Türkiye managed to beat Romania in the UEFA Playoffs, which brings them one step closer to the big tournament, but who are they playing next in the final of their path of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers?
Türkiye were the overall best team in the game. Home advantage also played a factor as the crowd was loud in favor of the home team. Romania weren’t able to produce many options, while Türkiye could have scored more than just once. Still, the yellow squad was very close to tying the game by hitting the post.
With this result, Türkiye now face the winner of Slovakia vs Kosovo. Slovakia are ranked 44th in the FIFA World Rankings, while Kosovo rank 79th as of now. For reference, Türkiye have the 25th slot in the FIFA World Rankings, putting them as prime favorites against their opponent. Here’s how the UEFA 2026 World Cup playoffs work and how many teams will qualify.
Türkiye’s numbers under Vincenzo Montella
The Italian manager has 30 games as Türkiye’s manager. With the win over Romania, Montella has 17 wins, five draws, and eight losses. His team has scored 54 goals and allowed 41. Montella ended up having a good 2024 Euro, going to the quarterfinals and losing a nail-biter against Netherlands.
Vincenzo Montella, Head Coach of Turkiye
Prioritizing a 4-2-3-1 formation, though open to go for a 5-4-1, Montella likes straight-forward, accurate teams. In Türkiye, he can deploy that system to perfection thanks to his players’ skill sets. Montella has possession-based playmakers, as well as speedy wingers under his belt.
Who are Türkiye’s best players?
Real Madrid’s Arda Guler and Inter Milan’s Hakan Calhanoglu are the team’s stars. Guler is the young, special playmaker. Calhanoglu is the experienced, creative distributor. Both have great understanding of how to play with each other as well.
Other noteworthy players are Juvetnus’ Kenan Yildiz, as well as Galatasaray’s Baris Alper Yilmaz, who are electric wingers. If Türkiye manage to qualify to the 2026 World Cup, they’ll be a handful to deal with.
