Montella announces the final list of the Turkish national team in the World Cup
Vincenzo Montella, the coach of the Turkish national football team, announced on Monday (June 2nd) the final squad for the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which included 26 players, after which the team will leave for the US state of Florida.
9 players who were on the initial list were excluded: Arsen Dastanoglu, Mehmet Şengizer, Ahmet Can Kaplan, Yusuf Akciçek, Mustafa Eskihilać, Atakan Karazur, Demir Eici Teknaz, Aral Şimşhir and Yusuf Sari.
However, the technical staff decided to take the trio of Mehmet Şengezer, Aral Şimşir and Demir Ege Teknaz, with the delegation traveling to the United States of America as reserve players, as World Cup regulations allow for emergency replacements.
No surprises in the lineup
The list did not witness any surprises, as it included a number of stars who are active in top European clubs such as Hakan Çalhanoğlu - Inter Milan, Arda Güler - Real Madrid, Kanan Yildiz - Juventus, Fredi Kadioglu - Brighton, and Altai Baynder - Manchester United.
The Turkish national team will play its matches in Group D of the World Cup with the host United States, Australia and Paraguay.
The Turkish national team will play its last match in the tournament preparations against Venezuela on June 7, in Fort Lauderdale, 4 days before the official start of the tournament.
The final squad of the Turkish national team
The Turkish national team's squad in goalkeeping included: Altay Baynder - Manchester United, Mert Günük - Fenerbahçe, Ugur Can Çakır - Galatasaray.
Defenders: Abdulkarim Bardakci, Aren Almali - Galatasaray, Çalar Soguncu, Mert Moldor - Fenerbahçe, Fredi Kadioglu - Brighton, Merih Demiral - Al Ahly, Ozan Kabak - Hoffenheim, Samad Ak Aydin - Rizespor, Zeki Çelik - Roma.
Midfielders: Hakan Calhanoglu - Inter Milan, Ismail Yuksek - Fenerbahce, Can Ayhan - Galatasaray, Orkun Kokçu - Besiktas, Salih Ozcan - Borussia Dortmund.
Forwards: Arda Güler - Real Madrid, Baras Alber Yilmaz, Yunus Akgun - Galatasaray, Can Ozun - Eintracht Frankfurt, Deniz Gul - Porto, Irfan Can Kahveci - Kasim Pasha, Canan Yildiz - Juventus, Kerem Akturkoğlu, Oğuz Aydın - Fenerbahçe.