Türkiye’s preparations for the 2026 World Cup are progressing steadily, as the national team aims to secure a return to the tournament after more than twenty years.

The structure of Türkiye’s World Cup 2026 squad is beginning to take shape under the guidance of Vincenzo Montella.

With the World Cup drawing closer, Türkiye is determined to make it through the March play-offs. Although they may not be among the favourites if they qualify, Montella will have one of the most dynamic young squads in the competition.

Remarkably, Türkiye have not appeared at a World Cup since 2002, when they reached the semi-finals and went on to defeat South Korea in the third-place play-off.

Much has changed for the Crescent-Stars in the two decades since, but a promising display at Euro 2024 has reignited hope among fans. The team continues to be led by veteran playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu, who remains pivotal in midfield.

The nation’s new generation of players is also turning heads globally. Arda Guler is currently ranked number 10 in FourFourTwo’s list of the world’s best attacking midfielders, while Kenan Yildiz holds the 11th spot among the best left-wingers. Both have been included in the latest squad to face Romania and either Slovakia or Kosovo later this month.

Youngster Can Uzun of Eintracht Frankfurt has missed out on selection this time, but hopes to make the final squad later this summer. FourFourTwo’s Joe Donnohue recently wrote in The Boy’s A Bit Special that Uzun possesses “a calmness and composure to his game when he's on the ball, which translates directly to his finishing”.

Türkiye are widely tipped to make it to North America, though Montella will need to depend on squad depth with experienced players like Caglar Soyuncu and Okay Yokuslu absent from this selection. Achieving qualification would mark a milestone no Türkiye manager has accomplished in a generation.

Below is the complete list of players named in Montella’s latest squad:

GK: Mert Gunok (Fenerbahce)

GK: Ugurcan Cakir (Galatasaray)

GK: Altay Bayindir (Manchester United)

GK: Muhammed Sengezer (Istanbul Basaksehir)

DF: Merih Demiral (Al-Ahli)

DF: Zeki Celik (Roma)

DF: Mert Muldur (Fenerbahce)

DF: Ferdi Kadioglu (Brighton & Hove Albion)

DF: Ozan Kabak (Hoffenheim)

DF: Abdulkerim Bardakci (Galatasaray)

DF: Eren Elmali (Galatasaray)

DF: Samet Akaydin (Caykur Rizespor)

DF: Mustafa Eskihellac (Trabzonspor)

DF: Ahmetcan Kaplan (NEC)

MF: Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan)

MF: Kaan Ayhan (Galatasaray)

MF: Orkun Kokcu (Besiktas)

MF: Ismail Yuksek (Fenerbahce)

MF: Salih Ozcan (Borussia Dortmund)

MF: Atakan Karazor (VfB Stuttgart)

FW: Kerem Akturkoglu (Fenerbahce)

FW: Irfan Kahveci (Fenerbahce)

FW: Baris Alper Yilmaz (Galatasaray)

FW: Arda Guler (Real Madrid)

FW: Kenan Yildiz (Juventus)

FW: Yunus Akgun (Galatasaray)

FW: Oguz Aydin (Fenerbahce)

FW: Deniz Gul (Porto)

FW: Semih Kilicsoy (Cagliari)

FW: Aral Simsir (Midtjylland)

Upcoming fixtures:

March 26, 2026: Türkiye vs Romania, Beşiktaş Stadium, Istanbul, Türkiye

March 31, 2026: Slovakia or Kosovo vs Türkiye, TBC (Bratislava or Pristina)

Recent results:

March 20, 2025: Türkiye 3–1 Hungary, Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi, Istanbul, Türkiye

March 23, 2025: Hungary 0–3 Türkiye, Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary

June 7, 2025: United States 1–2 Türkiye, Pratt & Whitney Stadium, East Hartford, United States

June 10, 2025: Mexico 1–0 Türkiye, Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, United States

September 4, 2025: Georgia 2–3 Türkiye, Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia

September 7, 2025: Türkiye 0–6 Spain, Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium, Konya, Türkiye

October 11, 2025: Bulgaria 1–6 Türkiye, Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria

October 14, 2025: Türkiye 4–1 Georgia, Kocaeli Stadium, İzmit, Türkiye

November 15, 2025: Türkiye 2–0 Bulgaria, Centennial Atatürk Stadium, Bursa, Türkiye

November 18, 2025: Spain 2–2 Türkiye, Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain

Vincenzo Montella, remembered by many European football fans as a key player in Roma’s last Serie A title-winning side and for his brief spell at Fulham in 2007, has gone on to a varied managerial career. After short tenures at Milan, Sevilla, and Fiorentina, his time at Adana Demirspor paved the way for his current role as Türkiye’s national team coach, a position he has held since before the last European Championship.

Arda Guler, often hailed as Mesut Ozil’s successor and compared to Lionel Messi, is widely regarded as Türkiye’s most promising talent in years. Having emerged from Fenerbahce’s ranks before moving to Real Madrid, the energetic No.10 is known for his driving runs and lethal left foot. He has already scored six goals for his country, including three during the 2025 qualification campaign and that stunning strike against Georgia in Dortmund at Euro 2024.