Turkey national football team

Turkey

Nickname(s)	Ay-Yıldızlılar (The Crescent-Stars)[1]
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[2]
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	26 (24 October 2024)[3]
Highest	5 (June 2004)
Lowest	67 (October 1993)
First international
Turkey 2–2 Romania  (Istanbul, Turkey; 26 October 1923)[a]
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 2002 Korea/Japan Team UEFA European Championship 2008 Austria–Switzerland Team [b] FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 France Team
Website	tff.org

The Turkey national football team (Turkish: Türkiye Millî Futbol Takımı), recognized as Türkiye by FIFA,^[6][7] 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.^[8]

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,^[c] 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.

The Turkish national team's first game was against Romania, played on 26 October 1923 at Taksim Stadium in Istanbul, a 2–2 draw.^[11] 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.

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.^[12] Lefter Küçükandonyadis, arguably one of the best Turkish strikers of all time, scored two goals during the tournament.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.^[13] Turkey qualified from the group stage with a 3–0 win against China PR after drawing 1–1 with Costa Rica.^[14][15] Turkey then faced co-hosts Japan in the second round, winning 1–0.^[16] 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.^[17][18][19] 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.^[20][21] 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.^[22] 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.^[23][24][25] Turkey knocked out a host nation – Switzerland – in the group stages for the second time.^[26] 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.^[27] 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.^[28]

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.^[29]

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.^[30][31]

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.

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.^{[32][33][34][35][36]} 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.^[37]

Placed with Croatia, Finland, Iceland, Kosovo and Ukraine for 2018 World Cup qualifying, manager Fatih Terim left after an off-field incident,^[38] 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.^[39]

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.^[40]

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.^[41][42][43] 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.^[44][45][46] 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,^[47][48][49] they entered 2022 FIFA World Cup UEFA playoffs against Portugal^[50][51] 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.^[52] Afterwards, he announced his international retirement.^[53][54]

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,^[55] 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.^[56][57][58]

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.^[59]

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.

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
Adidas	1982–2002
Nike	2003–present

Turkey has developed several notable rivalries, the most well-known being Croatia,^[60] and Greece, with a smaller rivalry against Armenia.^[61]

Turkey and Croatia have played each other nine times,^[62] with their first encounter at Euro 1996; where both countries made their debuts in the opening match, which Croatia won 1–0.^[63] 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.^[64][65] 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.^[66][67] 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.^[68] 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.^[69][70] 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.^[71][72]

Turkey also has a historical rivalry with Greece. Playing 14 times, Turkey won eight matches, drew thrice, and lost only three games.^[73] 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.^[74]

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

As of 21 September 2023.^[89]

Position	Name
Head coach	Vincenzo Montella
Assistant coaches[90]	Daniele Russo
	Selçuk Şahin
Goalkeeping coaches	Ozan Özerkan
	Emrah Karakovan
Fitness coach	Pierpaolo Polino
	Ömür Serdal Altunsöz
	Vural Durmuş
Match analyst	Massimo Crivellaro
	Okan Aydıner
Team manager[d]	Ceyhun Kazanci

The following players were called up for 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Wales and Montenegro on 16 and 19 November 2024, respectively.^[92][93][94]

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 35)	37	0	Beşiktaş
12	1GK	Altay Bayındır	(1998-04-14) 14 April 1998 (age 26)	10	0	Manchester United
23	1GK	Uğurcan Çakır	(1996-04-05) 5 April 1996 (age 28)	29	0	Trabzonspor
	1GK	Muhammed Şengezer	(1997-01-05) 5 January 1997 (age 27)	0	0	Başakşehir
2	2DF	Zeki Çelik	(1997-02-17) 17 February 1997 (age 27)	53	2	Roma
3	2DF	Merih Demiral	(1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 26)	53	4	Al-Ahli
4	2DF	Samet Akaydin	(1994-03-13) 13 March 1994 (age 30)	12	1	Fenerbahçe
13	2DF	Eren Elmalı	(2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 (age 24)	14	0	Trabzonspor
15	2DF	Emirhan Topçu	(2000-10-11) 11 October 2000 (age 24)	2	0	Beşiktaş
18	2DF	Mert Müldür	(1999-04-03) 3 April 1999 (age 25)	33	2	Fenerbahçe
14	2DF	Yasin Özcan	(2006-04-20) 20 April 2006 (age 18)	0	0	Kasımpaşa
	2DF	Gökhan Sazdağı	(1994-09-20) 20 September 1994 (age 30)	0	0	Kayserispor
5	3MF	Okay Yokuşlu	(1994-03-09) 9 March 1994 (age 30)	47	1	Trabzonspor
6	3MF	Orkun Kökçü	(2000-12-29) 29 December 2000 (age 23)	38	2	Benfica
8	3MF	Arda Güler	(2005-02-25) 25 February 2005 (age 19)	18	3	Real Madrid
10	3MF	Hakan Çalhanoğlu (captain)	(1994-02-08) 8 February 1994 (age 30)	95	20	Inter Milan
16	3MF	İsmail Yüksek	(1999-01-26) 26 January 1999 (age 25)	21	1	Fenerbahçe
21	3MF	Doğucan Haspolat	(2000-02-11) 11 February 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Westerlo
22	3MF	Kaan Ayhan (vice-captain)	(1994-11-10) 10 November 1994 (age 30)	68	5	Galatasaray
7	4FW	Kerem Aktürkoğlu	(1998-10-21) 21 October 1998 (age 26)	40	10	Benfica
9	4FW	Enes Ünal	(1997-05-10) 10 May 1997 (age 27)	34	3	Bournemouth
11	4FW	Barış Alper Yılmaz	(2000-05-23) 23 May 2000 (age 24)	24	2	Galatasaray
17	3MF	Yunus Akgün	(2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 (age 24)	14	2	Galatasaray
	4FW	Bertuğ Yıldırım	(2002-01-12) 12 January 2002 (age 22)	5	2	Getafe
20	4FW	Semih Kılıçsoy	(2005-08-15) 15 August 2005 (age 19)	4	0	Beşiktaş
19	4FW	Kenan Yıldız	(2005-05-04) 4 May 2005 (age 19)	17	2	Juventus
	4FW	Cihan Çanak	(2005-01-24) 24 January 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Trabzonspor

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 20)	0	0	Fatih Karagümrük	v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
GK	Berke Özer	(2000-05-25) 25 May 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Eyüpspor	v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
GK	Doğan AlemdarINJ	(2002-10-29) 29 October 2002 (age 22)	2	0	Stade Rennais	v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
GK	Jankat YılmazTRA	(2004-08-16) 16 August 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Adanaspor	v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
GK	Deniz DilmenTRA	(2005-06-05) 5 June 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Başakşehir	v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
GK	Okan Kocuk	(1995-07-27) 27 July 1995 (age 29)	0	0	Samsunspor	v.  Austria, 26 March 2024
DF	Abdülkerim BardakcıSUS	(1994-09-07) 7 September 1994 (age 30)	17	1	Galatasaray	v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
DF	Çağlar SöyüncüINJ	(1996-05-23) 23 May 1996 (age 28)	56	2	Fenerbahçe	v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
DF	Ferdi KadıoğluINJ	(1999-10-07) 7 October 1999 (age 25)	22	1	Brighton	v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
DF	Ozan KabakINJ	(2000-03-25) 25 March 2000 (age 24)	26	2	Hoffenheim	v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
DF	Cenk ÖzkacarINJ	(2000-10-06) 6 October 2000 (age 24)	9	0	Real Valladolid	v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
DF	Metehan BaltacıTRA	(2002-11-03) 3 November 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Galatasaray	v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
DF	Emrecan TerziTRA	(2004-01-05) 5 January 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Beşiktaş	v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
DF	Ahmetcan Kaplan	(2003-01-16) 16 January 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Ajax	UEFA Euro 2024
DF	Serdar SaatçıTRA	(2002-02-14) 14 February 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Braga	UEFA Euro 2024PRE
DF	Uğur YıldızTRA	(2002-08-06) 6 August 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Keçiörengücü	UEFA Euro 2024PRE
DF	Rıdvan Yılmaz	(2001-05-21) 21 May 2001 (age 23)	7	0	Rangers	v.  Austria, 26 March 2024
MF	Yunus KonakTRA	(2006-01-10) 10 January 2006 (age 18)	0	0	Brentford	v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
MF	İrfan KahveciINJ	(1995-07-15) 15 July 1995 (age 29)	37	4	Fenerbahçe	v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
MF	Atakan Karazor	(1996-10-13) 13 October 1996 (age 28)	0	0	Stuttgart	v.  Montenegro, 11 October 2024
MF	Salih Özcan	(1998-01-11) 11 January 1998 (age 26)	22	0	Wolfsburg	v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
MF	Can Uzun	(2005-11-11) 11 November 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Eintracht Frankfurt	v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
MF	Bartuğ ElmazTRA	(2003-02-17) 17 February 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Fenerbahçe	v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
MF	Yusuf Özdemir	(2001-01-10) 10 January 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Alanyaspor	v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
MF	Berat Özdemir	(1998-05-23) 23 May 1998 (age 26)	4	0	Başakşehir	UEFA Euro 2024PRE
FW	Ahmed KutucuINJ	(2000-03-01) 1 March 2000 (age 24)	2	0	Eyüpspor	v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
FW	Deniz GülINJ	(2004-07-02) 2 July 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Porto	v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
FW	Eren DinkçiINJ	(2001-12-13) 13 December 2001 (age 22)	0	0	Freiburg	v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
FW	Mustafa HekimoğluTRA	(2007-04-22) 22 April 2007 (age 17)	0	0	Beşiktaş	v.  Wales, 16 November 2024
FW	Umut Nayir	(1993-06-28) 28 June 1993 (age 31)	4	1	Konyaspor	v.  Wales, 6 September 2024
FW	Cenk Tosun	(1991-06-07) 7 June 1991 (age 33)	53	21	Fenerbahçe	UEFA Euro 2024
FW	Yusuf YazıcıINJ	(1997-01-29) 29 January 1997 (age 27)	45	3	Olympiacos	UEFA Euro 2024
FW	Abdülkadir Ömür	(1999-06-25) 25 June 1999 (age 25)	14	0	Hull City	UEFA Euro 2024PRE
FW	Oğuz Aydın	(2000-10-27) 27 October 2000 (age 24)	1	0	Fenerbahçe	UEFA Euro 2024PRE
FW	Enis DestanTRA	(2002-06-15) 15 June 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Trabzonspor	UEFA Euro 2024PRE
FW	Cengiz ÜnderINJ	(1997-07-14) 14 July 1997 (age 27)	51	16	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.

As of 16 November 2024^[95][96]

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

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

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

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

As of 29 September 2020.^[97][98]

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

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Did not enter										Did not enter
1934	Withdrew										Withdrew
1938	Did not enter										Did not enter
1950	Qualified but withdrew										1	1	0	0	7	0
1954	Group stage	9th	3	1	0	2	10	11	Squad		3	1	1	1	4	6
1958	Withdrew										Withdrew
1962	Did not qualify										4	2	0	2	4	4
1966											6	1	0	5	4	19
1970											4	0	0	4	2	13
1974											6	2	2	2	5	3
1978											6	2	1	3	9	5
1982											8	0	0	8	1	22
1986											8	0	1	7	2	24
1990											8	3	1	4	12	10
1994											10	3	1	6	11	19
1998											8	4	2	2	21	9
2002	Third place	3rd	7	4	1	2	10	6	Squad		12	8	3	1	24	8
2006	Did not qualify										14	7	5	2	27	13
2010											10	4	3	3	13	10
2014											10	5	1	4	16	9
2018											10	4	3	3	14	13
2022											11	6	3	2	28	19
2026	To be determined										To be determined
2030
2034
Total	Third place	2/22	10	5	1	4	20	17	—		139	53	27	59	204	206

Turkey's FIFA World Cup history
Year	Round	Score	Result	Date	Venue
1954	Group 2	Turkey 1–4  West Germany	Loss	17 June 1954	Bern, Switzerland
		Turkey 7–0  South Korea	Win	20 June 1954	Geneva, Switzerland
		Turkey 2–7  West Germany	Loss	23 June 1954	Zürich, Switzerland
2002	Group C	Turkey 1–2  Brazil	Loss	3 June 2002	Ulsan, South Korea
		Turkey 1–1  Costa Rica	Draw	9 June 2002	Incheon, South Korea
		Turkey 3–0  China	Win	13 June 2002	Seoul, South Korea
	Round of 16	Turkey 1–0  Japan	Win	18 June 2002	Rifu, Japan
	Quarter-final	Turkey 1–0 (a.s.d.e.t.)  Senegal	Win	22 June 2002	Osaka, Japan
	Semi-final	Turkey 0–1  Brazil	Loss	26 June 2002	Saitama, Japan
	Third place play-off	Turkey 3–2  South Korea	Win	29 June 2002	Daegu, South Korea

UEFA European Championship record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1960	Did not qualify										2	1	0	1	2	3
1964											2	0	0	2	0	7
1968											6	1	2	3	3	8
1972											6	2	1	3	5	13
1976											6	2	2	2	5	10
1980											6	3	1	2	5	5
1984											8	3	1	4	8	16
1988											6	0	2	4	2	16
1992											6	0	0	6	1	14
1996	Group stage	16th	3	0	0	3	0	5	Squad		8	4	3	1	16	8
2000	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	1	2	3	4	Squad		10	5	4	1	16	7
2004	Did not qualify										10	6	2	2	19	8
2008	Semi-finals	3rd	5	2	1	2	8	9	Squad		12	7	3	2	25	11
2012	Did not qualify										12	5	3	4	13	14
2016	Group stage	17th	3	1	0	2	2	4	Squad		10	5	3	2	14	9
2020		24th	3	0	0	3	1	8	Squad		10	7	2	1	18	3
2024	Quarter-finals	7th	5	3	0	2	8	8	Squad		8	5	2	1	14	7
2028	To be determined										To be determined
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

Turkey's UEFA European Championship history
Year	Round	Score	Result	Date	Venue
1996	Group D	Turkey 0–1  Croatia	Loss	11 June 1996	Nottingham, England
		Turkey 0–1  Portugal	Loss	14 June 1996	Nottingham, England
		Turkey 0–3  Denmark	Loss	19 June 1996	Sheffield, England
2000	Group B	Turkey 1–2  Italy	Loss	11 June 2000	Arnhem, Netherlands
		Turkey 0–0  Sweden	Draw	15 June 2000	Eindhoven, Netherlands
		Turkey 2–0  Belgium	Win	19 June 2000	Brussels, Belgium
	Quarter-final	Turkey 0–2  Portugal	Loss	24 June 2000	Amsterdam, Netherlands
2008	Group A	Turkey 0–2  Portugal	Loss	7 June 2008	Geneva, Switzerland
		Turkey 2–1   Switzerland	Win	11 June 2008	Basel, Switzerland
		Turkey 3–2  Czech Republic	Win	15 June 2008	Geneva, Switzerland
	Quarter-final	Turkey 1–1 (3–1 p)  Croatia	Draw	20 June 2008	Wien, Austria
	Semi-final	Turkey 2–3  Germany	Loss	25 June 2008	Basel, Switzerland
2016	Group D	Turkey 0–1  Croatia	Loss	12 June 2016	Paris, France
		Turkey 0–3  Spain	Loss	17 June 2016	Nice, France
		Turkey 2–0  Czech Republic	Win	21 June 2016	Lens, France
2020	Group A	Turkey 0–3  Italy	Loss	11 June 2021	Rome, Italy
		Turkey 0–2  Wales	Loss	16 June 2021	Baku, Azerbaijan
		Turkey 1–3   Switzerland	Loss	20 June 2021	Baku, Azerbaijan
2024	Group F	Turkey 3–1  Georgia	Win	18 June 2024	Dortmund, Germany
		Turkey 0–3  Portugal	Loss	22 June 2024	Dortmund, Germany
		Turkey 2–1  Czech Republic	Win	26 June 2024	Hamburg, Germany
	Round of 16	Turkey 2–1  Austria	Win	2 July 2024	Leipzig, Germany
	Quarter-final	Turkey 1–2  Netherlands	Loss	6 July 2024	Berlin, Germany

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		22nd
2020–21	B	3	6	1	3	2	6	8		29th
2022–23	C	1	6	4	1	1	18	5		35th
2024–25	B	4	To be determined
Total			16	6	4	6	28	20	22nd

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1992	Did not qualify
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003	Third place	3rd	5	2	1	2	8	8	Squad
2005	Did not qualify
2009
2013
2017
Total	Third place	1/10	5	2	1	2	8	8	—

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
1924	Round 1	13th	1	0	0	1	2	5	Squad
1928		14th	1	0	0	1	1	7	Squad
1936		15th	1	0	0	1	0	1	Squad
1948	Quarter-finals	6th	2	1	0	1	5	3	Squad
1952		8th	2	1	0	1	3	8	Squad
1956	Withdrew
1960	Round 1	14th	3	0	1	2	3	10	Squad
1964	Did not qualify
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984	Withdrew
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 record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1951	Did not participate
1955
1959	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	1	0	7	4
1963	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	1	1	12	7
1967	Fourth place	4th	5	2	1	2	5	7
1971	Third place	3rd	4	3	1	0	4	1
1975	Group stage	7th	4	0	2	2	1	5
1979	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	2	2
1983	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	0	2	4	5
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 record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
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 record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1929–31	Did not participate
1931	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	3	5
1932	Did not participate
1933
1934–35
1935
1936
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 record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1965	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	1	0	3	1
1967	Champions	1st	4	2	2	0	8	4
1969	Champions	1st	4	2	2	0	8	2
1970	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	1	0	4	2
1974	Champions	1st	3	2	1	0	3	2
1993	Did not participate
Total	3 titles	5/6	16	9	7	0	26	11

The following table shows Turkey's all-time international record, as of 19 November 2024.^[update]

  Positive record
  Neutral record
  Negative record

Opponents