In Group D, together with Australia, Paraguay and the United States, there is Türkiye, which currently occupies 22nd place in the FIFA rankings. This is only the third time in the history of the national team's participation in the World Cup and the first in 24 years; Türkiye last played in 2000, finishing the tournament in third place. Vincenzo Montella was appointed to lead the team, continuing the tradition of Italian coaches in Turkey, after Giovanni Vargliena, Leandro Remondini and Sandro Puppo (coach appointed on 5 different occasions). Türkiye finished the qualifying round in second place behind Spain, with a record of 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. However, to qualify for the World Cup, it had to play in the play-offs. Montella's team first defeated Romania 1-0 in the semi-finals, and then won against Kosovo and thus qualified for the World Cup for the first time in history, with Kerem Akturglu scoring the decisive goal in this match. Over the course of three years as a coach, Montella has built a solid, ambitious and talented team that plans to be one of the surprises of the tournament. The staff combines experience and freshness, balance and quality. Hakan Çalhanoğlu is still the reference point in the team, and he was absolutely indispensable for Inter last season, scoring 12 goals and providing 7 assists in 30 appearances. Apart from him, there are other experienced players in the team, such as striker Kerem Akturglu and midfielder Orkun Kökçü. However, everyone will pay special attention to two young players born in 2005: Kenan Yıldız from Juventus and Arda Güler from Real Madrid, who are considered talents that will illuminate both the present and the future of the national team. Here is the full list of selected players:
**Goalkeepers:** Ugurcan Cakir (Galatasaray), Altay Bayindir (Manchester United), Mert Gunok (Besiktas)
**Defenders:** Ferdi Kadioglu (Brighton), Merih Demiral (Al Ahli), Zeki Celik (Roma), Ozan Kabak (Hoffenheim), Mert Muldur (Fenerbahce), Abdulkerim Bardakci (Galatasaray), Eren Elmali (Galatasaray), Caglar Soyuncu (Fenerbahce), Samet Akaydin (Rizespor)
**Midfielders:** Arda Guler (Real Madrid), Can Uzun (Eintracht Francfort), Orkun Kokcu (Besiktas), Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter), Ismail Yuksek (Fenerbahce), Kaan Ayhan (Galatasaray), Salih Ozcan (Borussia Dortmund).
**Forwards:** Kenan Yildiz (Juventus), Baris Alper Yilmaz (Galatasaray), Kerem Akturkoglu (Fenerbahce), Yunus Akgun (Galatasaray), Oguz Aydin (Fenerbahce), Deniz Gul (Porto), Irfan Can Kahveci (Fenerbahce).
**Turkey's most likely squad for the World Cup (4-2-3-1):**
Cakir; Celik, Kabak, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Calhanoglu, Yuksek; Guler, Kokcu, Yildiz; Akturkoglu.
**Selector:** Montella.
