Türkiye to face US in high-profile friendly ahead of 2026 World Cup qualifiers – Türkiye Today

As part of its preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers starting in September, Türkiye will take on the United States in a high-profile international friendly on Saturday.

The match will kick off at 10:30 p.m. (GMT+3) at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut. Panamanian referee Fernando Moron will officiate the game, assisted by Andres Vargas and Alejandro Camarena. Randy Encarnacion from the Dominican Republic will serve as the fourth official.

Türkiye will also face Mexico in a second friendly on June 11 at 4 p.m. (GMT+3).

Four players—team captain Hakan Calhanoglu, Ugurcan Cakir, Mustafa Hekimoglu and Salih Ozcan—have been ruled out of the squad due to injury. Ahmed Kutucu has been called up as a late addition.

Türkiye squad vs United States:

Goalkeepers: Altay Bayindir, Berke Ozer, Muhammed Sengezer
Defenders: Caglar Soyuncu, Eren Elmali, Merih Demiral, Mert Muldur, Mustafa Eskihellac, Samet Akaydin, Yasin Ozcan, Yusuf Akcicek, Zeki Celik
Midfielders: Demir Ege Tiknaz, Ismail Yuksek, Kaan Ayhan, Okay Yokusu, Orkun Kokcu
Forwards: Arda Guler, Baris Alper Yilmaz, Can Uzun, Deniz Gul, Irfan Can Kahveci, Kenan Yildiz, Kerem Akturkoglu, Oguz Aydin, Ahmed Kutucu

Head-to-head history

The two national teams have met four times: one official and three friendly matches. The United States leads the series with two wins. Türkiye has claimed one victory, while one match ended in a draw.

• Sept. 4, 1991 – Istanbul – Friendly – 1-1
• June 19, 2003 – St. Etienne – Confederations Cup – 2-1 Türkiye
• May 29, 2010 – Philadelphia – Friendly – 1-2
• June 1, 2014 – New Jersey – Friendly – 1-2

The only official match was at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Türkiye secured a 2-1 win with goals from Tuncay Sanli and Okan Yilmaz.

June 06, 2025 02:04 PM GMT+03:00