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Türkiye will make its UEFA Nations League A debut against France in Kocaeli on Thursday, with the opening Group 1 fixture also marking Zinedine Zidane's first match in charge of the French national team.
The match at Kocaeli Stadium will kick off at 9:45 p.m. local time (6:45 p.m. GMT) and will be broadcast live on ATV. German referee Felix Zwayer will take charge of the game, assisted by Robert Kempter and Nikolai Kimmeyer.
Italy and Belgium, the other two teams in Group 1, will face each other in Rome at the same time, while Türkiye will return to action against Italy in Bursa on Sept. 28.
The fixture represents a new stage for Vincenzo Montella's side, who are competing in League A, the highest level of the UEFA Nations League, for the first time.
Türkiye enters the campaign after bowing out in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while France reached the semifinals before losing to Spain and then fell to England in the third-place match to finish fourth.
France subsequently parted ways with Didier Deschamps and brought in Zidane, who will begin his tenure against Türkiye.
Montella told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport that France remained a particularly formidable opponent because of the depth and quality of their squad.
"France have a level of quality and a squad that the others cannot come close to. Only Spain and perhaps Portugal can compete," Montella said.
He nevertheless added that the match would not be straightforward for France, despite the renewed momentum surrounding the team following Zidane's appointment.
Türkiye will be without several established players, with Hakan Calhanoglu, Kenan Yildiz and Mert Muldur sidelined through injury.
Orkun Kokcu is also not expected to feature against France as he continues to receive treatment for pain in his toe after missing team training on Monday and Tuesday.
Montella said the absences would make the four-match international period more difficult but would also give newer players an opportunity to be tested at the highest level.
The Italian coach added that Türkiye are continuing to build around a young squad after qualifying for Euro 2024, returning to the World Cup after 24 years and earning promotion to Nations League A.
Thursday's match will be the seventh meeting between the senior national teams of Türkiye and France.
France have won four of the previous six encounters, while Türkiye have won once and one match ended in a draw. France scored 13 goals across those games, compared with Türkiye's five.
Their most recent meeting came in Paris in October 2019 during Euro 2020 qualifying, when the sides drew 1-1. Olivier Giroud put France ahead before Kaan Ayhan equalized for Türkiye.
Türkiye's only victory in the fixture came earlier in the same qualifying campaign, when they beat France 2-0 in Konya in June 2019.
Türkiye will play in Kocaeli for only the third time, having won both of their previous matches in the city.
The national team first played there in 2008, beating Chile 1-0 at Ismetpasa Stadium. They returned in October 2025 for a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Georgia, winning 4-1 at Kocaeli Stadium.
Kocaeli-born players Merih Demiral and Kerem Akturkoglu are both included in the squad for the France fixture. Demiral, who scored twice against Georgia in the same stadium last year, is expected to wear the captain's armband in Calhanoglu's absence.
The match will also bring Zidane back into a Türkiye-France setting from a new position. The former midfielder faced Türkiye twice as a player, featuring in French victories in 1996 and 2000, and will now start his national-team coaching career in Kocaeli.
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