Turkiye is shaping up to be a serious threat in the 2026 World Cup, thanks in large part to its scouting network beyond its borders. Ten players on the roster were partially developed overseas but now wear the crescent and star with pride.
While ten foreign-born players might seem like a high number, it’s not unusual given the massive global Turkish diaspora. Most of these dual-nationals were born in Germany. Take veteran midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, for example, who started his youth career at 1. FC Turanspor Mannheim.
Kaan Ayhan is another national team staple who wasn’t born in Turkiye. The German-born defender came through the ranks at Schalke 04, where he launched his professional career and scored his first European goal. He currently plays his club soccer for Galatasaray.
The 10 foreign-born layers on Turkiye’s roster
With such a massive Turkish population across Europe, it makes sense that over 38% of Turkiye’s World Cup squad was born abroad. Germany alone is home to nearly 3 million people of Turkish descent who maintain deep ties to their homeland.
- Mert Müldür (Austria)
- Ferdi Kadıoglu (Netherlands)
- Salih Özcan (Germany)
- Orkun Kökçü (Netherlands)
- Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Germany)
- Kaan Ayhan (Germany)
- Oğuz Aydın (Netherlands)
- Can Uzun (Germany)
- Deniz Gül (Sweden)
- Kenan Yıldız (Germany)
The youngest player on this list is Can Uzun, who already has six caps with the senior national team. Developed in Germany, Uzun proved his talent early on by scoring seven goals in just 10 appearances for the Turkiye U-17 squad. He has one international goal at the senior level.
On the other end of the spectrum is Calhanoglu. With over 100 caps, the veteran midfielder is the heartbeat of this team. Though born in Germany, he is playing some of the best soccer of his career and remains indispensable for the national team.
