USMNT vs. Türkiye: Opponent Profile, Recent Form & History | OneFootball

Already confirmed as Group D winners, the U.S. Men’s National Team is set to face Türkiye—previously eliminated from knockout stage contention—in its final group stage match on Thursday, June 25 at Los Angeles Stadium. The USMNT will be seeking its third consecutive World Cup victory and a fourth win against a UEFA opponent at the World Cup.

Here’s everything you need to know about Türkiye ahead of Thursday’s Group D finale against the Crescent-Stars in Southern California.

WHEN IS THE USMNT VS. TÜRKIYE MATCH?

The United States will continue its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against UEFA side and fellow Group D opponent Türkiye on Thursday, June 25 at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The match will be carried live on FOX and Telemundo.

WHAT IS THE ALL-TIME HISTORY BETWEEN THE USMNT AND TÜRKIYE?

The USMNT and Türkiye have met on five prior occasions—four times in non-official matches and once in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. The all-time series is an even 2W-2L-1D, with all five fixtures being determined by one goal or fewer. Across the 34-year series, each side has scored seven goals.

Following a 1-1 draw in the pair’s first meeting in Istanbul in 1991, the following four matches finished with identical 2-1 scorelines—two went the way of the U.S. (May 29, 2010, in Philadelphia, Pa. and June 1, 2014, in Harrison, N.J.) and two favored Türkiye (June 19, 2003, at the Confederations Cup in St. Etienne, France and June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn.).

WHAT IS TÜRKIYE’S WORLD RANKING?

Türkiye is currently ranked 32nd in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Rankings, dropping 10 spots since the last official ranking on June 11 due to a pair of losses in World Cup play.

WHAT IS TÜRKIYE’S WORLD CUP HISTORY?

The Crescent-Stars have made three World Cup appearances. Türkiye made its debut at the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland, finishing with a 1-2-0 record. Türkiye enjoyed its best finish at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea Japan, advancing to the knockout stage with a 1-1-1 group stage record. In the knockout stage, Türkiye defeated co-hosts Japan in the Round of 16 and Senegal in the Quarterfinals before falling 1-0 to eventual champions Brazil in the Semifinals. The Crescent-Stars defeated co-hosts Korea Republic in the third-place match. This year, Türkiye was eliminated from knockout stage contention after just two matches due to shutout losses against Australia and Paraguay.

WHAT IS TÜRKIYE’S RECENT FORM?

In its last participation in official competitions, Türkiye advanced to the Quarterfinals of UEFA Euro 2024 and soon thereafter earned promotion to League A of the UEFA Nations League thanks to a strong performance in the 2024–25 edition of the tournament.

The Crescent-Stars prepared for UEFA World Cup qualifiers with a 2-1 victory against the USMNT last June before falling 1-0 against Mexico. In World Cup qualifiers, Türkiye finished second in Group E with a 4-1-1 record, advanced to the playoffs where it defeated Romania and Kosovo to book its spot in its third World Cup as Path C Playoff winners.

Türkiye was riding an eight-match unbeaten run entering the FIFA World Cup 2026 but dropped its first two fixtures at the tournament via shutout losses against Australia and Paraguay. Türkiye has not lost twice in a row since March 2024, and the Crescent-Stars have not suffered back-to-back shutout losses since June 2021 in UEFA Euro 2020.

WHO IS TÜRKIYE’S HEAD COACH?

Since Sept. 21, 2023, Türkiye has been led by 52-year-old Italian manager Vincenzo Montella. He has amassed a 20-10-5 record with the Crescent-Stars since his appointment.

As a player, the goalscoring forward spent all but one season of his career in his native Italy, spending the majority of his time with AS Roma (1999-09), scoring 101 goals across 258 total appearances. He also played for UC Sampdoria (1996-99, 2007-08), Empoli FC (1990-95), Genoa CFC (1995-96) and Fulham FC (2007). He won Serie A (2000-01) and the Supercoppa Italiana (2001) with Roma, later being named to the AS Roma Hall of Fame in 2013. Montella also made 20 appearances for Italy, representing the Azzurri at the World Cup (2002) and Euros (2000).

After kicking off his coaching career as Roma’s interim coach in 2011, Montella went on to coach several clubs: Italian sides ACF Fiorentina (2012-15, 2019), AC Milan (2016-17), Catania FC (2011-12), Sampdoria (2015-16); Spanish club Sevilla FC (2017-18); and Turkish outfit Adana Demirspor (2021-23). He helped Milan win a record-tying seventh Supercoppa Italiana in 2016.

In three prior meetings, Montella has never lost against USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino. As Fiorentina boss, Montella’s side picked up a draw and a win against Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur across both legs of a Round of 32 clash in the 2014-15 UEFA Europa League. More recently, Montella managed the Türkiye side that defeated the USMNT 2-1 in East Hartford, Conn. on June 7, 2025.

WHO ARE KEY TURKISH PLAYERS TO WATCH?

Despite its two-match scoreless streak, Türkiye is powered by a trio of young attacking midfielders: 21-year-old Arda Güler of Real Madrid, 21-year-old Kenan Yıldız of Juventus and 20-year-old Can Uzun of Eintracht Frankfurt. Through two matches at the World Cup, however, Türkiye’s standout players have included the more experienced defensive duo of Mert Müldür (Fenerbahçe) and Ferdi Kadıoğlu (Brighton & Hove Albion), and the veteran presence of captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Inter Milan) and Abdülkerim Bardakcı (Galatasaray). Notably, Yıldız is a longtime teammate of the USMNT’s Weston McKennie (107 joint appearances) and Tim Weah (59 joint appearances) at Juventus.