşehir UEFA Euro 2024PRE
FW Ahmed KutucuINJ (2000-03-01) 1 March 2000 (age 25) 2 0 Turkey Eyüpspor v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
FW Deniz GülINJ (2004-07-02) 2 July 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Portugal Porto v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
FW Eren DinkçiINJ (2001-12-13) 13 December 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Germany Freiburg v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
FW Mustafa HekimoğluTRA (2007-04-22) 22 April 2007 (age 18) 0 0 Turkey Beşiktaş v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
FW Umut Nayir (1993-06-28) 28 June 1993 (age 31) 4 1 Turkey Konyaspor v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
FW Cenk Tosun (1991-06-07) 7 June 1991 (age 33) 53 21 Turkey Fenerbahçe UEFA Euro 2024
FW Yusuf YazıcıINJ (1997-01-29) 29 January 1997 (age 28) 45 3 Greece Olympiacos UEFA Euro 2024
FW Abdülkadir Ömür (1999-06-25) 25 June 1999 (age 25) 14 0 England Hull City UEFA Euro 2024PRE
FW Oğuz Aydın (2000-10-27) 27 October 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Turkey Fenerbahçe UEFA Euro 2024PRE
FW Enis DestanTRA (2002-06-15) 15 June 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Turkey Trabzonspor UEFA Euro 2024PRE
FW Cengiz ÜnderINJ (1997-07-14) 14 July 1997 (age 27) 51 16 Turkey Fenerbahçe v.  Hungary, 22 March 2024
Notes
  • PRE = Preliminary squad/standby.
  • INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury.
  • SUS = Player is suspended.
  • RET = Retired from international football.
  • TRA = Player is included for training purposes only.

Player records

Main article: List of Turkey international footballers
Main article: Turkey national football team records and statistics
Players in bold are still active with the Turkey national team.

Most appearances

Rustu Recber 2010
Rüştü Reçber is Turkey's most-capped player with 120 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Rüştü Reçber 120 0 1994–2012
2 Hakan Şükür 112 51 1992–2007
3 Bülent Korkmaz 102 2 1990–2005
4 Emre Belözoğlu 101 9 2000–2019
5 Arda Turan 100 17 2006–2017
6 Hakan Çalhanoğlu 95 20 2013–present
7 Tugay Kerimoğlu 94 2 1990–2007
8 Alpay Özalan 90 4 1995–2005
9 Hamit Altıntop 82 7 2004–2014
10 Mehmet Topal 81 2 2008–2018

Top goalscorers

Hakan
Hakan Şükür is Turkey's top scorer 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
Cenk Tosun 21 53 0.4 2013–present
6 Hakan Çalhanoğlu 20 95 0.21 2013–present
7 Metin Oktay 19 36 0.53 1956–1968
Cemil Turan 19 44 0.43 1969–1979
Nihat Kahveci 19 68 0.28 2000–2011
10 Arda Turan 17 100 0.17 2006–2017

Most clean sheets

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 2014–2018
Mert Günok 15 36 0.42 2012–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 2009–2019

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.

Goal no. Date Scorer Opponent Result
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

Main article: Turkey at the 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

Main article: Turkey at the 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
Europe 2020 24th 3 0 0 3 1 8 Squad 10 7 2 1 18 3
Germany 2024 Quarter-finals 7th 5 3 0 2 8 8 Squad 8 5 2 1 14 7
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032 Qualified as co-hosts Qualified as co-hosts
Total Semi-finals 6/19 23 7 2 14 22 38 128 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

Main article: Turkey at the 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

Main article: Football at the Summer Olympics
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

For 1968–1988 see this page. 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

Main article: Turkey national football B team
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

Main article: 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

Main article: 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

Main article: 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

Main article: Turkey national football team results

The following table shows Turkey's all-time international record, as of 19 November  2024 (2024 -11-19)       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 18 8 1 9 25 25 0
 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 22 7 6 9 34 39 -5
 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 22 7 3 12 22 46 -24
 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 6 4 1 1 15 6 +9
 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 15 4 3 8 18 26 -8
 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 16 0 5 11 10 29 -19
 Ivory Coast 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Japan 3 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 6 3 2 1 9 8 +1
 Netherlands 15 4 4 7 15 23 -8
 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 18 3 3 12 13 41 -28
 Portugal 10 2 0 8 9 22 -13
 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 22 3 3 16 12 39 -27
 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 12 4 4 4 11 12 -1
Total (91) 640 254 150 237 886 903 -13

Honours

Major competitions

Regional

  • Balkan Cup
    • 2 Runners-up (1): 1931
  • Mediterranean Cup
    • 2 Runners-up (1): 1949

Friendly

  • ECO Cup
    • 1 Champions (3): 1967, 1969, 1974
    • 2 Runners-up (2): 1965, 1970

Summary

Competition 1 2 3 Total
FIFA World Cup 0 0 1 1
FIFA Confederations Cup 0 0 1 1
UEFA European Championship 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 2 2

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
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Turkey national football team Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.