The Turquia selection officially confirmed the players who will compete in the Copa of the 2026 Mundo. The announcement was made this Tuesday by coach Vincenzo Montella. The team returns to the world tournament after a period of 24 years of absence from the competition. The squad has names that play in major European football leagues to try to repeat the success of past historic campaigns.
The Turkish group is included in group D of the international tournament. The official debut of the team led by Vincenzo Montella is scheduled for June 14th against Austrália. The technical committee sought to balance the experience of consolidated athletes on the international scene with the vigor of young promises who gained ground in recent European seasons.
Destaques commands Vincenzo Montella’s list
Midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu emerges as the main reference for technical experience in the team’s creation sector. The player leads the transition of plays and dictates the rhythm of the Turkish midfield. At his side, the new generation gains prominence with athletes with acute offensive characteristics.
Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız appear as the names most expected to create attacking plays in this edition of the tournament. The young players have conquered space in the continent’s giants and give speed to Turquia’s offensive sector. The technical committee is betting on this ability to improvise to break the opponents’ defensive lines in the group stage.
Relação official of the players called up
Coach Vincenzo Montella selected athletes for all sectors looking for defensive consistency and quick transition. Abaixo are the names chosen to represent the country in the competition:
- Goleiros: Altay Bayindir, Mert Gunok, Ugurcan Cakir.
- Defensores: Abdulkerim Bardakci, Çağlar Söyüncü, Eren Elmali, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, Merih Demiral, Mert Muldur, Ozan Kabak, Samet Akaydın, Zeki Celik.
- Meio-campers: Hakan Calhanoglu, Ismail Yuksek, Kaan Ayhan, Orkun Kokçu, Salih Ozcan.
- Atacantes: Arda Guler, Baris Yilmaz, Can Uzun, Deniz Gul, Irfan Kahveci, Kenan Yildiz, Kerem Akturkoglu, Oguz Aydin, Yunus Akgun.
Retorno on the world stage after more than two decades
Turquia’s last participation in an Copa of Mundo occurred in 2002, when the team achieved historic third place in the tournament hosted by Coreia of Sul and Japão. Desde then, the local federation underwent restructuring and renewal processes in its base categories. The current objective is to reestablish the national team’s image among football’s main powers.
The work of Italian commander Vincenzo Montella prioritizes defensive tactical organization without giving up the individual talent of the front men. The team’s final preparation will be carried out focusing on climate adaptation and the detailed study of Austrália, the first opponent of the journey in search of classification for the knockout stages.