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Turkey national football team facts for kids

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Türkiye
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 (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)
Website tff.org

The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in men's international football games. FIFA and UEFA know the team as Türkiye. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) manages the team. This group was started in 1923. It joined FIFA in 1923 and UEFA in 1962.

The team played its first official game in 1923. They have played in big tournaments since the 1924 Summer Olympics. Turkey has been in the Summer Olympics six times. They reached the quarter-finals in 1948 and 1952.

The team had its best results in the 2000s. They finished third at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They also got third place in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. In UEFA Euro 2008, they reached the semi-finals. Turkey has played in the FIFA World Cup twice. They won a bronze medal in 2002. The team has played in the UEFA European Championship six times. They reached the quarter-finals in UEFA Euro 2000. They made it to the semi-finals in UEFA Euro 2008. Turkey also played in UEFA Euro 2016, UEFA Euro 2020, and UEFA Euro 2024. They reached the quarter-finals in Euro 2024. Turkey will be a co-host for UEFA Euro 2032. This means they will automatically qualify.

History of Turkish Football

How the Team Started

Militakim1922
An early team photo from 1922.
Ilkmac1923
Turkey playing against Romania in 1923.

Turkey's first game was against Romania. It was on October 26, 1923, in Istanbul. The game ended in a 2–2 draw. Zeki Rıza Sporel scored Turkey's first two goals. Turkey played its first official match at the 1924 Summer Olympics. They lost 5–2 to Czechoslovakia. Bekir Refet scored Turkey's first official goals.

Turkey qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup. They beat Syria 7–0. But they could not go because of money problems. Turkey then qualified for the 1954 FIFA World Cup. They played against Spain. They lost 4–1, then won 1–0. A coin toss decided who would go to the World Cup, and Turkey won!

In the 1954 World Cup, Turkey was in a group with Hungary and West Germany. They did not play Hungary due to the tournament rules. Turkey lost 4–1 to West Germany. Then they beat South Korea 7–0. Turkey lost a play-off game to West Germany 7–2. In 1956, Turkey beat Hungary 3–1 in a friendly game. Lefter Küçükandonyadis, a great Turkish striker, scored two goals.

Close Calls and Tough Times

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

The 1960s were hard for the national team. Many players from the 1954 World Cup retired. The new players did not qualify for any big tournaments. In the 1970s, Turkey almost qualified for UEFA Euro 1972 and UEFA Euro 1976. They were just one point short.

The 1980s saw Turkey's biggest losses. They lost 8–0 twice to England. They also lost 8–0 to Poland. But things started to change for the better. The 1990 World Cup qualifiers were a turning point. Turkey almost qualified in the last match. Famous players from this time included Rıdvan Dilmen and Tanju Çolak.

The 1990s: A New Era

In 1990, coach Sepp Piontek took over the team. He brought in many new, talented players. These players became very important for the team. Some of them were Bülent Korkmaz, Alpay Özalan, Rüştü Reçber, and Hakan Şükür. Piontek left in 1993. Fatih Terim became the new coach. He led Turkey to qualify for UEFA Euro 1996. This was Turkey's first major tournament since 1954.

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

Turkey qualified for Euro 1996 by beating Switzerland and Sweden. In the tournament, Turkey lost all its games. They did not score any goals. But they won the fair play award.

The 2000s: Golden Age

Turkey did not qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. But they made it to UEFA Euro 2000. They won a play-off against Republic of Ireland. In Euro 2000, Turkey lost to Italy. They drew with Sweden. Then they beat host nation Belgium 2–0. This win sent Turkey to the quarter-finals. They lost 2–0 to Portugal.

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

For the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Turkey finished second in their group. They played a play-off against Austria. Turkey won 6–0 over two games. They went to the World Cup finals. Turkey lost their first game 2–1 to Brazil. They qualified from their group with a 3–0 win against China PR. They also drew 1–1 with Costa Rica.

Turkey then beat co-hosts Japan 1–0. They continued their great run. They beat Senegal 1–0 with a golden goal. This sent them to the semi-finals. They lost 1–0 to Brazil again. Turkey then played for third place. They won the bronze medal by beating South Korea 3–2. Hakan Şükür scored Turkey's first goal in just 10.8 seconds. This was the fastest goal in World Cup history!

Thousands of Turkish fans welcomed the team home. They had a huge party in Istanbul. Rüştü Reçber, Alpay Özalan, and Hasan Şaş were chosen for the All-Star Team. Rüştü Reçber was also named the best goalkeeper.

In 2003, Turkey finished third at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. They beat the United States 2–1. They lost to Cameroon 1–0. Turkey drew 2–2 with Brazil, which meant Brazil was out. Turkey lost to France 3–2 in the semi-finals. They beat Colombia 2–1 for third place. Tuncay won the Silver Shoe and Silver Ball awards.

Turkey did not qualify for UEFA Euro 2004. They lost to Latvia in the play-offs. They also missed the 2006 FIFA World Cup. They lost to Switzerland on away goals.

Turkey qualified for UEFA Euro 2008. They finished second in their group behind Greece. In the tournament, they lost 2–0 to Portugal. But they won against Switzerland (2–1) and the Czech Republic (3–2). These wins came from late goals. Turkey reached the knockout stages. They beat Croatia in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout. The game was 1–1 after extra time. Turkey won the shootout 3–1. Turkey played Germany in the semi-finals. They lost 3–2 with a last-minute goal. They finished third by default.

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

The 2010s: Ups and Downs

Turkey did not qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They finished with 15 points. Bosnia and Herzegovina got the play-off spot. Coach Fatih Terim resigned after this.

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

Turkey reached the play-offs for UEFA Euro 2012. They beat Azerbaijan 1–0. But they lost 3–0 to Croatia over two games.

On November 14, 2012, Turkey played its 500th match. It was a friendly game against Denmark. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. Before the match, past players and coaches were honored.

Turkey did not qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. They finished fourth in their group. Abdullah Avcı was fired as coach. Fatih Terim took over again. But a 2–0 loss to the Netherlands ended their hopes.

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

Turkey qualified for UEFA Euro 2016. They were the best third-placed team. They beat Iceland 1–0 with a late goal. They had been unbeaten for a year and a half. But they lost to England in a friendly game. Then they lost to Croatia and Spain in the tournament. Turkey won their last game against the Czech Republic 2–0. They almost reached the last 16.

For 2018 World Cup qualifying, Fatih Terim left. Mircea Lucescu became the new manager. Turkey was in a good position to qualify. But a 3–0 loss to Iceland at home ended their hopes. They finished fourth in their group.

Turkey played in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League B. They lost 2–1 to Russia. Then they beat Sweden 3–2. But they lost to Russia again. They also lost 1–0 to Sweden at home. This meant they were supposed to go down to League C. But UEFA changed the rules, so Turkey stayed in League B.

Turkey qualified for UEFA Euro 2020. They were in a group with France, Iceland, Albania, Moldova, and Andorra. Coach Şenol Güneş brought in many young players. They also had experienced players like Burak Yılmaz. The team beat France 2–0 at home. They drew 1–1 in France. Turkey struggled against Andorra, winning 1–0 with a late goal. Their only loss was 2–1 to Iceland. This loss came after the team had problems at Iceland's airport. Turkish media criticized the events. Turkey secured their spot in Euro 2020 finals with a 0–0 draw against Iceland.

The 2020s: Recent Games

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.

Euro 2020 was postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Turkey played in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B. They were with Russia, Hungary, and Serbia. They lost 1–0 to Hungary. They drew 0–0 with Serbia. This made it harder to get promoted to League A.

In Moscow, Turkey drew 1–1 with Russia. Then they drew 2–2 with Serbia at home. Later, Turkey beat Russia 3–2. But they lost 2–0 to Hungary. This meant Turkey was relegated to League C.

Turkey opened the Euro 2020 finals. They lost 3–0 to Italy. An own goal by Merih Demiral gave Italy the lead. Turkey then lost their next two games. They lost to Switzerland and Wales. They lost all three games in the tournament.

In the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Turkey was in Group G. They finished second behind the Netherlands. They went to the play-offs against Portugal. They lost 3–1. Burak Yılmaz missed a key penalty. Turkey did not qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. After this, Burak Yılmaz retired from international football.

In the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C, Turkey was in Group 1. They played against Luxembourg, the Faroe Islanders, and Lithuania. They won 13 points in six games. They were promoted to League B. This success also gave them a play-off spot for future tournaments. They also got an easier draw for Euro 2024 qualifiers. They were in Group D with Croatia, Wales, Armenia, and Latvia. Turkey qualified directly for Euro 2024 on October 16, 2023. They finished first in their group on November 19, 2023.

Turkey played in UEFA Euro 2024 Group F. They were with Portugal, Czech Republic, and Georgia. They finished second in the group. The team reached the quarter-finals. They beat Austria 2–1. Then they lost to the Netherlands 2–1. They finished the tournament in 5th place.

Future Tournaments

Turkey will be a co-host for UEFA Euro 2032. They will automatically qualify for the tournament. Italy will also be a co-host.

Team Kits

Turkey's home kits used to be red and away kits white. These were made by Adidas from 1982 to 2002. Nike became the kit maker in 2003. 17 years later, they changed their main colors. Now, white is the home kit color, and red is the away color.

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

Team Rivalries

Turkey has some well-known rivalries. The most famous ones are with Croatia and Greece.

Turkey and Croatia have played nine times. Their first game was at UEFA Euro 1996. Croatia won 1–0. In UEFA Euro 2008, Turkey won on penalties after a 1–1 draw. They also played in the 2012 Euro qualifying play-offs. Croatia won 3–0 in the first game. They went to the finals after a 0–0 draw in the second game. They met again at UEFA Euro 2016. Croatia won 1–0. Three months later, they drew 1–1 in a World Cup qualifier. A year later, Turkey won 1–0 at home. This win was important for both teams. They played again in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. Turkey surprised Croatia with a 1–0 away win. Turkey topped their qualification group for the first time ever.

Turkey also has a long rivalry with Greece. They have played 13 times. Turkey has won eight games, drawn three, and lost three. Both teams are known for doing better than expected. Greece won UEFA Euro 2004 when no one thought they would. Turkey reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2008. Because of history between the two countries, this is a big football rivalry.

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 Ceyhun Kazanci

Current Players

  • The following 29 players were called up for friendly matches. These were against the United States and Mexico. The games were on June 7 and 10, 2025.
  • Caps and goals are correct as of June 10, 2025, after the match against Mexico.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Altay Bayındır (1998-04-14) 14 April 1998 (age 27) 10 0 England Manchester United
12 1GK Berke Özer (2000-05-25) 25 May 2000 (age 25) 2 0 Turkey Eyüpspor
23 1GK Muhammed Şengezer (1997-01-05) 5 January 1997 (age 28) 0 0 Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir
1GK Uğurcan Çakır (1996-04-05) 5 April 1996 (age 29) 31 0 Turkey Trabzonspor

2 2DF Zeki Çelik (1997-02-17) 17 February 1997 (age 28) 54 2 Italy Roma
3 2DF Merih Demiral (1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 27) 55 4 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
4 2DF Çağlar Söyüncü (1996-05-23) 23 May 1996 (age 29) 58 2 Turkey Fenerbahçe
13 2DF Eren Elmalı (2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 (age 25) 17 0 Turkey Galatasaray
14 2DF Samet Akaydin (1994-05-13) 13 May 1994 (age 31) 14 1 Turkey Çaykur Rizespor
15 2DF Yusuf Akçiçek (2006-01-25) 25 January 2006 (age 19) 2 0 Turkey Fenerbahçe
18 2DF Mert Müldür (1999-04-03) 3 April 1999 (age 26) 36 2 Turkey Fenerbahçe
24 2DF Mustafa Eskihellaç (1997-05-05) 5 May 1997 (age 28) 2 0 Turkey Trabzonspor
26 2DF Yasin Özcan (2006-04-20) 20 April 2006 (age 19) 1 0 Turkey Kasımpaşa

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) 41 3 Turkey Beşiktaş
16 3MF İsmail Yüksek (1999-01-26) 26 January 1999 (age 26) 25 1 Turkey Fenerbahçe
22 3MF Kaan Ayhan (vice-captain) (1994-11-10) 10 November 1994 (age 30) 71 5 Turkey Galatasaray
25 3MF Demir Ege Tıknaz (2004-08-17) 17 August 2004 (age 20) 1 0 Portugal Rio Ave
3MF Hakan Çalhanoğlu (captain) (1994-02-08) 8 February 1994 (age 31) 97 21 Italy Inter Milan
3MF Salih Özcan (1998-01-11) 11 January 1998 (age 27) 23 0 Germany Borussia Dortmund

7 4FW Kerem Aktürkoğlu (1998-10-21) 21 October 1998 (age 26) 44 12 Portugal Benfica
8 4FW Ahmed Kutucu (2000-03-01) 1 March 2000 (age 25) 4 0 Turkey Galatasaray
9 4FW Barış Alper Yılmaz (2000-05-23) 23 May 2000 (age 25) 28 2 Turkey Galatasaray
10 4FW Arda Güler (2005-02-25) 25 February 2005 (age 20) 21 5 Spain Real Madrid
11 4FW Kenan Yıldız (2005-05-04) 4 May 2005 (age 20) 21 2 Italy Juventus
17 4FW İrfan Can Kahveci (1995-07-15) 15 July 1995 (age 30) 41 5 Turkey Fenerbahçe
19 4FW Deniz Gül (2004-07-02) 2 July 2004 (age 21) 3 0 Portugal Porto
20 4FW Oğuz Aydın (2000-10-27) 27 October 2000 (age 24) 4 0 Turkey Fenerbahçe
21 4FW Can Uzun (2005-11-11) 11 November 2005 (age 19) 3 0 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
4FW Mustafa Hekimoğlu (2007-04-22) 22 April 2007 (age 18) 0 0 Turkey Beşiktaş

Recent Call-ups

These players have also been called up to the team in the last year.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Mert GünokINJ (1989-03-01) 1 March 1989 (age 36) 37 0 Turkey Beşiktaş v.  Hungary, 23 March 2025
GK Mert BayramTRA (2005-01-02) 2 January 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Turkey Alanyaspor v.  Hungary, 23 March 2025
GK Jankat YılmazTRA (2004-08-16) 16 August 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Turkey Galatasaray v.  Hungary, 20 March 2025
GK Emre BilginTRA (2004-02-26) 26 February 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Turkey Fatih Karagümrük v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
GK Doğan AlemdarINJ (2002-10-29) 29 October 2002 (age 22) 2 0 France Rennes v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
GK Deniz DilmenTRA (2005-06-05) 5 June 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir v.  Wales, 6 September 2024

DF Abdülkerim Bardakcı (1994-09-07) 7 September 1994 (age 30) 19 2 Turkey Galatasaray v.  Hungary, 23 March 2025
DF Rayyan Baniya (1999-02-18) 18 February 1999 (age 26) 0 0 Italy Palermo v.  Hungary, 23 March 2025
DF Taha Şahin (2000-10-22) 22 October 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Turkey Çaykur Rizespor v.  Hungary, 23 March 2025
DF Gökhan Sazdağı (1994-09-20) 20 September 1994 (age 30) 0 0 Turkey Kayserispor v.  Montenegro, 19 November 2024
DF Ferdi KadıoğluINJ (1999-10-07) 7 October 1999 (age 25) 22 1 England Brighton & Hove Albion v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
DF Ozan KabakINJ (2000-03-25) 25 March 2000 (age 25) 26 2 Germany TSG 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

MF Atakan Karazor (1996-10-13) 13 October 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Germany VfB Stuttgart v.  Hungary, 23 March 2025
MF İsak VuralTRA (2006-05-28) 28 May 2006 (age 19) 0 0 Italy Frosinone v.  Hungary, 20 March 2025
MF Doğucan Haspolat (2000-02-11) 11 February 2000 (age 25) 0 0 Belgium Westerlo v.  Montenegro, 19 November 2024
MF Yunus KonakTRA (2006-01-10) 10 January 2006 (age 19) 0 0 England Brentford v.  Wales, 16 November 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

FW Emre Mor (1997-07-24) 24 July 1997 (age 28) 15 1 Turkey Eyüpspor v.  Hungary, 23 March 2025
FW Yunus AkgünINJ (2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 (age 25) 14 2 Turkey Galatasaray v.  Hungary, 23 March 2025
FW Enes ÜnalINJ (1997-05-10) 10 May 1997 (age 28) 34 3 England Bournemouth v.  Montenegro, 19 November 2024
FW Bertuğ Yıldırım (2002-01-12) 12 January 2002 (age 23) 5 2 Spain Getafe v.  Montenegro, 19 November 2024
FW Semih Kılıçsoy (2005-08-15) 15 August 2005 (age 19) 4 0 Turkey Beşiktaş v.  Montenegro, 19 November 2024
FW Cihan Çanak (2005-01-24) 24 January 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Turkey Trabzonspor v.  Montenegro, 19 November 2024
FW Eren DinkçiINJ (2001-12-13) 13 December 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Germany SC Freiburg v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
FW Umut Nayir (1993-06-28) 28 June 1993 (age 32) 4 1 Turkey Konyaspor v.  Wales, 6 September 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

Players in bold are still active with the Turkey national team.

Most Games Played

Rustu Recber 2010
Rüştü Reçber has played the most games for Turkey (120).
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 97 21 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 Goal Scorers

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
Hakan Çalhanoğlu 21 97 0.22 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 37 0.41 2012–present
6 Ömer Çatkıç 10 19 0.53 2000–2005
Engin İpekoğlu 10 32 0.31 1989–1999
Uğurcan Çakır 10 31 0.32 2019–present
9 Sabri Dino 7 12 0.58 1969–1975
Sinan Bolat 7 12 0.58 2009–2019

Milestone Goals

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

This table shows when Turkey scored its milestone goals.

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

Tournament History

FIFA World Cup

Turkey has played in the FIFA World Cup twice. Their best result was third place in 2002.

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

Turkey has played in the UEFA European Championship six times. They reached the semi-finals in 2008.

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

FIFA Confederations Cup

Turkey has played in the FIFA Confederations Cup once. They finished third in 2003.

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.

Turkey has played in the Olympic Games six times. Their best result was reaching the quarter-finals twice.

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

Team Achievements

Major Competitions

Regional Competitions

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

Friendly Tournaments

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

Summary of Medals

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

Special Recognition

In 2002, the national team received the Turkish "State Medal of Distinguished Service". This was for their third-place finish at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. All the team members, coaches, and officials got 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
  • Turkish football clubs in European competitions
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Turkey national football team Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.