Turkey qualified through the UEFA playoffs and will compete under Italian coach Vincenzo Montella. After finishing third in 2002, Turkey is aiming for another strong World Cup performance. The first group stage match against Australia will take place on June 14 at 6:00 a.m.

Coach Vincenzo Montella named three goalkeepers for the Ay-Yıldızlılar: Uğurcan Çakır, Altay Bayındır, and Mert Günok. Turkey is returning to the World Cup stage after a 24-year absence—the country last participated in 2002, when it finished in third place. In Group B, the Turks will face Australia, Paraguay, and co-host the United States. The trio represents three completely different career paths: Galatasaray’s new starting goalkeeper, the first Turkish player in Manchester United’s history, and a 37-year-old veteran with three Süper Lig titles.

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

With 36 international appearances since 2019, he is the most experienced international goalkeeper in the trio. He played in EURO 2024, where Turkey reached the quarterfinals. According to Flashscore and Montella himself, he is the designated number one for the tournament. Çakır combines modern build-up play 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 transferred from Fenerbahçe to Manchester United for 5 million euros—becoming the first Turkish player in the Red Devils’ club history. His path to Manchester United took him through 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 the second-choice goalkeeper behind Andre Onana—this season, he has made six Premier League appearances. His biggest moment in a Red Devils jersey came in the FA Cup match against Arsenal in January 2025, when he made saves against Ødegaard and Havertz. His contract runs through 2027, but reports of a possible end to his career at United are mounting. With 11 international appearances, 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 with Beşiktaş followed before he returned to Fenerbahçe in the summer of 2026, where it all began. At EURO 2024, he was in goal against Austria and made a last-second save on a header by Christoph Baumgartner—a save that went viral in Turkey. Since his debut in 2012, he has been a fixture in the Turkish goalkeeping pool, and as the third-string goalkeeper, he brings exactly the kind of experience a World Cup squad needs in reserve.