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Türkiye has announced its 35-man long squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with head coach Vincenzo Montella calling up players from major European clubs as well as the Turkish Super Lig.
The Turkish Football Federation said the list will serve as the national team’s extended candidate squad, meaning it is a preliminary group from which the final World Cup squad is expected to be shaped.
The squad includes established figures such as Hakan Calhanoglu of Inter, Arda Guler of Real Madrid, Kenan Yildiz of Juventus, Ferdi Kadioglu of Brighton, Merih Demiral of Al-Ahli and Zeki Celik of Roma.
Türkiye’s goalkeeper group features Altay Bayindir of Manchester United, Ersin Destanoglu of Besiktas, Mert Gunok of Fenerbahce, Muhammed Sengezer of RAMS Basaksehir and Ugurcan Cakir of Galatasaray.
In defense, Montella selected Abdulkerim Bardakci and Eren Elmali from Galatasaray, Ahmetcan Kaplan from NEC Nijmegen, Caglar Soyuncu and Mert Muldur from Fenerbahce, Ferdi Kadioglu from Brighton, Merih Demiral from Al-Ahli, Mustafa Eskihellac from Trabzonspor, Ozan Kabak from Hoffenheim, Samet Akaydin from Caykur Rizespor, Yusuf Akcicek from Al-Hilal and Zeki Celik from Roma.
The selection brings together players competing in Türkiye, England, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia.
The midfield list includes Atakan Karazor of Stuttgart, Demir Ege Tiknaz of Braga, Hakan Calhanoglu of Inter, Ismail Yuksek of Fenerbahce, Kaan Ayhan of Galatasaray, Orkun Kokcu of Besiktas and Salih Ozcan of Borussia Dortmund.
This group gives Montella several options across defensive, central and playmaking roles.
In attack, Türkiye named Aral Simsir of Midtjylland, Arda Guler of Real Madrid, Baris Alper Yilmaz and Yunus Akgun of Galatasaray, Can Uzun of Eintracht Frankfurt, Deniz Gul of Porto, Irfan Can Kahveci of Kasimpasa, Kenan Yildiz of Juventus, Kerem Akturkoglu, Oguz Aydin of Fenerbahce and Yusuf Sari of RAMS Basaksehir.
The forward list stands out with young players from major European clubs, alongside names already active in the Turkish Super Lig.
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