In the fifth round of the qualifying tournament for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Group E, the Turkish national football team beat the Bulgarian national team in Bursa with a score of 2:0 and guaranteed themselves second place in the group.
In the match, which took place at the Matli Stadium of the Ataturk Sports Complex, the home team’s goals were scored by Hakan Calhanoglu from the penalty spot and Chernev (in his own). gate).
Turkey, which won its fourth victory in the fifth match of the group, scored 12 points and is in second place, while Bulgaria, which did not score a single point, remained in last place. In the other group match, Spain, who beat Georgia 4-0, maintained their 15-point lead. The Georgian national team has 3 points.
The Turkish national team will play the last match in the group on November 18 in Seville with Spain. If the team wins the last match, equality on points will be established and the overall gap will be taken into account. Spain has this indicator of +19, and the Turkish national team has +5.
12 teams that take first place in their groups in the European qualifying tournaments will be entitled to direct access to the final part of the World Cup. The last 4 spots will be competed by 12 teams that took second place in the groups and 4 teams from the UEFA Nations League. The play-off matches will be played in March 2026.
The play-off draw will take place on Thursday 20 November at UEFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
– Yuksek will miss the next game
Ismail Yuksek, who was on the verge of suspension before the match against Bulgaria, received a yellow card and will miss the next game.
Ismail received a yellow card in the 89th minute of the match.
– Hakan Calhanoglu moved up to 3rd place
National captain Hakan Calhanoglu scored his 22nd goal for the national team in the match against Bulgaria.
Hakan caught up with Tuncay Sanlı, who ranks 3rd in the list of top scorers of the national team with 22 goals.
– Atakan Karazor wore the national team uniform for the first time
Karazor wore the national team uniform for the first time in the match against Bulgaria.
The 29-year-old player, who continues his career in the German club Stuttgart, came on as a substitute in the 80th minute instead of the injured Kaan Ayhan and played his first game for the national team.
– Merih Demiral played his 60th match
National defender Merih Demiral played his 60th match in the crescent and star kit against Bulgaria.
Merih scored 6 goals in 60 matches in which he wore the kit.
– Great support for the national team
The fans who filled the stands in Bursa showed great support for the team with the moon and star for 90 minutes.
42,756 spectators watched match at the Matli Stadium of the Ataturk Sports Complex.