Getty

Meet Türkiye's best players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including established stars, rising talents and the key names leading their squad.

Türkiye arrives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with one of its most talented squads in years, combining experienced European stars with an exciting new generation who had hoped to make a deep run, a dream that did not work out.

From established playmakers and Premier League standouts to emerging young talent, here’s a closer look at the players who led Türkiye’s World Cup campaign.

Arda Güler: Türkiye’s Star

Start with the player Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella compared to Diego Maradona in Napoli. Arda Güler, 21, arrived at the 2026 World Cup as one of its most talked-about performers, a left-footed attacking midfielder from Ankara whose technique, vision, and long-range shooting made him a fixture at Real Madrid. He joined the Bernabéu from Fenerbahçe in 2023, winning La Liga and the UEFA Champions League in his debut season, and logged four La Liga goals and nine assists in 33 league appearances in 2025-26, according to Real Madrid’s official site, while adding two more goals in 14 Champions League appearances.

On March 14, 2026, Güler scored a 68-meter goal against Elche, later named La Liga Goal of the Season, that set a new distance record for the Spanish top flight. A month later he scored twice against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, including the club’s fastest-ever goal in that competition at just 34 seconds. He led all Real Madrid players in 2025-26 with 111 key passes, a creative output that carried into international play, according to LeagueLane. At Euro 2024, he had become the youngest player to score on a European Championship debut since Cristiano Ronaldo, at 19.

“Arda is revered in Türkiye,” Montella told FIFA.com. “We are talking levels similar to Maradona in Napoli.”

Hakan Çalhanoğlu: Türkiye’s Spine

Behind Güler in Montella’s 4-2-3-1, Hakan Çalhanoğlu anchors everything. The Inter Milan captain, 32, carries more than 104 international caps and 22 goals for Türkiye, the most experienced active player on the roster, according to LeagueLane. He passed his 100th cap in October 2025 during a 6-1 qualifying win over Bulgaria. Born in Mannheim, Germany, Çalhanoğlu chose to represent Türkiye and built his career at Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan, and, since 2021, Inter Milan, where he won the Serie A title and twice reached the Champions League final, becoming the first Turkish player to accomplish the latter feat.

A set-piece specialist and reliable penalty-taker, Çalhanoğlu posted a personal-best 13 Serie A goals in 2023-24. His passing range and tactical composure give Montella a fulcrum around which Güler and the attackers can operate freely.

“My childhood dream has come true,” he said after Türkiye clinched their berth, as quoted by UEFA.com. “We’re going to the World Cup!”

Kerem Aktürkoğlu: The Man Who Sent His Team to the World Cup

That berth arrived courtesy of Kerem Aktürkoğlu, 27. Playing his club football for Fenerbahçe, the winger delivered the 53rd-minute goal that ended Kosovo’s hopes and snapped Türkiye’s 24-year absence from the World Cup, according to UEFA.com. He tied for Türkiye’s top qualifying scorer with three goals, also netting twice in a 3-2 win over Georgia. Direct and relentless in wide areas, he brought the big-game temperament Montella’s system demanded from the flank.

“It’s been 24 years,” Aktürkoğlu said after the Kosovo match, as quoted by UEFA.com. “We’ve always dreamed of moments like this. Most of us don’t even remember 2002. Now we’ll make our younger siblings dream of the 2026 World Cup too.”

The dream ended in the group stage. But for this generation, the arrival in North America was itself a statement.