Turkey qualified via the UEFA play-offs and will be led by Italian manager Vincenzo Montella. Having finished third in 2002, Turkey is aiming for another strong World Cup performance. Their first group match against Australia takes place on 14 June at 06:00.

Manager Vincenzo Montella has named three goalkeepers for the Ay-Yıldızlılar: Uğurcan Çakır, Altay Bayındır and Mert Günok. Turkey are returning to the World Cup stage after 24 years – the country last took part in 2002, when they finished third. In Group B, the Turks will face Australia, Paraguay and co-hosts the USA. The trio represent three completely different career paths: Galatasaray’s new first-choice goalkeeper, the first Turkish player in Manchester United’s history, and a 37-year-old veteran with three Süper Lig titles to his name.

Çakır is 30 years old and Montella’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper. He spent his entire career up to the summer of 2025 at Trabzonspor, where he rose from fourth-choice goalkeeper to national goalkeeping star since 2014 and won four titles with the club – including the 2021/22 league title. In September 2025, he joined Galatasaray for €27.5 million – a Turkish record transfer fee for a goalkeeper. There, he immediately won the 2025/26 league title in his first season and delivered his most consistent performances to date, with a FotMob rating of 7.37.

With 36 international caps since 2019, he is the most experienced international goalkeeper in the trio. He featured at EURO 2024, where Turkey reached the quarter-finals. According to Flashscore and Montella himself, he is the designated number one for the tournament. Çakır combines a modern build-up game with confident command of the penalty area – exactly what Montella’s system demands.

Bayındır is 28 years old and 198 cm tall. In September 2023, he joined Manchester United from Fenerbahçe for 5 million euros – becoming the first Turkish player in the Red Devils’ club history. His path to the club took him via Ankaragücü, where he established himself in the Turkish second division, and four seasons at Fenerbahçe, during which he made 145 competitive appearances. At United, he remained second choice behind Andre Onana – this season he has made six Premier League appearances. His finest moment in a Red Devils shirt came in the FA Cup match against Arsenal in January 2025, when he made saves against Ødegaard and Havertz. His contract runs until 2027, but reports of a possible end to his career at United are mounting. With eleven international caps, he is Montella’s clear second choice.

Günok is 37 years old and 196 cm tall. He began his career at the Fenerbahçe Academy, playing for the first team from 2008 to 2015 before moving via Bursaspor to İstanbul Başakşehir – where he won the Süper Lig title in the 2019/20 season. Four seasons at Beşiktaş followed, before he returned to Fenerbahçe – where it all began – in the summer of 2026. At EURO 2024, he was in goal against Austria and made a last-second save from a header by Christoph Baumgartner – a save that went viral in Turkey. Since his debut in 2012, he has been a mainstay of the Turkish goalkeeping squad and, as the third-choice keeper, brings exactly the experience a World Cup squad needs in reserve.