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Türkiye will begin its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against Australia in Group D on Sunday, marking the national team’s first appearance at the tournament in 24 years.
The match will be played at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Canada, and is scheduled to kick off at 4 a.m. GMT on June 14, which is midnight Eastern Time and 9 p.m. local time in Vancouver on June 13.
Venezuelan referee Jesus Valenzuela will take charge of the game, with Jorge Urrego and Tulio Moreno, also from Venezuela, serving as assistant referees. Peru’s Kevin Ortega will be the fourth official.
The match against Australia will end Türkiye’s long wait for a World Cup appearance. The national team, known domestically as the A Milli Takim, will look to start its group campaign strongly after returning to the tournament for the first time since 2002.
Head coach Vincenzo Montella has named a 26-man squad featuring players from clubs in Türkiye and across Europe, including Real Madrid, Inter, Manchester United, Roma, Brighton, Borussia Dortmund, Porto and Juventus.
Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz is not expected to play against Australia as his treatment continues.
Yildiz trained with the team during the first part of Türkiye’s latest session before moving on to individual work, according to the information provided.
Türkiye’s squad includes goalkeepers Altay Bayindir, Mert Gunok and Ugurcan Cakir, while the defensive line features names such as Abdülkerim Bardakci, Caglar Soyuncu, Ferdi Kadioglu, Merih Demiral, Ozan Kabak and Zeki Celik.
In midfield, captain Hakan Calhanoglu is joined by Ismail Yuksek, Kaan Ayhan, Orkun Kokcu and Salih Ozcan.
The attacking group includes Arda Guler, Baris Alper Yilmaz, Yunus Akgun, Can Uzun, Deniz Gul, Irfan Can Kahveci, Kerem Akturkoglu, Oguz Aydin and Kenan Yildiz.
After opening against Australia, Türkiye will continue its Group D campaign against Paraguay on June 20 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. The match will kick off at 6 a.m. Türkiye time.
Türkiye will then face the United States on June 26, at Los Angeles Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 5 a.m. Türkiye time.
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