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Turkey Returns to World Cup Stage After 24 Years, Faces Australia in Opener
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท Turkey /Sports

Turkey Returns to World Cup Stage After 24 Years, Faces Australia in Opener

From Cumhuriyet · () Turkish

Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The Turkish National Football Team will play its first match in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Australia in Vancouver, Canada.
  • This marks Turkey's return to the World Cup after a 24-year absence, with the match scheduled for 07:00 TSฤฐ.
  • The article lists the starting lineups for both teams and outlines Turkey's subsequent group stage matches against Paraguay and the USA.

The Turkish National Football Team is set to end a 24-year World Cup drought as they face Australia in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The game will take place at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Canada, kicking off at 07:00 Turkish time.

Venezuelan referee Jesus Valenzuela will officiate the match, assisted by his compatriots Jorge Urrego and Tulio Moreno. Kevin Ortega from the Peruvian Football Federation will serve as the fourth official.

The starting lineups have been announced: Australia will field Beach, Circati, Italiano, Bos, Souttar, Burgess, Metcalfe, O'Neill, Okon-Engstler, Toure, and Irankunda. For Turkey, the team will be UฤŸurcan, Zeki, Merih, Abdรผlkerim, Ferdi, ฤฐsmail, Orkun, Hakan, Arda, BarฤฑลŸ, and Kerem.

This match signifies a momentous return for Turkey to the global tournament after a prolonged absence. Following their encounter with Australia, the Turkish team is scheduled to play against Paraguay on June 20th in San Francisco and against the USA on June 26th in Los Angeles.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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