Ferdi Kadıoğlu: Our goal is definitely to advance from the World Cup group

The Turkish national football team is gearing up for their first World Cup appearance in 24 years, with midfielder Ferdi Kadıoğlu sharing his optimism and the team's aspirations in an interview with TRT World. Kadıoğlu highlighted the transformative impact of coach Vincenzo Montella, who he says has fostered a "family-like" atmosphere and instilled a belief that "everything is possible."

"He created a very good atmosphere. Everyone wants to come to the national team and be together," Kadıoğlu stated. "He made us believe that we can beat any team and that anything is possible." Under Montella, the team reached the European Championship quarterfinals and secured their World Cup spot, with Kadıoğlu noting recent victories against Germany and Croatia as testaments to the team's current strength and positive environment.

Reflecting on the challenging qualifying match against Kosovo, Kadıoğlu described the feeling of relief and the "dream-like" realization of reaching the World Cup after such a long absence. "Especially for our country, 24 years is a very long time," he said, expressing the team's excitement to play in America.

Kadıoğlu is confident in the current "great generation" of players, a mix of experienced and young talent playing for top clubs in Europe and Turkey. With Paraguay, the United States, and Australia in their group, Kadıoğlu emphasized the team's clear goal: "Our goal must definitely be to advance to the next round." He added that they aim to go as far as possible, building on their European Championship success and hoping to surpass the quarterfinals in the World Cup.