Türkiye triumphed over Kosovo in the European playoff final on Tuesday, earning a spot in the 2026 World Cup and joining co-hosts the United States within Group D.
Kerem Aktürkoglu netted the decisive goal early in the second half in Pristina, Kosovo, marking Türkiye’s return to the World Cup for the first time since 2002.
This achievement places Türkiye in a group alongside the U.S., Australia, and Paraguay this summer. Türkiye will kick off its campaign against Australia in Vancouver, followed by matches against Paraguay in Santa Clara, California, and finally against the U.S. at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The last time Türkiye participated in the World Cup, they achieved an impressive semifinal run, finishing in third place.
The U.S. and Türkiye have faced each other five times previously, with each team securing two wins. However, Türkiye emerged victorious in their most recent encounter last June, a friendly held in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Kosovo sought to qualify for the World Cup for the first time, just a decade after becoming part of the international soccer community.
Kosovo and Gibraltar were accepted as FIFA’s 210th and 211th member federations in May 2016, eight years after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.
Kosovo had the clearest opportunity in an entertaining first half, but Türkiye’s goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakir executed a stunning one-handed save to deflect Fisnik Asllani’s shot onto the crossbar.
The breakthrough for Türkiye came just eight minutes into the second half, when Aktürkoglu expertly redirected Orkun Kökçü‘s cross-shot into the bottom corner of the net.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.