Turkey Ends 24-Year World Cup Scoring Drought, But Exits in Disappointment

Turkey’s 2026 World Cup campaign ended in frustration despite a late 3-2 win over the United States on Friday morning, June 26, 2026, sealed by a 98th-minute goal. The result was not enough to carry Turkey beyond the group stage, as the team finished with just three points in its group and was eliminated early, despite pre-tournament hopes of reaching at least the knockout rounds.

Orkun Kökçü said after the match, “Our country did not deserve this, and neither did we. You can say many things, but this is not the time, everyone here is overwhelmed emotionally. It was important to win because our honor and pride were on the line. Thank God, we managed at least to save them. We all need to do some soul-searching. Neither we nor our country deserved this, I’ll say it again.”

Reporter Burak Avtay called the tournament “a very disappointing campaign,” but argued that the squad’s quality remains clear. He said Turkey has “some of the most exciting young talents in European football” and that this should still give fans reasons to be optimistic, because many will expect the national team to return to major tournaments in a much stronger position.

The match also ended Turkey’s 24-year World Cup scoring drought. Arda Güler scored the team’s first goal in the tournament, after Turkey had failed to score in its first two games despite taking 62 shots combined. This time, Turkey scored with its first attempt, though the breakthrough did little to ease the disappointment of a tournament exit.