Turkey's national team will play in its third World Cup at the USA, Mexico, and Canada 2026 tournament, after achieving a historic third place in the 2002 edition in South Korea and Japan. According to the Noticias Argentinas agency, the Turkish team, which will be in Group D with the US team, Paraguay, and Australia, secured its ticket thanks to wins against Romania and Kosovo. In 2002, Turkey was runner-up in Group C with 4 points, behind Brazil and ahead of Costa Rica and China. In the playoffs, the team successively beat Japan, Senegal, lost to Brazil in the semi-finals, but defeated the hosts, South Korea, 3-2 in the third-place match. At the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, Turkey also achieved a strong result, finishing third in the group but losing to West Germany in a playoff match. On their way to the 2026 World Cup, the Turks qualified by defeating Romania and Kosovo.
