The candidate squad and program of the National Football Team, which will face Bulgaria in Bursa on Saturday, November 15, and Spain away on Tuesday, November 18, in the last matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Group E, have been announced.
There were 28 players in the candidate squad determined by Coach Vincenzo Montella. While Aral Şimşir, who plays for Denmark’s FC Midtjylland team, was invited to the National Team for the first time, Yusuf Sarı from RAMS Başakşehir FK was also called to the National Team again after a break of about two years.
The players invited to the National Team will gather at TFF’s Hasan Doğan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities in Riva on Monday, November 10, starting from 12.00. The crescent-star players, who will do all their training at this facility throughout the camp, will perform their first training at 18.30 on the same day.
After the official training at TFF Hasan Doğan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities on Friday, November 14, at 12.00, the national team will go to Bursa by land for the Bulgaria match at 17.15.
The Türkiye-Bulgaria match, which will be played at Atatürk Sports Complex Matlı Stadium on Saturday, November 15, will start at 20.00.
Following their arrival in Bursa, the crescent-star team will take a short walk to the Atatürk Sports Complex Matlı Stadium, where the Turkey – Bulgaria match will be played at 19.45. National Team Coach Vincenzo Montella and a national football player will hold a press conference at the stadium at 20.00.
The National Football Team will return to Istanbul immediately after the Bulgaria match and will camp again at the TFF Hasan Doğan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities.
After the official training in Riva at 10.45 on Monday, November 17, the red-whites will go to Seville on a Turkish Airlines (THY) plane for the Spain match at 15.00.
After landing in Seville, the National Team delegation will take a short walk to La Cartuja Stadium, where the match will be played. National Team Coach Vincenzo Montella and a national football player will hold a press conference at the stadium at 19.00 (21.00 CET).
Spain – Türkiye match will be held at La Cartuja Stadium at 22.45 GMT.
The 28-man candidate squad of the National Team is as follows:
Goalkeeper: Altay Bayındır (Manchester United), Mert Günok (Beşiktaş), Muhammed Şengezer (RAMS Başakşehir), Uğurcan Çakır (Galatasaray)
Defender: Abdülkerim Bardakcı (Galatasaray), Çağlar Söyüncü (Fenerbahçe), Emirhan Topçu (Beşiktaş), Eren Elmalı (Galatasaray), Ferdi Kadıoğlu (Brighton & Hove Albion), Merih Demiral (Al-Ahli), Mert Müldür (Fenerbahçe), Samet Akaydin (Çaykur Rizespor), Zeki Çelik (Roma)
Midfield: Atakan Karazor (VfB Stuttgart), Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Inter), İsmail Yüksek (Fenerbahçe), Kaan Ayhan (Galatasaray), Orkun Kökçü (Beşiktaş), Salih Özcan (Borussia Dortmund)
Forward: Aral Şimşir (Midtjylland), Arda Güler (Real Madrid), Barış Alper Yılmaz (Galatasaray), Deniz Gül (Porto), İrfan Can Kahveci (Fenerbahçe), Kenan Yıldız (Juventus), Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Fenerbahçe), Oğuz Aydın (Fenerbahçe), Yusuf Sarı (RAMS Başakşehir)