Will Kerem Aktürkoğlu Play at the World Cup?

While Turkey's A National Team's 2026 FIFA World Cup preparations were continuing under Vincenzo Montella at the Hasan Doğan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities in Riva, an unfortunate injury occurred in training on Saturday, May 23. In a scrimmage in the final part of the session, Kerem Aktürkoğlu's foot got caught in the ground in a challenge; he stayed down in pain and could not continue training.

After the medical team's intervention, the player's right knee was bandaged. Kerem, who had difficulty walking, was seen experiencing great distress on the sideline and unable to hold back his tears; the national player was then taken to the facility. The images created concern, ahead of the World Cup, among both the national-team setup and football fans.

However, the evaluations that came after the initial fear were more reassuring. According to the latest reports, the player's injury is said not to be of a serious extent, and Kerem is expected to be out for about 10 days. This picture indicates that, despite the initial tears and the bandage on his knee, the situation is an injury requiring a short break rather than a major muscle or ligament problem. Still, the official medical statement is important for definitive information.

At this point, the main question, as in the headline, is whether the player will be able to feature at the World Cup. The calendar is decisive in this respect: the national team's first test at the tournament will be the match against Australia in about 20 days. Therefore, a 10-day injury period — according to the current picture — does not pose a major risk in terms of the player making the first match. In other words, the current information keeps the possibility of Kerem playing at the World Cup strong.

That said, the 10-day period may have an effect on the preparation calendar. The national team will enter camp from May 29, play a friendly against North Macedonia on June 1, and then travel to the USA to play a friendly against Venezuela on June 7. It is assessed that a 10-day break could lead to Kerem missing part of these warm-up matches. This keeps alive the question of whether the player can enter the tournament in full rhythm.

The injury picture was not limited to Kerem alone. In the same period, it was reported that another national player, Kenan Yıldız, was also injured in the knee area in training at his club Juventus; there were reports that this injury could be more serious than initial evaluations. Therefore, days before the World Cup, the health issues on coach Montella's agenda are not limited to Kerem.

In conclusion, the answer to the question "Will Kerem Aktürkoğlu play at the World Cup?" today, in light of the current information, leans toward a cautious "most likely yes." The information that the injury is not serious and that a process of about 10 days is expected, evaluated together with the tournament calendar, makes it possible for the player to make the first match. Still, the clear picture will emerge along with the official medical statement and the player's return-to-training process.