Opinions, analysis and commentary
Turkey arrives at the 2026 World Cup with two of the most exciting young creators in the tournament, Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız, who combined for 20 goal contributions in qualifying, yet no recognised striker to aim at. In eight qualifying and playoff matches, Turkey scored 19 goals, and not one came from a natural centre-forward. Goals came from a left-winger, centre-backs, fullbacks, midfielders, and two own goals. Turkey can unlock defences. Converting against a deep defensive block is an entirely different problem.
Güler created 12 chances in qualifying and contributed one goal and four assists. Yıldız scored three times and drove everything Turkey built from the left. Together, they represent a creative partnership capable of troubling any Group D side. But a 4-2-3-1 system is built to feed a central striker, and every through pass Çalhanoğlu threads from deep, four qualifying assists for the captain, needs a target man. Turkey’s qualifying output says it plainly: 19 goals, zero from a centre-forward. The system requires a No. 9 that this squad does not have.
Aktürkoğlu finished as Turkey’s qualifying top scorer with four goals, three in UEFA Group E and one in the playoff final against Kosovo, which looks like a central option on paper. He is not. He is a left-winger on every squad sheet, pushed into the middle because nothing better existed. His four goals came from left-channel runs and close-range combinations, not hold-up play or aerial duels. His 43% duel success rate confirms the limitations. He has 14 international goals, joint-second behind Çalhanoğlu’s 22, but a winger leading the line is a workaround, not a solution.
The table below maps Turkey’s forward options in full, and the picture it paints is stark.
| Player | Position | Intl Goals | 2026 Qual Goals | Role |
| Kerem Aktürkoğlu | LW | 14 | 4* | 1st-choice winger / makeshift CF |
| Arda Güler | AM | 10 | 1 | Creative #10 / key creator |
| Kenan Yıldız | LW/AM | 10 | 3 | Wide attacker / second creator |
| Can Uzun | AM/CF | 1 | 0 | Emerging forward / rotation |
| Deniz Gül | CF | 1 | 0 | Backup striker option |
| Barış A. Yılmaz | LW | 3 | 0 | Wide option/impact sub |
| İrfan C. Kahveci | CM/RW | 6 | 1 | Veteran attacking mid |
| Oğuz Aydın | RW | 3 | 0 | Wide attacker/rotation |
| Yunus Akgün | LW/AM | 2 | 0 | Squad cover, wide |
Includes 3 goals in UEFA Group E and 1 in the playoff final vs Kosovo. Gül and Uzun each scored 1 goal vs North Macedonia (friendly, June 1, 2026), not included in qualifying totals.
Of the nine forwards named by Montella, only Gül carries the build of a genuine centre-forward, yet he arrived with one senior international goal. Uzun has one goal in five caps and profiles as an attacking midfielder rather than a specialist striker. That structural absence at the position the system most demands remains the defining issue for Montella going in.
The key question is which of them Montella starts centrally. Uzun, born in Germany in 2005, scored eight Bundesliga goals for Eintracht Frankfurt in 2025-26, a fine return for a 20-year-old, but he operates in pockets of space rather than as a hold-up striker. Gül, standing 6ft 4in, offers the aerial presence Turkey lacks, arriving after winning the Primeira Liga with Porto. His club form is genuine. But neither brings World Cup experience or qualifying output, and between them, they managed one senior international goal across the entire campaign.
Group D, USA, Paraguay, Australia, is winnable without a specialist striker if Güler and Yıldız fire. But the ceiling problem is real. Turkey’s 0-6 home loss to Spain showed what happens when no target man exists to hold the ball: there was no plan B. In knockout football, creativity alone rarely decides games when opposition sides sit deep. If Aktürkoğlu is again deployed centrally by necessity and Güler’s service finds no finisher, the Turkey FIFA World Cup 2026 striker problem will define this generation, creators who reached their first World Cup since 2002 without anyone to finish what they started.
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Who is Turkey’s striker for the 2026 World Cup?
Turkey has no recognised first-choice striker, with Deniz Gül of Porto and Can Uzun of Eintracht Frankfurt the leading candidates. Neither scored during qualifying, each managing one goal in a pre-tournament friendly vs North Macedonia on June 1, 2026.
Will Arda Güler start at the 2026 World Cup?
Yes, Güler is central to Montella’s system, expected to start as Turkey’s primary creative force operating as a number 10 or from the right. He created 12 chances in qualifying and contributed one goal and four assists across the campaign.
Why did Turkey qualify for the FIFA WC 2026?
Turkey finished second in UEFA Group E behind Spain, then beat Romania 1-0 and Kosovo 1-0 in the playoffs to reach their first World Cup since 2002. Ferdi Kadıoğlu scored against Romania, and Aktürkoğlu scored the winner against Kosovo in the playoff final.
Who is Turkey’s top scorer in the 2026 World Cup qualifying?
Kerem Aktürkoğlu leads with four goals, three in UEFA Group E and one in the playoff final against Kosovo. Çalhanoğlu leads the squad’s career goals record with 22 and contributed four qualifying assists.
