Turkey World Cup 2026: Crescent-Stars trio can light up the tournament

Turkey, everyone's favourite 'dark horse' at international tournaments, will contest Australia, Paraguay and one of the home nations, the USA, in Group D of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Below are my Turkey World Cup 2026 predictions, including an assessment of their squad and how I think they will fare in North America.

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Goalkeepers: Altay Bayindir (Manchester United), Mert Gunok (Fenerbahce), Ugurcan Cakir (Galatasaray).

Defenders: Abdulkerim Bardakci (Galatasaray), Caglar Soyuncu (Fenerbahce), Eren Elmali (Galatasaray), Ferdi Kadioglu (Brighton), Merih Demiral (Al-Ahli Saudi), Mert Muldur (Fenerbahce), Ozan Kabak (Hoffenheim), Samet Akaydin (Caykur Rizespor), Zeki Celik (AS Roma).

Midfielders: Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan), Ismail Yuksek (Fenerbahce), Kaan Ayhan (Galatasaray), Orkun Kokcu (Besiktas), Salih Ozcan (Borussia Dortmund).

Forwards: Arda Guler (Real Madrid), Baris Alper Yilmaz (Galatasaray), Can Uzun (Eintracht Frankfurt), Deniz Gul (Porto), Irfan Can Kahveci (Kasimpasa), Kenan Yildiz (Juventus), Kerem Akturkoglu (Fenerbahce), Oguz Aydin (Fenerbahce), Yunus Akgun (Galatasaray).

While Turkey may be lacking quality in defence, the same can't be said for their midfield and attack, with Hakan Calhanoglu, Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz starring for some of Europe's biggest clubs.

Sprinkle in the talents of Can Uzun and Baris Alper Yilmaz, to name a couple, and you get one of the most exciting squads at the tournament.

World Cup Odds

The Crescent-Stars performed admirably at Euro 2024, reaching the quarter-finals where they beaten 2-1 by the Netherlands, helping to exorcise the demons of Euro 2020, where they were grouped.

Vincenzo Montella's side overcame Romania and Kosovo in the play-offs to reach their first World Cup since South Korea & Japan in 2022, when they achieved their best-ever finish of third, and while the Italian is unlikely to have his eye on the bronze medal this year, he'll be expecting a strong showing from his team in North America, with the knockouts a minimum aim.

Group D Fixtures:

13 June 9pm local (14 June 5am BST) - vs Australia (Vancouver)

19 June 8pm local (20 June 4am BST) - vs Paraguay (San Francisco Bay Area)

25 June 7pm local (26 June 3am BST) - vs USA (Los Angeles)

Player to watch: Arda Guler

There had been concerns over Guler's fitness following an injury sustained in Real Madrid's 2-1 victory over Alaves on 21 April, with the 21-year-old missing Los Blancos' next five games, but he returned for their season finale against Athletic Club, appearing as a 74th-minute substitute in a 4-2 win, and gained more minutes in Turkey's 4-0 thrashing of North Macedonia last Sunday.

The Crescent-Stars face Venezuela in their final friendly on Saturday, and that will be Guler's final chance to prove his fitness so that he can start their Group D opener against Australia next week.

By their lofty standards, Real Madrid struggled in 2025/26, but Guler enjoyed his most consistent season yet in Spain, starting 25 times in La Liga and appearing a further eight times as a substitute.

Contributing four goals and nine assists in the league, and two goals and four assists in the UEFA Champions League, Guler proved that he could make in impact on the biggest stage, with a quarter-final second-leg brace at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena proving his big-game credentials.

Both of his goals against the German giants came from outside of the penalty area, and his ability to strike from long range could prove a handy weapon for his country in North America.

Football Odds

Prediction: Last 16

I have concerns over Turkey's defence, but I'm a big fan of their forward-thinking players, Calhanoglu, Yildiz and Guler in particular, and if the Crescent-Stars trio are on song, they're a match for most teams.

Top spot in Group D is more than achievable, and I'd fancy them to get through the round of 32, as long as they don't come up against an elite nation.