The Turkish nationwide soccer staff made headlines in 2024 with a historic efficiency within the European Football Championship (EURO 2024) and a stable marketing campaign within the UEFA Nations League B.
Rising by means of FIFA ranks
Türkiye climbed 9 spots within the FIFA world rankings, leaping from thirty seventh on the finish of 2023 to twenty eighth in 2024 with 1,537.24 factors.
The staff performed 15 matches all year long – 11 aggressive and 4 friendlies – recording six wins, three attracts, and 6 losses.
Vincenzo Montella’s squad scored 19 targets however conceded 23, with three matches ending in goalless attracts.
Aktürkoğlu: Goal machine
Kerem Aktürkoğlu, at the moment at Benfica, emerged as Türkiye’s prime scorer in 2024 with 5 targets.
Captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu adopted with three, whereas Arda Güler, İrfan Can Kahveci, and Merih Demiral every netted twice.
Other contributors included Barış Alper Yılmaz, Kenan Yıldız, Mert Müldür, Cenk Tosun, and Samet Akaydın with one aim apiece.
Across tournaments, Türkiye scored eight targets in EURO 2024, 9 within the Nations League, and two in friendlies.
Rocky begin to yr
Türkiye kicked off 2024 with 4 friendlies in March, struggling to search out kind.
They misplaced 1-0 to Hungary and suffered a heavy 6-1 defeat towards Austria.
Subsequent matches towards Italy and Poland resulted in a 0-0 draw and a 2-1 loss, respectively.
In these video games, Türkiye conceded 9 targets whereas scoring solely twice.
Journey to recollect
Türkiye achieved a historic quarterfinal end in EURO 2024.
Competing in Group F, they started with a 3-1 win over Georgia however misplaced 3-0 to Portugal.
A 2-1 victory towards the Czech Republic secured their place within the knockout stage.
In the spherical of 16, Türkiye defeated Austria 2-1 in an exhilarating encounter.
However, their journey ended within the quarterfinals with a 2-1 loss to the Netherlands in Berlin.
With a median squad age of 25.8, Türkiye was the event’s second-youngest staff, incomes admiration for his or her dynamic play and spirited help.
Notably, Türkiye registered three wins in EURO 2024 – their greatest document in a single European Championship.
In comparability, they managed one win in EURO 2000 and two in EURO 2008, the place they reached the semifinals.
Offensive prowess
Türkiye ended EURO 2024 because the fourth-highest scoring staff with eight targets from 5 matches.
Seven completely different gamers contributed to this tally: Merih Demiral (2), Mert Müldür, Arda Güler, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Cenk Tosun, and Samet Akaydın.
Key gamers shine
Barış Alper Yılmaz and Ferdi Kadıoğlu stood out as essentially the most dependable gamers, that includes in all 5 EURO 2024 matches and logging 450 minutes every.
Other key contributors included Kaan Ayhan (361 minutes) and Mert Günok (360 minutes).
Nations League near-miss
Türkiye’s UEFA Nations League journey started two months after EURO 2024.
Competing in Group 4 of League B alongside Wales, Iceland, and Montenegro, Türkiye secured notable victories over Iceland (3-1, 4-2) and Montenegro (1-0).
However, attracts towards Wales (0-0) and a 3-1 loss to Montenegro within the ultimate match noticed them end second, lacking direct promotion to League A.
Türkiye will now face Hungary in a playoff for a spot in League A.
The first leg is scheduled for March 20 at RAMS Park, with the return leg on March 23 in Budapest’s Puskas Arena.
Road to 2026
Türkiye’s path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup was set through the December attract Zurich.
Placed in Group E, they’ll face formidable opponents, together with the winner of the Nations League quarterfinal conflict between the Netherlands and Spain, in addition to Georgia and Bulgaria.
Emerging expertise
In 2024, 14 gamers earned their first call-ups to the nationwide staff, highlighting a deal with youth growth.
This group included Semih Kılıçsoy, Can Uzun, Ahmetcan Kaplan, and others poised to form Türkiye’s soccer future.
Leadership change
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) underwent a big transition in 2024, with a brand new president elected through the July normal meeting.
The change marks a recent chapter in Turkish soccer governance.
Source: www.dailysabah.com