Türkiye’s euphoria after qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ following victories over Romania and Kosovo in the UEFA play-offs could hardly be greater.
“I’m excited, happy and above all proud. It’s an unbelievable evening, a wave of emotions,” beamed coach Vincenzo Montella in the press conference following his side’s 1-0 victory over Kosovo. “I’ve often said to the players that no matter what happens, I wouldn’t trade them for anything. It’s true – from the very first day I arrived here, they’ve shown incredible team spirit and fought right to the end. We’re also delighted for the country as a whole.”
Having only narrowly edged past Romania 1-0 in the first round of the play-offs, Türkiye’s decisive clash with Kosovo would also turn out to be a nervy affair. Kerem Akturkoglu opened the scoring shortly after the break following good work from Kenan Yildiz, but the Turks had to fight until the very last second to see out another narrow lead.
“I’m so proud of our players,” underlined Montella. “We discussed beforehand what a tough game this would be and how we would need to work hard for the victory, despite the quality we have. And they showed on the pitch that they can make sacrifices and play with patience, as well as showing their technical ability.”
The Italian coach once again spoke about his deep connection with the country, whose national side he has coached since 2023 and already guided them through the UEFA EURO two years ago. “I may be a foreigner but just being a part of it makes me unbelievably proud,” said Montella. “The passport is just a formality for me; I’m Turkish at heart!”
“I’m so excited I’ll hardly be able to sleep tonight,” added Montella. “And if I do, I promise I’ll be wearing my Türkiye shirt.” The 51-year-old could have continued praising his team all night – but his players had other ideas, storming the press conference, soaking him with water and celebrating wildly in front of the assembled media.
Qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time since Korea/Japan 2002 sparked a wave of celebration across Türkiye. With a side including talented young stars like Yildiz and Arda Guler, who were not even born the last time their country played in a World Cup, Türkiye will be hoping to navigate through Group D – which includes Australia, Paraguay and hosts the USA – in order to reach the knockout phase.
“Everyone dreams of experiencing something amazing like this with the national team,” explained Guler after the final whistle. “Today is a very special day for me.” His fellow attacking midfielder was equally euphoric at full time: “We are going to celebrate tonight,” promised Yildiz. “These are amazing feelings we’re experiencing right now. We wanted to get to the World Cup; we gave everything we had and we succeeded.”
Alongside these two exceptional creative talents, the Turkish side has a good mix of young, hungry players and stars with international experience. Captain Hakan Calhanoglu already has over 100 international caps (43 goal contributions) for Türkiye and has been winning silverware in Italy with Inter Milan for many years.
The Galatasaray contingent of Baris Alper Yilmaz, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Ugurcan Cakir, Eren Elmali and Yunus Akgun also regularly compete in the UEFA Champions League with the highly decorated Turkish club. The squad also includes no fewer than six Fenerbahce players, who bring a good understanding with them from their club. Three Bundesliga veterans in the form of Atakan Karazor, Salih Ozcan and Ozan Kabak also offer experienced options from the bench.
In their previous appearance at the World Cup finals in 2002, Türkiye sensationally finished in third place. After a long wait, Montella’s side will be determined to rekindle former glories in North America and capture the imagination of Türkiye’s fans once more.
