Türkiye’s Poor Season
For Turkiye, 2026 began with a World Cup place, their first in 24 years, and has ended with a sacked coach and an empty points column in the Nations League.
A World Cup that ended early
Turkiye qualified for the 2026 World Cup, ending a 24-year absence. The tournament itself was short. They lost 2-0 to Australia and 1-0 to Paraguay, and were already eliminated before beating host nation the United States 3-2 in their last Group D game.
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Four Games, Four Defeats
Things got worse in the Nations League, where Turkey’s first campaign in League A came against tough opponents. They lost 1-0 to France, 4-1 to Italy, 3-0 to Belgium and 3-1 to Italy in the reverse fixture. That is two goals scored and eleven conceded in four matches. After three games, they were already bottom of Group 1 with zero points.
Unlucky or Just Wasteful?
The numbers show a more complicated picture than the scorelines. In the Belgium game, Turkey had more shots, more touches in the opposition box and more corners, with expected goals only slightly below the winners. The same report says the pattern from the World Cup has continued: Turkey don’t play badly, but they waste chances in attack and lose games through individual mistakes.
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Squad problems made it harder. Montella was without captain Hakan Calhanoglu, Kenan Yildiz and Arda Güler during the September-October window.
The Sacking
The Turkish Football Federation confirmed on Friday that Montella would not continue as head coach, after four straight defeats at the start of the Nations League. He had led the team since September 2023 and guided it to both Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup. At Euro 2024, Turkey went out in the round of 16 with a 2-1 defeat to Austria.
Where Turkiye Stand Now
Turkiye are ranked 31st in the world, down four places as of October 7. The Nations League group stage still has two matches left in November, and Turkiye has no points yet.
Who Is Expected To Take Over From Montella
Arda Turan is the leading candidate to replace Vincenzo Montella as the head coach of the Turkish national team. Former Turkiye, Atlético Madrid, and Barcelona star Arda Turan has been managing Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, where he led the club to a league title, sparking heavy media speculation and discussions regarding his potential appointment or a dual-role arrangement.
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