Turkey are set to host Romania at Besiktas Park in a World Cup 2026 European playoff semi-final. The aim for both nations is to progress to next Tuesday’s final.
The most recent World Cup appearance for either nation was in 2002, underlining the importance of this clash. Both sides seek to move one step closer to the showpiece.
Turkey’s World Cup Aims
When Turkey claimed a bronze medal in only their second World Cup appearance in 2002, few would have predicted that would be their last finals appearance for some time. That tournament in Asia ended a 48-year wait for the European nation, emphasising how rare it has been for them to feature on the global stage.
Although they are not yet guaranteed a place at the 2026 finals, Ay-Yildizlilar have an excellent opportunity to qualify under Vincenzo Montella.
Turkiye finished second behind group winners Spain in a commendable qualifying campaign. They ended on 13 points, three adrift of the Group E victors.
Among the teams that played six matches in qualifying, that tally would have matched Group C and Group F winners Scotland and Portugal, respectively. It also bettered all five runners-up in Groups A, B, C, D and F.
While that highlights how strong the Crescent-Stars were in qualifying, it will count for nothing if the world’s 25th-ranked side do not make it past Romania and then potentially Slovakia or Kosovo.
Romania’s Road to the Playoff
Standing in their way are Romania, whose wait for a World Cup appearance stretches even longer than Turkiye’s, with Mircea Lucescu aiming to end the nation’s 28-year absence.
Having featured at every World Cup in the 1990s and reached the knockout rounds each time, the Tricolours have not kicked a ball at the tournament since exiting to Croatia in the 1998 round of 16.
Romania have twice fallen at the playoff stage, in 2002 and 2014, but hope it will be third time lucky.
Despite that ambition, the 1994 World Cup quarter-finalists must significantly improve on their third-place finish in Group H, where they ended six points behind Austria and four adrift of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They progressed to the playoffs thanks to a strong, unbeaten Nations League campaign. The world’s 49th-ranked side now seek to take down higher-ranked opposition to set up next Tuesday’s final against Slovakia or Kosovo, the latter having been beaten twice by Romania in the Nations League.
Team News and Expected Lineups
Despite conceding 10 of Turkiye’s 12 goals in qualifying, Ugurcan Cakir is expected to keep his place between the sticks for the hosts.
While Hakan Calhanoglu will look to dictate proceedings from deep midfield and at set pieces, the hosts’ attacking burden will fall on Arda Guler, Kenan Yildiz and likely Kerem Akturkoglu, who combined for six goals in qualifying.
Romania’s leading scorers in qualifying were
The winner of Turkey vs Romania will face Slovakia or Kosovo next Tuesday.