Newsletters
Galatasaray will take on Italian giants Juventus Feb. 25, 2026, with a clear objective: to secure a place among Europe’s final 16 teams in the UEFA Champions League for the 11th time in club history. Carrying a commanding 5-2 advantage from the first leg in Istanbul, the Turkish side heads to Turin knowing that a win, a draw, or even a two-goal defeat would still be enough to move through.
Galatasaray approach the return leg in a strong position following their high-scoring home victory. The match will be played at Allianz Stadium in Turin at Feb. 25, 2026, 11:00 p.m. local Turkish time, with Portuguese referee Joao Pinheiro set to officiate alongside an all-Portuguese on-field team, while Poland’s Tomasz Kwiatkowski will oversee VAR duties.
If the Istanbul club advances, they will face either England’s Liverpool or Tottenham in the next round, raising the stakes of what already stands as one of the season’s most important European fixtures for the team.
Galatasaray’s pursuit of another last-16 appearance adds a new chapter to a European story that stretches back more than six decades.
The club first broke into the final 16 during the 1962-1963 season of the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, the predecessor to today’s Champions League format.
That campaign saw Galatasaray eliminate Dinamo Bucharest and Polonia Bytom before bowing out against AC Milan in the quarterfinals. The following season produced one of the competition’s more unusual exits, as Galatasaray was eliminated by Zurich through a draw-based decision after three matches ended level.
The club returned to the latter stages again in 1969-1970, progressing to the quarterfinals after advancing via a draw decision against Spartak Trnava.
One of the defining moments in Galatasaray’s European history came during the 1988-1989 season, when the team reached the semifinals for the first time, still considered one of Turkish football’s greatest continental achievements.
After overturning a 3-0 first-leg defeat by defeating Neuchatel Xamax 5-0 in Istanbul, Galatasaray carried momentum into the quarterfinals, where they overcame Monaco to advance further before eventually being eliminated by Steaua Bucharest.
Since the tournament adopted the UEFA Champions League name and format, Galatasaray has repeatedly worked its way into the competition’s latter stages. The club reached the final 16 in the 1993-1994 season after eliminating Manchester United, advancing on away goals following a 3-3 draw in England and a goalless return match.
Further appearances followed in 1994-1995 and during the early 2000s, when Galatasaray built on the momentum created after winning the UEFA Cup in 2000. In the 2000-2001 campaign, the team progressed through two group phases to reach the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Real Madrid.
They returned again to the last 16 in 2001-2002, showing back-to-back consistency at Europe’s top level.
Galatasaray most recently reached the knockout stages in consecutive seasons during 2012-2013 and 2013-2014.
Under coach Fatih Terim, the club advanced from the group stage and defeated Schalke 04 to reach the quarterfinals before exiting against Real Madrid.
A year later, guided by Roberto Mancini, Galatasaray again advanced from a challenging group featuring Real Madrid and Juventus but were eliminated by Chelsea in the round of 16.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
