Guler and Yildiz take centre stage in extended Türkiye squad

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Guler and Yildiz take centre stage in extended Türkiye squad image

Vincenzo Montella has announced a preliminary squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, where Türkiye will take on Australia, Paraguay and co-hosts USA in Group D. The Italian coach faces some tough decisions to whittle the 35-man squad down to 26 by 2 June.

The attacking options, in particular, are truly impressive. Alongside rising stars Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, the line-up features players such as Kerem Akturkoglu and Baris Alper Yilmaz — both of whom have just completed a strong season in the Super Lig.

Ahead of the global showpiece, the squad will assemble on 22 May, a few kilometers northeast of Istanbul at the headquarters of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) to begin final preparations for the World Cup. A friendly match against North Macedonia is scheduled for 1 June in Istanbul, while the final dress rehearsal for the tournament will take place on 7 June in Fort Lauderdale against Venezuela.

Türkiye's extended World Cup squad

Goalkeepers

Altay Bayindir Ersin Destanoglu Mert Gunok Muhammed Sengezer Ugurcan Cakir

Defenders

Abdulkerim Bardakci Ahmetcan Kaplan Caglar Soyuncu Eren Elmali Ferdi Kadioglu Merih Demiral Mert Muldur Mustafa Eskihellac Ozan Kabak Samet Akaydin Yusuf Akcicek Zeki Celik

Midfielders

Atakan Karazor Demir Ege Tiknaz Hakan Calhanoglu Ismail Yuksek Kaan Ayhan Orkun Kokcu Salih Ozcan

Forwards

Aral Simsir Arda Guler Baris Alper Yilmaz Can Uzun Deniz Gul Irfan Can Kahveci Kenan Yildiz Kerem Akturkoglu Oguz Aydin Yunus Akgun Yusuf Sari

All squads are provisional until the final list of 26 players is announced by FIFA, following their submission by participating teams, on 2 June.

Türkiye's World Cup 2026 fixtures and group

13 June - Australia v Türkiye – BC Place Vancouver
19 June - Türkiye v Paraguay – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
25 June - Türkiye v USA – Los Angeles Stadium