Vincenzo Montella has announced a preliminary squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, where Türkiye will take on Australia, Paraguay and co-hosts USA in Group D. The Italian coach faces some tough decisions to whittle the 35-man squad down to 26 by 2 June.
The attacking options, in particular, are truly impressive. Alongside rising stars Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, the line-up features players such as Kerem Akturkoglu and Baris Alper Yilmaz — both of whom have just completed a strong season in the Super Lig.
Ahead of the global showpiece, the squad will assemble on 22 May, a few kilometers northeast of Istanbul at the headquarters of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) to begin final preparations for the World Cup. A friendly match against North Macedonia is scheduled for 1 June in Istanbul, while the final dress rehearsal for the tournament will take place on 7 June in Fort Lauderdale against Venezuela.
Türkiye’s extended World Cup squad
Goalkeepers
Altay Bayindir
Ersin Destanoglu
Mert Gunok
Muhammed Sengezer
Ugurcan Cakir
Defenders
Abdulkerim Bardakci
Ahmetcan Kaplan
Caglar Soyuncu
Eren Elmali
Ferdi Kadioglu
Merih Demiral
Mert Muldur
Mustafa Eskihellac
Ozan Kabak
Samet Akaydin
Yusuf Akcicek
Zeki Celik
Midfielders
Atakan Karazor
Demir Ege Tiknaz
Hakan Calhanoglu
Ismail Yuksek
Kaan Ayhan
Orkun Kokcu
Salih Ozcan
Forwards
Aral Simsir
Arda Guler
Baris Alper Yilmaz
Can Uzun
Deniz Gul
Irfan Can Kahveci
Kenan Yildiz
Kerem Akturkoglu
Oguz Aydin
Yunus Akgun
Yusuf Sari
All squads are provisional until the final list of 26 players is announced by FIFA, following their submission by participating teams, on 2 June.
