Turkey at the World Cup Dress Rehearsal in Miami

Under Vincenzo Montella, the crescent-and-stars defeated North Macedonia 4-0 in Istanbul in the first preparation match. After the rehearsal in Miami, Turkey will move to Mesa, Arizona, the main camp centre at the 2026 World Cup. For the crescent-and-star team, shown in 24th place in The Athletic's 48-team power list published last week, this last match will be both the final test of the 26-man squad and a 90 minutes where Montella's tactical plan will be tested. Oswaldo Viscarrondo is at the head of Venezuela; despite failing to pass the World Cup qualifiers, the South American team will play in the home atmosphere on the Inter Miami pitch.

Although the match is of the nature of a 90-minute rehearsal, it is of critical importance for both the technical staff and the players. Turkey will compete in the 2026 World Cup starting on June 11; the crescent-and-stars' group matchup and opening match date have been determined according to the tournament calendar. Montella had recently commented in a press conference, "We are in a group of teams close to each other, we should not take it lightly." Inter Miami CF Stadium will also experience a full night in terms of supporters due to Florida's dense Turkish diaspora.

Probable Squads

Turkey (4-2-3-1) — Vincenzo Montella:

• Goalkeeper: Uğurcan Çakır
• Defence: Mert Müldür, Merih Demiral, Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Ferdi Kadıoğlu
• Midfield: Orkun Kökçü, Hakan Çalhanoğlu
• Attack: Yunus Akgün, Arda Güler, Kerem Aktürkoğlu
• Forward: Barış Alper Yılmaz

Venezuela — Oswaldo Viscarrondo:

• Goalkeeper: Contreras
• Defence: Aramburu, Ferraresi, Vivas, Quintero
• Midfield: Herrera, Casseres, Martinez
• Attack: Carmona, Mendoza, Ramirez

Image: oggusto.com