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The Turkish Football Federation has announced the 29-man preliminary squad for the national team’s friendly matches in the United States this June against two of the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosts: the U.S. and Mexico.
Mustafa Erhan Hekimoglu from Besiktas and Mustafa Eskihellac from Trabzonspor have been called up to the senior national team for the first time in their careers.
The squad, selected by head coach Vincenzo Montella, is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Altay Bayindir, Berke Ozer, Muhammed Sengezer, Ugurcan Cakir
Defenders: Caglar Soyuncu, Eren Elmali, Merih Demiral, Mustafa Eskihellac, Mert Muldur, Samet Akaydin, Yasin Ozcan, Yusuf Akcicek
Midfielders: Demir Ege Tiknaz, Hakan Calhanoglu, Ismail Yuksek, Kaan Ayhan, Okay Yokuslu, Orkun Kokcu, Salih Ozcan
Forwards: Arda Guler, Irfan Can Kahveci, Kerem Akturkoglu, Oguz Aydin, Kenan Yildiz, Baris Alper Yilmaz, Can Uzun, Deniz Gul, Mustafa Erhan Hekimoglu
Head coach Vincenzo Montella explained that the team would face two strong World Cup host nations that hold respectable positions in the FIFA rankings.
The rising profile of the Turkish national team helped secure these high-level friendlies, which are considered important regardless of results, as they provide valuable experience.
Montella said the timing at the end of the season influenced his decision to rest certain players to help them begin the new campaign in top condition. He emphasized that the most critical period for the national team will begin in September.
Young players were added to the squad for evaluation purposes. He noted that Mert Gunok had no opportunity to rest after the Euros, and Emirhan Topcu has not played in over a month, so including them posed a risk.
Similarly, Aral Simsir was left out after medical assessments indicated the possibility of injury.
Ferdi Kadioglu’s recovery has taken longer than expected, and although both sides are disappointed, Montella expressed hope that the player will return to training and join the team soon.
On the subject of a target man, Montella said he sees no issue in not having a traditional center-forward.
He reminded them that he himself played as a striker despite being short and physically different from typical forwards, underlining that each team must strike its own balance.
Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Türkiye will face the United States on Saturday, June 7, at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut. Kick-off is set for 10:40 p.m. (GMT+3).
In the second friendly of the U.S. tour, Türkiye will play Mexico on Wednesday, June 11, at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This will be the first-ever senior-level match between the two nations and will begin at 4:00 a.m. (GMT+3).
The national team will gather on Sunday, June 1, at 4:00 p.m. (GMT+3) at the Hasan Dogan National Teams Training Facility in Riva.
After a training session on Monday, June 2, the team will depart for Boston at 11:00 p.m. (GMT+3) on a Turkish Airlines flight.
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