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Türkiye’s national football team will face Bulgaria away on Saturday in their third match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers Group E.
The match at Vasil Levski National Stadium will kick off at 9:45 p.m. local time and be broadcast live on TV8. Portugal’s Luis Godinho will referee the game, assisted by Rui Teixeira and Pedro Almeida, while Miguel Nogueira will serve as the fourth official.
Before the third round of matches, Türkiye sits third in Group E, trailing Georgia on goal difference, while Bulgaria remains at the bottom with no points. Spain leads the group with six points.
Türkiye defeated Georgia 3-2 away in its opening match but suffered a 6-0 home loss to Spain in Konya. Bulgaria lost 3-0 to both Spain at home and Georgia away.
In the group’s other fixture, Spain will host Georgia at the same time on Saturday.
Ahead of the Bulgaria clash, Türkiye will be without just one player—Baris Alper Yilmaz, who received a red card in the Georgia match and is serving a suspension. Having missed the Spain game as well, his ban will end after Saturday’s match.
Bulgaria will take the field under new head coach Alexander Dimitrov, who replaced Ilian Iliev following two consecutive defeats. Dimitrov previously managed Bulgaria’s U21 national team for seven years.
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will feature 48 teams, with 16 spots allocated to Europe.
The 12 group winners in the European qualifiers—which conclude in November—will qualify directly for the World Cup.
The remaining four European slots will be determined through playoffs in March 2026, featuring 12 runners-up and four teams advancing from the UEFA Nations League.
Türkiye’s squad for Bulgaria match includes:
Goalkeepers: Altay Bayindir (Manchester United), Berke Ozer (Lille), Mert Gunok (Besiktas), Ugurcan Cakir (Galatasaray)
Defenders: Abdulkerim Bardakci, Eren Elmali (Galatasaray), Caglar Soyuncu, Mert Muldur (Fenerbahce), Ferdi Kadioglu (Brighton), Merih Demiral (Al-Ahli), Samet Akaydin (Caykur Rizespor), Yusuf Akcicek (Al-Hilal), Zeki Celik (Roma)
Midfielders: Atakan Karazor (Stuttgart), Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan), Ismail Yuksek (Fenerbahce), Orkun Kokcu (Besiktas), Salih Ozcan (Borussia Dortmund)
Forwards: Arda Guler (Real Madrid), Baris Alper Yilmaz, Yunus Akgun (Galatasaray), Can Uzun (Eintracht Frankfurt), Deniz Gul (Porto), Irfan Can Kahveci, Kerem Akturkoglu, Oguz Aydin (Fenerbahce), Kenan Yildiz (Juventus)
Bulgaria’s 24-man roster, named by head coach Alexander Dimitrov, includes:
Goalkeepers: Dimitar Mitov (Aberdeen), Svetoslav Vutsov (Levski Sofia), Dimitar Sheytanov (CSKA)
Defenders: Petko Hristov (Spezia), Atanas Chernev (Estrela Amadora), Rosen Bozhinov (Royal Antwerp), Emil Tsenov (Orenburg), Christian Petrov (Heerenveen), Viktor Popov (Korona Kielce), Dimitar Velkovski (Arda Kardzhali), Ivan Turitsov (CSKA Sofia)
Midfielders: Andrian Kraev (Hapoel Tel Aviv), Ilia Gruev (Leeds United), Stanislav Shopov (Osijek), Filip Krastev (Oxford United), Marin Petkov (Levski Sofia), Ivaylo Chochev (Ludogorets), Kristian Stoyanov (Slavia Sofia)
Forwards: Kiril Despodov (PAOK), Zdravko Dimitrov (Sipay Bodrum FK), Lukas Petkov (Elversberg), Vladimir Nikolov (Korona Kielce), Martin Minchev (Cracovia), Radoslav Kirilov (Levski Sofia)
Saturday’s match in Sofia will mark the 24th meeting between Türkiye and Bulgaria in 100 years. The first encounter took place a century ago, with Türkiye winning 2-1 at Taksim Stadium in 1925.
Across their 23 previous meetings, Türkiye has recorded seven victories, Bulgaria 10, and six matches have ended in draws. Türkiye has scored 36 goals, while Bulgaria netted 43.
Türkiye has faced Romania (26 times) more frequently in its 102-year history. The two sides have met five times in the Balkan Cup but never before in World Cup qualifiers.
Türkiye’s largest victory over Bulgaria came in 2015, a 4-0 win at Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium in Istanbul, with Hakan Calhanoglu and Burak Yilmaz each scoring twice.
Bulgaria’s biggest wins were two 5-1 triumphs in 1931 and 1974.
First match: Türkiye 2–1 Bulgaria (April 4, 1925, Taksim Stadium, Istanbul)
Last match: Türkiye 4–0 Bulgaria (June 8, 2025, Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium, Istanbul)
1 min read
The match will be Türkiye’s 644th international fixture in its 102-year history. The national team has so far played 643 matches—356 competitive and 287 friendlies—earning 252 wins, 150 draws, and 241 defeats.
Under Italian coach Vincenzo Montella, Türkiye will play its 26th match. Since his appointment, the team has recorded 13 wins, four draws, and eight losses, scoring 39 goals and conceding 37.
Montella guided Türkiye to the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 and remains unbeaten in World Cup qualifying so far.
6 min read
