Summary
- Turkey has qualified for the FIFA World Cup after 24 years.
- On Tuesday night, Turkey secured its World Cup spot by defeating Kosovo in the European playoff.
- Turkey will compete in Group C against the USA, Australia, and Paraguay.
March 31, Kathmandu – The European nation Turkey has qualified for the FIFA World Cup after 24 years.
On Tuesday night, Turkey defeated Kosovo 1-0 in the European playoff to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Turkey last participated in the 2002 World Cup held in Asian countries Japan and South Korea, where they finished in third place.
However, Turkey missed out on qualification in the next five editions and has now earned their World Cup spot by winning through the playoffs.
Kerem Aktürkoğlu scored the decisive goal in the 53rd minute to send Turkey to the World Cup.
Four years ago, Turkey came close but lost to Portugal in the playoff semifinals.
Meanwhile, Kosovo was unable to achieve its goal of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time.
Turkey will now compete in Group C against co-host United States, Australia, and Paraguay.
