24-Year Wait Is Over: Türkiye at the World Cup — Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız Now Take Centre Stage

History is being written for Turkish football: the national team is at the World Cup for the first time since the 2002 third-place finish. Vincenzo Montella unveiled the 35-man preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday, May 18. The Italian coach, who has been at the helm of Turkish football since September 2023, has built around the formula of "elite youth" and "veteran stars." Arda Güler, 21, of Real Madrid, and Kenan Yıldız, also 21, of Juventus — neither had been born when Türkiye last reached a World Cup (2002); now, 24 years later, they sit at the heart of the nation's hopes. Montella has until June 2 to cut 9 more players and finalize the 26-man squad.

The attacking talent is impressive. The forwards on the list: Arda Güler (Real Madrid — 14 assists and 6 goals across La Liga and Champions League in 2025-26), Kenan Yıldız (Juventus), Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Fenerbahçe — the hero whose 54th-minute goal in Pristina put Türkiye into the World Cup), Barış Alper Yılmaz (Galatasaray), Can Uzun (Eintracht Frankfurt), Deniz Gül (Porto — scored 5 goals there), Yunus Akgün (Galatasaray), İrfan Can Kahveci and Yusuf Sarı. In defense are Merih Demiral (Al-Ahli), Çağlar Söyüncü (Fenerbahçe), Ferdi Kadıoğlu (Brighton), Abdülkerim Bardakcı (Galatasaray), Ozan Kabak and Zeki Çelik (Roma). In goal, Altay Bayındır (Manchester United), Uğurcan Çakır (Galatasaray) and Mert Günok (Fenerbahçe) are the leading candidates.

The road to the World Cup was not easy. In qualifying, the Crescent-Stars suffered a heavy 0-6 defeat to Spain in Konya, but finished 2nd in the group after a 2-2 draw in Seville, advancing to the play-offs. In the March 2026 play-off, Türkiye beat Romania 1-0 before facing Kosovo in Pristina; Kerem Aktürkoğlu's 54th-minute goal sealed a 1-0 win and the Path C victory. Türkiye's FIFA ranking: #28 (April 2026). Bookmakers price Türkiye at 80/1 to win the tournament.

Türkiye's Group D matches: Saturday June 13 (Türkiye time 14 June 05:00) at BC Place in Vancouver against Australia, June 19 at Levi's Stadium against Paraguay, June 25 at SoFi Stadium against the USA. For Turkish fans, the matches fall in early hours of the morning — the "breakfast match" hashtag is already trending. According to Sports Pulse Media's analysis, the group is "competitive but navigable" — Türkiye is rated as the second-most dangerous team in the group after the USA.

Montella's 4-2-3-1 system is the core of the team's identity. Çalhanoğlu (Inter, captain, 100+ caps) holds the deep pivot, Arda Güler builds creative intelligence in the No. 10 role, Kenan Yıldız comes inside from the left wing. Türkiye's biggest weakness: the lack of a true No. 9 — Barış Alper is a converted winger playing as a striker, Aktürkoğlu is a better goalscorer but better as a winger. Montella's plan may rely on Deniz Gül's 1.93m physique to fill this gap. Mesut Özil once told an interviewer that Arda Güler was his heir; comparisons to Lionel Messi are on the agenda. 24 years later, Türkiye returns not just to participate — but to leave a mark.

Source: Based on reports from Hürriyet Daily News, Türkiye Today, Daily Sabah, Squawka, Khelnow, Olympics.com, Sports Pulse Media and Australia Football on Türkiye's 2026 World Cup campaign.