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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 represents Turkey in international football games for men. They are also known as Türkiye by FIFA. The team is managed by the Turkish Football Federation, which started in 1923. This federation joined FIFA in 1923 and UEFA in 1962.

Turkey played their first official game in 1923. They have played in big tournaments since the 1924 Summer Olympics. They have been to 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 and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. They also reached the semi-finals at UEFA Euro 2008. Turkey has played in the FIFA World Cup three times. In 2002, they won the bronze medal. They have qualified for the UEFA European Championship six times. They reached the quarter-finals in 2000 and the semi-finals in 2008. Recently, Türkiye qualified for Euro 2016, Euro 2020, and Euro 2024. They made it to the quarter-finals in Euro 2024. Türkiye will be a co-host for UEFA Euro 2032, so they will automatically qualify.

Team History and Big Moments

Early Football Days

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

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

Turkey national football team (28.05.1950)
Turkey's team in 1950.

Turkey qualified for the 1950 World Cup. They beat Syria 7–0. However, they could not go to the tournament because of money problems. Turkey then qualified for the 1954 World Cup. They won a play-off against Spain. Turkey was in a group with Hungary and West Germany. They never played Hungary due to the tournament rules. They lost 4–1 to Germany. Then, Turkey won 7–0 against South Korea. Turkey lost a play-off to West Germany 7–2. In 1956, Turkey beat Hungary 3–1 in a friendly game. Hungary was one of the strongest teams then. 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 Netherlands in 1958.

The 1960s were tough for the national team. Many players from the 1954 World Cup team had retired. The new players could not qualify for big tournaments. In the 1970s, Turkey almost qualified for UEFA Euro 1972 and Euro 1976. They were just one point short. The 1980s saw Turkey's biggest losses. They lost 8–0 twice against England and once against Poland. But 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 Beginning

In 1990, coach Sepp Piontek took over the team. He brought in many new players. These players, like Bülent Korkmaz and Hakan Şükür, became key players for years. Piontek left in 1993, and Fatih Terim became coach. Terim led Turkey to 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. Even though they played well in the qualifiers, Turkey lost all their games in the tournament. They did not score any goals. However, they won the fair play award.

The 2000s: Golden Era

Turkey did not qualify for the 1998 World Cup. But they made it to Euro 2000 after beating Republic of Ireland in a play-off. Turkey lost their first game 2–1 to Italy. They drew 0–0 with Sweden. Then, they beat host nation Belgium 2–0. This was the first time a host nation was knocked out in the first round of the European Championship. 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 World Cup, Turkey finished second in their group. They lost to Sweden. Turkey then played play-offs against Austria. They won 6–0 overall and went to the finals. Turkey started the 2002 World Cup with a 2–1 loss to Brazil. Brazil later won the tournament. Turkey got out of their group by beating China PR 3–0 and drawing 1–1 with Costa Rica.

Next, Turkey beat co-hosts Japan 1–0. They continued their great run by beating Senegal 1–0 with a "golden goal." This sent them to the semi-finals. They lost 1–0 to Brazil again. This meant they played for third place. Turkey won the bronze medal by beating co-hosts 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! When the team returned to Istanbul, thousands of fans celebrated at Taksim Square. Key players like Rüştü Reçber and Hasan Şaş were named to the All-Star Team.

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

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

Turkey qualified for the 2008 tournament. They finished second behind Greece in their qualifying group. They were in Group A with Switzerland, Portugal, and the Czech Republic. They lost their first game 2–0 to Portugal. But they won against Switzerland (2–1) and the Czech Republic (3–2). Both wins came with late goals. This meant they moved to the knockout stages. Turkey knocked out a host nation (Switzerland) for the second time.

In the quarter-final against Croatia, the score was 0–0 after 90 minutes. Croatia scored in the last minute of extra time. But Turkey scored a very late goal by Semih Şentürk. This sent the game to penalties. Turkey won 3–1 on penalties. Turkey played Germany in the semi-final. They had many injured or suspended players. They scored first and were drawing 2–2. But 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 was in a tough group for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. They finished with 15 points and missed the play-offs. 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 Euro 2012. They beat Azerbaijan 1–0. But they lost 3–0 overall to Croatia and were out.

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

Turkey was in Group D for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. They finished fourth and did not qualify. Fatih Terim became coach 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 Euro 2016. This was their first major tournament in eight years. They qualified as the best third-placed team. They beat Iceland 1–0 with a late goal. Before the tournament, they lost a friendly to England. 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 next round.

For the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Fatih Terim left. Mircea Lucescu took over. Turkey was in a good position to qualify. But a 3–0 loss to Iceland at home ended their automatic qualification hopes. They finished fourth in their group.

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

Turkey was in Group H for Euro 2020 qualifiers. This group included 2018 World Cup champions France. 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 also drew 1–1 with France away. 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 a bad experience at Iceland customs. Turkey drew 0–0 with Iceland at home. They finished second in the group, behind France. This draw was enough to get Turkey into the Euro 2020 finals.

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 their UEFA Euro 2020 group stage match against Wales in Baku.

Euro 2020 was moved to 2021 because of COVID-19. Turkey opened the tournament. They lost 3–0 to Italy. Italy scored an own goal by Turkish defender Merih Demiral. Turkey then lost their next two games to Switzerland and Wales. They lost all three group games.

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 kick. This meant Turkey did not qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. After this, 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 earned 13 points in six games. This meant they were promoted to League B. This success also gave them a play-off spot if they failed to qualify directly for other tournaments. They qualified directly for Euro 2024 on October 16, 2023. They finished first in their group on November 19, 2023.

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

Future: 2030s

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 Uniforms

Turkey's team colors used to be red home kits and white away kits. Adidas made their uniforms from 1982 to 2002. Nike became the uniform maker in 2003. Seventeen years later, they changed their main colors. Now, white is for home kits and red is for away kits.

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

Team Rivalries

Turkey has some well-known rivalries. The biggest ones are with Croatia and Greece. They also have a smaller rivalry with Armenia.

Turkey and Croatia have played nine times. Their first game was at Euro 1996. Croatia won 1–0. In Euro 2008, Turkey won on penalties after a 1–1 draw. They met again in the 2012 Euro play-offs. Croatia won 3–0 in the first game and went to the finals. They also played at Euro 2016, where Croatia won 1–0. In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, they drew 1–1. A year later, Turkey won 1–0 at home. This helped both teams in their qualifying campaigns. They met again in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. Turkey won 1–0 away, topping their group for the first time.

Turkey also has a long rivalry with Greece. They have played 14 times. Turkey has won eight games, drawn three, and lost only three. Both teams are known for surprising people. Greece won Euro 2004 when no one expected them to. Turkey reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008. Because of history between the two countries, their football matches can be very intense.

Recent Matches and Future Games

Here are Turkey's match results from the last year. Also, some future games are listed.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

Coaching Staff

This table shows the current coaches and staff for the national team.

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

Team Players

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches in November 2024.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of November 19, 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

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


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 34) 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 26) 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 23) 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

Here are some records for players who have played for the Turkey national team. Players in bold are still playing for the team.

Most Games Played

Rustu Recber 2010
Rüştü Reçber has played the most games for Turkey, 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 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
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 (Goalkeepers)

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

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 their 1st, 100th, 200th goal and so on.

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 a few times. 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 also competed in the UEFA European Championship. Their best result was reaching 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

UEFA Nations League

Turkey also plays in the 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

Turkey has played in the FIFA Confederations Cup once, finishing 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 Football

Turkey has also participated in the football tournament 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.

Since 1992, the Olympic football tournament has been for players under 23 years old.

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 Honours and Awards

Major Competitions

Regional Tournaments

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

Friendly Tournaments

  • ECO Cup
    • 1 Champions (3): 1967, 1969, 1974
    • 2 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 received these medals.

More to Explore

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

  • Turkey national under-21 football team
  • Turkey national under-20 football team
  • Turkey national under-19 football team
  • Turkey national under-17 football team
  • Turkey national youth football team
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Turkey national football team Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.