Türkiye Announces 30-Man Squad for 2026 World Cup Playoff
The candidate squad for the Turkish National Team to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup play-off round has been announced. The 30-person squad, determined by Coach Vincenzo Montella, includes a mix of experienced players and emerging talents.
Playoff Schedule
Türkiye will face Romania in the play-off semi-finals on Thursday, March 26th. The match will be played at Beşiktaş Park, with a kickoff time of 20:00 local time, and will be broadcast live on TV8 and the Exxen platform. If Türkiye wins, they will advance to the final and face the winner of the Slovakia versus Kosovo match away from home.
Squad Details
The squad consists of the following players:
- Goalkeepers: Altay Bayındır, Mert Günok, Muhammed Şengezer, Uğurcan Çakır
- Defenders: Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Ahmetcan Kaplan, Eren Elmalı, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, Merih Demiral, Mert Müldür, Mustafa Eskihellaç, Ozan Kabak, Samet Akaydin, Zeki Çelik
- Midfielders: Atakan Karazor, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, İsmail Yüksek, Kaan Ayhan, Orkun Kökçü, Salih Özcan
- Forwards: Aral Şimşir, Arda Güler, Barış Alper Yılmaz, Deniz Gül, İrfan Can Kahveci, Kenan Yıldız, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Oğuz Aydın, Semih Kılıçsoy, Yunus Akgün
Tournament Overview
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the 23rd edition of the tournament, and it will be the first to feature 48 teams [1]. The tournament is jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States [1], and will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026 [1].