Turkey opened the final stage of preparations for the World Cup with a convincing 4:0 victory against North Macedonia
The Turkey national football team recorded one of the most convincing victories in the series of June friendly matches after defeating North Macedonia 4:0 in Istanbul on 1 June 2026. The match was played at the Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, that is, at the complex that the Turkish Football Federation lists in official announcements under the commercial name Chobani Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi. The result was fully in line with the balance of forces on the pitch: the home national team took control early, quickly gained an advantage and then calmly managed the rhythm of the match until the final whistle. According to the available statistical report by Global Sports Archive, the scorers for Turkey were Orkun Kökçü in the 2nd minute, Can Uzun in the 16th, Deniz Gül in the 53rd and Barış Alper Yılmaz in the 70th minute. In the original overview of results, this encounter was singled out as the most emphatic victory, and the context of the final preparations for the World Cup further increases the importance of Turkey’s performance.
Early goals directed the match
Turkey opened the match in a way that very quickly turned the friendly encounter into a one-sided test. Already in the second minute, Orkun Kökçü scored for 1:0 after a move in which, according to Global Sports Archive records, the assist came from Oğuz Aydın. Such a start allowed the home team to play with less pressure, while forcing North Macedonia to abandon its initial plan before the match had even entered a calmer phase. Turkey continued to attack through wide positions and quick entries into the half-spaces, with the combination play of the younger attacking players standing out in particular. In the 16th minute, Can Uzun increased the lead to 2:0, with Eren Elmalı providing the assist, which meant that the hosts had already gained a level of scoreline security in the first half that significantly shaped the rest of the match.
North Macedonia failed to find enough stability in possession or in defensive transitions. The team recorded by Global Sports Archive in a 3-4-1-2 system tried to close the central corridors, but Turkish attacks often came from switches of play and timely runs behind the wide players. The first half ended with the score at 2:0, and the only disciplinary detail recorded before the break was a yellow card for Imran Fetai in the 42nd minute. In friendly matches, such early goals often change the character of the encounter because coaches can then devote more attention to distributing minutes, testing roles and preserving rhythm than to the scoreline risk itself. That is exactly what happened in Istanbul, where Turkey, after taking an early lead, was able to test a broader squad, but without lowering the intensity.
The second half confirmed Turkey’s depth
After the break, Turkey continued in the same direction, although both national teams turned to substitutions. Global Sports Archive states that the Turkish team started in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Altay Bayındır in goal and Deniz Gül as the advanced striker, while Can Uzun, Oğuz Aydın and Yunus Akgün moved behind him. In the 53rd minute, Deniz Gül scored with a header for 3:0 after an assist by Can Uzun, further confirming the efficiency of the young attacking part of the Turkish national team. That goal was important also because it came immediately after the half-time substitutions, in a period in which friendly matches sometimes lose their rhythm. Turkey, however, maintained its structure and continued to create situations from which it could extend the lead.
The final 4:0 was set by Barış Alper Yılmaz in the 70th minute after an assist by İrfan Can Kahveci. That goal rounded off Turkey’s evening in which the goals came from different zones and through different profiles of players: the midfield opened the match, a young attacker increased the lead, the striker scored after a cross, and a player from the bench closed the result. Such a distribution of scorers is important for head coach Vincenzo Montella because it shows that the team, in the preparation period, does not depend on only one solution. It is especially important that minutes were also given to players fighting for roles in the rotation, because final preparations for a major competition usually bring the need for quick adjustments. Turkey achieved the victory without conceding a goal, which is as significant a signal for the coaching staff as the four goals scored.
Montella’s team in the final test before Group D
According to announcements by the Turkish Football Federation, the match against North Macedonia was part of Turkey’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2026, at which the national team will compete in Group D. In its overview of Group D, FIFA states that Turkey will face the United States of America, Australia and Paraguay there. It is a group in which there is no distinctly easy opponent, while the host component is further carried by the United States national team, one of the three host countries of the tournament. For Turkey, the test against North Macedonia therefore had double value: it needed to maintain competitive rhythm, but also open space for tactical corrections before matches in which every detail will carry much greater weight. The 4:0 victory does not answer every question, but it gives the team positive confirmation at a time when final adjustments are being made.
Turkey reached the World Cup after a demanding European qualifying path. According to the Turkish Football Federation and FIFA records of European qualifying results, the national team finished behind Spain in Group E, and then secured qualification in the play-offs with victories against Romania and Kosovo. Especially valuable was the final victory against Kosovo in Pristina, with which Turkey secured its return to the world stage after a long absence from the tournament. In such a context, every preparatory match gains an additional level of meaning because the coaching staff must find a balance between preserving confidence and realistically assessing weaknesses. Montella’s team showed against North Macedonia that it can open a match aggressively, maintain concentration after numerous substitutions and make use of the difference in individual quality.
The role of young players is becoming increasingly important
One of the main messages of the Istanbul encounter concerns the depth and age structure of the Turkish squad. According to Global Sports Archive data, Turkey’s starting lineup had an average age of 25.5 years, pointing to a group of players already experienced enough for a high level, but still with significant room for development. Can Uzun, born in 2005, was among the most notable individuals because he recorded a goal and an assist. Deniz Gül, also from the younger generation, scored in the second half and showed that he can be useful in finishing moves. Oğuz Aydın also underlined the competition in attacking positions with his assist for the first goal, which could be decisive for Turkey in a group in which matches will be played at different rhythms and against tactically different opponents.
At the same time, the friendly match was not only a stage for younger players. More experienced squad members, including Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Merih Demiral, Kaan Ayhan, İrfan Can Kahveci and other players who came off the bench or were part of the wider rotation, give the team the stability needed for tournament football. According to data from the match sheet, Arda Güler came on in the second half, further strengthening the hosts’ creative potential in the final third. For the head coach, it is useful that the team can change the tempo and profile of play depending on the lineup on the pitch. In friendly matches, the result is not the only criterion, but this kind of performance gives the coaching staff a firmer basis for decisions about the hierarchy within the team. Turkey showed in Istanbul that it has several solutions for creating chances, which is one of the key prerequisites for a successful performance at a major competition.
North Macedonia without an answer to the hosts’ intensity
North Macedonia came to Istanbul after a qualifying cycle in which it had good periods, but did not reach the World Cup. According to data from FIFA and the Football Federation of North Macedonia, the national team recorded victories against Liechtenstein and Kazakhstan in qualifying, drew with Wales, Belgium and Kazakhstan, but the closing stage of the cycle was considerably more difficult. The 7:1 defeat to Wales in November 2025 and the 4:0 defeat to Denmark in the play-offs in March 2026 showed how difficult it is to maintain stability against national teams that have greater squad depth. In Istanbul, that problem was visible again, especially after Turkey’s early lead. Goce Sedloski’s team did not manage to keep the ball long enough or slow down Turkey’s attacks, so it spent a large part of the match making defensive adjustments.
For North Macedonia, however, this defeat does not have to be viewed only through the result. Friendly matches often serve to assess squad depth, test younger players and seek a new balance after an unsuccessful qualifying outcome. Familiar names such as Stole Dimitrievski, Ezgjan Alioski, Eljif Elmas and Bojan Miovski appeared on the match sheet, but through substitutions the team also tried to give space to other options. The problem was that the substitutions came in a match that was already strongly tilted toward the hosts in terms of the scoreline. When an opponent moves away to 2:0 with early goals, every tactical correction becomes more complex because the defensive structure must be repaired at the same time as a way back into the match must be sought. North Macedonia did not succeed in doing that, and the goals conceded in the second half confirmed that Turkey had significantly more solutions at this moment.
The stadium in Istanbul as an important stage for national-team tests
The match was played at the Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, one of the best-known football venues in Istanbul. In its announcements of the encounter, the Turkish Football Federation stated that the match would be played on 1 June 2026 at 20:30 local time and that it was the first of the special preparatory matches ahead of the World Cup. Istanbul as the host of such encounters has a logical role because it enables a strong fan backdrop, good organisational infrastructure and high visibility for the national team in the final period before the tournament. For the players, such an atmosphere is useful because a friendly match, although without points at stake, gains energy closer to competitive conditions. This was especially evident in the opening of the encounter, when Turkey very quickly raised the tempo and made use of the initial pressure.
The stadium context is also important because of psychological preparation. A team heading to the World Cup wants to show stability, conviction and a clear idea of play in front of its home crowd. Turkey managed exactly that against North Macedonia: it did not allow the match to slip into a disorderly rhythm, it did not concede a goal, and it created enough chances for the result to be convincing. Such an outcome will not by itself determine the performance at the tournament, but it can help create a positive environment around the national team. Ahead of Group D, in which Turkey will face different styles of football, the ability to impose its own rhythm quickly could be just as important as individual quality. Istanbul’s 4:0 should therefore be viewed as a useful, but still preparatory, picture of a team that has yet to confirm its value on the biggest stage.
A result that brings calm, but does not allow relaxation
The 4:0 victory over North Macedonia gives Turkey a strong result-based and psychological boost ahead of the final days of preparations. Four different scorers, an early lead, an efficient second half and a match without conceding a goal are elements that the coaching staff will be able to highlight as positives. At the same time, the difference in stakes between a friendly encounter and World Cup matches remains great. Against the USA, Australia and Paraguay, Turkey will have to show more patience in possession, greater resilience under pressure and the ability to adapt to opponents who will have clearer competitive plans. Therefore, the most important value of this victory lies in the fact that it brought confirmation of depth, confidence and attacking efficiency without creating the impression that the preparatory work is finished.
For North Macedonia, the defeat in Istanbul is a continuation of a demanding period after a difficult end to the qualifying cycle. A national team that showed compactness in earlier phases of qualifying must now find new stability, especially in defence and in the transition from possession to defence. The match against Turkey showed that against technically faster and more broadly organised opponents there is not much room for slow reactions. On the other hand, precisely such tests can be useful if the head coach and staff draw clear conclusions from them about which lines of the team need changes. Turkey ended the evening as a convincing winner, while North Macedonia is left with the analysis of a match in which the difference between the two national teams was visible from the very beginning.
Sources:
- Turkish Football Federation (TFF) – official announcements of preparatory matches, stadium and match time against North Macedonia (link)
- Global Sports Archive – match sheet for Turkey – North Macedonia, result, scorers, formations and basic match data (link)
- FIFA – overview of Group D of the 2026 World Cup and context of Turkey’s performance at the tournament (link)
- FIFA – results of European qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, including the qualifying paths of Turkey and North Macedonia (link)
- Football Federation of North Macedonia (FFM) – schedule and results of 2026 World Cup qualifying (link)