The Turkey women's national football team (Turkish: Türkiye kadın millî futbol takımı) represents Turkey in international women's football. The team was established in 1995, and compete in the qualification for UEFA Women's Championship and the UEFA qualifying of FIFA Women's World Cup. It has been recognized as Türkiye by the FIFA and UEFA since 2022.[2][3]
| Nickname(s) | Ay-Yıldızlılar (The Crescent-Stars) Bizim Çocuklar (Our Girls) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu (TFF) | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Necla Güngör Kıragası | ||
| Captain | Didem Karagenç | ||
| Most caps | Ebru Topçu (101) | ||
| Top scorer | Yağmur Uraz (28) | ||
| Home stadium | Various | ||
| FIFA code | TUR | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 46 | ||
| Highest | 51 (April 2026) | ||
| Lowest | 75 (December 2007) | ||
| First international | |||
(Istanbul, Turkey; 8 September 1995) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
(Adana, Turkey; 23 November 2006) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
(Istanbul, Turkey; 14 February 1999) | |||
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) is the sports organizing body responsible for forming the women's teams in four age categories as the women's national A team, the women's U-19 national team, the girls' U-17 national team and the girls' U-15 national team.[4]
The women's U-19 national team was formed firstly in 2001, and participate at qualifications for the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship. The girls' U-17 national team was founded in 2006. They play in the qualifications of the UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship. Established in 2009 with the main objective to develop players for future, the girls' U-15 national team take part at the Youth Olympic Games and various tournaments.[4]
History
editThe first recorded international match of the Turkey women's national team was the friendly game against Romania held at Zeytinburnu Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on 8 September 1995, which ended in a 0–8 defeat for the Turkish nationals.[5] The team took part at the UEFA Women's Euro 1997 qualifying round and debuted in the away match against Hungary on 4 October 1995, losing 0–6.[6]
The nationals won their first match against Georgia at the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification round on 25 September 1997 after eleven losses.[7]
The biggest loss of the Turkey women's national team was against Germany with 1–12 in a friendly match on 14 February 1999.[8] The team's biggest win was with 9–0 against Georgia at the UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying match on 23 November 2006.[9]
The women's national team were not formed in the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 because the women's football in Turkey was suspended during this period.[10][11]
Turkey put up its best performance in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification, as Turkey acquired an important draw over Portugal and three wins, though the team still failed to qualify at the end.
Team image
editNicknames
editThe Turkey women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Crescent Stars (Ay-Yıldızlılar)".
Home stadium
editTurkey play their home matches on TFF Riva Facility, a facility of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) for camp and training purposes of all Turkey national football teams. It is located in Riva, Beykoz district of Istanbul Province, Turkey.
Results and fixtures
editThe following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
- Legend
Win Draw Loss Fixture
2025
edit| 24 October 2025 UEFA Nations League play-off | Kosovo | 0–4 | | Pristina, Kosovo |
| 18:00 | Report | Hançar Pekel Şeker |
Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium Referee: Pachtova (CZE) Ratajova (CZE) Holakovská (CZE) |
| 28 October 2025 UEFA Nations League play-off | Turkey | 3–0 | | İzmir, Turkey |
| 20:00 | Pekel Hançar Şeker |
Report | Stadium: Gürsel Aksel Stadium Referee: Bočková (SVK) Baranowska (POL) Mostowska (POL) |
| 28 November Friendly | Albania | 1–1 | | Istanbul, Turkey |
| 19:00 | Hilaj |
Topçu |
Stadium: Esenyurt Necmi Kadıoğlu Stadium Referee: Lutfaliyeva (AZE), Nuriyeva(AZE), Akbarzada (AZE) |
| 1 December 2025 Friendly | Turkey | 2–0 | | Istanbul, Turkey |
| 19:00 | Şeker Altunkulak |
Stadium: THY Fielad Referee: Lutfaliyeva (AZE), Nuriyeva(AZE), Akbarzada (AZE) |
2026
edit| 3 March 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | Turkey | 3–0 | | Istanbul, Turkey |
| 17:00 | Farrugia Topçu Karabulut |
Stadium: Pendik Stadium Referee: Gil Soriano (ESP), Fernández (ESP), Benito (ESP) |
| 7 March 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | Northern Ireland | 0–1 | | Lurgan, Northern Ireland |
| 19:00 | Türkoğlu |
Stadium: Mourneview Park Referee: Tschon (AUT), Iskin (AUT), Thieme (AUT) |
| 14 April 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | Switzerland | 3–1 | | Zurich, Switzerland |
| 20:00 | Csillag Calligaris |
Topçu |
Referee: Prychyna UKR, Striletska UKR, Vdovina UKR, |
| 18 April 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | Turkey | 1–1 | | Sinop, Turkey |
| 19:00 | Altınkulak |
Crnogorčević |
Stadium: Sinop City Stadium Referee: Kulcsár (HUN), Vad (HUN), Bizderi (HUN |
| 5 June 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | Turkey | 2–1 | | Istanbul, Turkey |
| 20:00 | Pekel Şeker |
Bell |
Stadium: Pendik Stadium Referee: Collin (FRA), Brassard (FRA), Coppola (FRA) |
| 9 June 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | Malta | 0–3 | | Ta' Qali, Malta |
| 20:00 | Gatt Türkoğlu Altunkulak |
Stadium: Centenary Stadium Referee: Bolic (CRO), Rodjak-Karšić (CRO), Petravić (CRO) |
| TBD 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup play-offs | Turkey | v | | Turkey |
| TBD |
| TBD 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup play-offs | Slovenia | v | | Slovenia |
| TBD |
All-time records
editMatches by year
editAs of 7 March 2026[update][10]
| Year | Total | Official | Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 1996 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 1997 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 1998 | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| 1999 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 2000 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2001 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 2002 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 2006 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 2009 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 2010 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 2011 | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| 2012 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 2013 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 2015 | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2017 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 2019 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| 2020 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| 2021 | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| 2022 | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| 2023 | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| 2024 | 10 | 8 | 2 |
| 2025 | 10 | 8 | 2 |
| 2026 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 179 | 126 | 53 |
Coaching staff
editCurrent coaching staff
edit- As of 17 July 2023
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | |
| Assistant coach(es) | |
| Goalkeeping coach | |
| Director of football development |
Manager history
edit- As of 29 October 2024
| Name | Period | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atılay Canel | 2002 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 0 | |
| Hamdi Aslan | 2006–2010 | 21 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 56 | 33 | +23 | 57.1 | |
| Yücel Uyar | 2011 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 25 | −17 | 12.5 | |
| Nur Mustafa Gülen | 2011–2012 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 16 | −15 | 0 | |
| 2013–2014 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 23 | −14 | 37.5 | ||
| Ogün Temizkanoğlu | 2012 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 0 | |
| Suat Okyar | 2014 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 50 | |
| Talat Tuncel | 2015–2019 | 33 | 12 | 5 | 16 | 51 | 65 | −14 | 36.4 | |
| Necla Güngör Kıragası | 2020– | 50 | 29 | 6 | 15 | 93 | 57 | +36 | 58 |
Players
editCurrent squad
editThe following players were called up for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification matches against Switzerland on 14 and 18 April 2026.
- Caps and goals are correct as of 14 April 2026.
- Source: UEFA Women's European Qualifiersn
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Selda Akgöz | 9 June 1993 | 32 | 11 | |
| 12 | GK | Göknur Güleryüz | 4 February 2003 | 1 | 0 | |
| 23 | GK | Gamze Nur Yaman | 25 April 1999 | 26 | 0 | |
| 2 | DF | Meryem Küçükbirinci | 3 March 2004 | 22 | 3 | |
| 3 | DF | Fatma Şakar | 26 March 1999 | 27 | 6 | |
| 4 | DF | Eda Karataş | 15 June 1995 | 30 | 9 | |
| 5 | DF | İpek Kaya | 4 February 2003 | 31 | 0 | |
| 15 | DF | Kezban Tağ | 17 September 1993 | 32 | 3 | |
| 17 | DF | İlayda Civelek | 6 July 1998 | 27 | 11 | |
| 20 | DF | Elif Keskin | 12 January 2002 | 24 | 9 | |
| 21 | DF | Gülbin Hız | 11 June 1994 | 31 | 9 | |
| 6 | MF | Selen Altunkulak | 2 December 1997 | 28 | 3 | |
| 7 | MF | Arzu Karabulut | 30 January 1991 | 35 | 4 | |
| 10 | MF | Ebru Topçu | 27 August 1996 | 101 | 25 | |
| 11 | MF | Miray Cin | 5 July 2001 | 24 | 10 | |
| 11 | MF | Halle Houssein | 11 December 2004 | 21 | 2 | |
| 16 | MF | Cansu Nur Kaya | 20 February 2000 | 26 | 1 | |
| 18 | MF | Başak İçinözbebek | 13 February 1994 | 32 | 3 | |
| 8 | FW | Melike Pekel | 14 April 1995 | 31 | 9 | |
| 9 | FW | Kader Hançar | 12 November 1999 | 26 | 11 | |
| 13 | FW | Vildan Kardeşler | 24 February 1998 | 2 | 0 | |
| 19 | FW | Busem Şeker | 19 July 1998 | 27 | 11 | |
| 22 | FW | Melike Öztürk | 1 April 2001 | 25 | 6 | |
Recent call-ups
editThe following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Ezgi Çağlar | 3 July 1993 | 15 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Ümran Özev | 1 January 1995 | 20 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Sejde Abrahamsson | 24 January 1998 | 16 | 1 | v. | |
| DF | Yaşam Göksu | 25 September 1995 | 11 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Didem Karagenç | 16 October 1993 | 74 | 3 | ||
| DF | İlayda Cansu Kara | 28 April 2005 | 2 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Selin Cemal | 27 December 2006 | 0 | 0 | ||
| MF | Meryem Cennet Çal | 12 July 2000 | 24 | 1 | ||
| FW | Birgül Sadıkoğlu | 1 January 1994 | 40 | 8 | v. | |
| ||||||
Gallery
edit- Turkey women's national football team in the home match against Belarus on 17 September 2014: Çağlar (12), Uraz (11), Esra Erol (17), Göksu (4), Elgalp (18), Defterli (9), Karabulut (7), Belci (5), Karagenç (3), Çorlu (2), Kara (10).
- Turkey women's national football team in the home match against Germany on 8 April 2016: Akgöz (1), Nurlu (7), Topçu (16), Yağ (20), Pekel(10), Esra Ero (9), Demir (18), Tezkan (4), Güvenç (3), Korkmaz (8), Kaya (17).
- Turkey women's national football team in the home match against Estonia on 7 April 2018: Şahin (12), Alpavut (4), Topçu (16), Kara (11), Işık (18), Karagenç (3), Altunkulak (14), Korkmaz (8), Çınar (17), Cümert (6), Karabuşut (7).
- Turkey women's national football team in the home match against Estonia on 4 October 2019: Akgöz (1), Kaya (17), Nurdoğan (7), Pekel (10), Topçu (16), Hançar (19), Karagenç (3), Cümert (6), Altunkulak (14), Yeniçeri (2), Uzungüney (9), Kara (5).
Records
editMost capped players
edit
- Players in bold are still active.[13]
As of 3 June 2025[update]
| # | Name | Position | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ebru Topçu | MF | 2013–present | 101 | 25 |
| 2 | Didem Karagenç | FW | 2010–11–present | 72 | 3 |
| 3 | Yağmur Uraz | FW | 2006–2024 | 66 | 28 |
| 4 | Arzu Karabulut | MF | 2011–present | 59 | 6 |
| 5 | Esra Erol | DF | 2001–2020 | 55 | 8 |
| Selda Akgöz | GK | 2015–present | 55 | 0 | |
| 7 | Bilgin Defterli | FW | 1999–2014 | 52 | 16 |
| 8 | Gülbin Hız | DF | 2011–present | 50 | 5 |
| 9 | Ece Türkoğlu | MF | 2016–present | 49 | 14 |
| 10 | Çiğdem Belci | DF | 2006–2020 | 48 | 0 |
Top goalscorers
edit- Bold indicates still active players.[13]
As of 3 June 2025[update]
| # | Name | Career | Goals | Caps | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yağmur Uraz | 2006–present | 28 | 66 | 0.42 |
| 2 | Ebru Topçu | 2013–present | 25 | 101 | 251010 |
| 3 | Melahat Eryurt | 1995–2002 | 18 | 39 | 0.46 |
| 4 | Bilgin Defterli | 1999–2014 | 16 | 52 | 0.31 |
| 5 | Ece Türkoğlu | 2016–present | 14 | 49 | 0.29 |
| 6 | Seyhan Gündüz | 1997–2002 | 12 | 30 | 0.4 |
| 7 | Reyhan Şeker | 2006–2012 | 10 | 21 | 0.48 |
| 8 | Selen Altunkulak | 2017–2019 | 8 | 12 | 0.67 |
| Esra Erol | 2001–2020 | 8 | 55 | 0.15 | |
| Birgül Sadıkoğlu | 2019–present | 8 | 38 | 0.21 | |
| 11 | Melike Pekel | 2015–present | 7 | 34 | 0.21 |
Hat-tricks
edit| Player | Club | Against | Goals | Result | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melahat Eryurt | 3 | 5–2 | 9 February 1998 | |||
| Melahat Eryurt | 3 | 8–0 | 11 February 1998 | |||
| Yağmur Uraz | 3 | 6–0 | 26 February 2015 | |||
| Melike Pekel | 3 | 9–1 | 8 April 2017 | |||
| Selen Altunkulak | 3 | 9–1 | 8 April 2017 |
Centuriate goals
edit| Rank | Player | Club | Against | Result | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nazan Bulut | 1–2 | 9 May 1996 | |||
| 100th | Bilgin Defterli | 4–0 | 16 May 2009 | |||
| 200th | Benan Altıntaş | 1–2 | 12 July 2021 |
Competitive record
editFIFA Women's World Cup
edit| FIFA Women's World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD | Q | GP | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD | |
| Did not participate | qual. | Declined participation | |||||||||||||||
| qual. | |||||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | qual. | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 15 | −9 | |||||||||
| qual. | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 27 | −17 | ||||||||||
| Did not participate | qual. | Declined participation | |||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | qual. | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 23 | −13 | |||||||||
| qual. | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 31 | −19 | ||||||||||
| qual. | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 3 | +10 | ||||||||||
| qual. | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 26 | –17 | ||||||||||
| To be determined | qual. | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
| To be determined | qual. | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
| To be determined | qual. | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
| Total | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | 45 | 13 | 4 | 28 | 60 | 125 | −65 | |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Olympic Games
editUEFA Women's Championship
edit| UEFA Women's Championship record | Qualifying record | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD | Q | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD | P/R | Rnk | |
| 1984 | Did not participate | qual. | Declined participation | ||||||||||||||||
| qual. | |||||||||||||||||||
| qual. | |||||||||||||||||||
| qual. | |||||||||||||||||||
| qual. | |||||||||||||||||||
| qual. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | qual. | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 21 | −20 | – | ||||||||||
| qual. | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 20 | −7 | ||||||||||||
| Did not participate | qual. | Declined participation | |||||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | qual. | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 2 | +9 | – | ||||||||||
| qual. | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 48 | −44 | ||||||||||||
| qual. | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 24 | −21 | ||||||||||||
| qual. | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 28 | −19 | ||||||||||||
| qual. | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 24th | |||||||||||
| Total | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | 43 | 6 | 5 | 32 | 41 | 143 | –102 | 24th | ||
- *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
UEFA Women's Nations League
editAs of 25 February 2025[update]
| UEFA Women's Nations League record | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Division | Group | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | P/R | RK | |
| 2023–24 | C | 2 | 1st | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 33rd | ||
| 2025 | B | 2 | (1) | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 26th | ||
| Total | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 7 | 33rd and 26th | |||||
| Promoted at end of season | |
| No movement at end of season | |
| Relegated at end of season | |
| * | Participated in promotion/relegation play-offs |
| (1) | Tournament in progress |
FIFA World Rankings
editLast update 13 July 2021.[14]
Best Ranking Worst Ranking Best Mover Worst Mover
| Turkey's FIFA world rankings | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Year | Games Played |
Won | Lost | Drawn | Best | Worst | ||||
| Rank | Move | Rank | Move | ||||||||
| 69 | 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 72 | ||||
See also
edit- Football in Turkey
- List of Turkey women's international footballers
- Turkey women's national under-17 football team
- Turkey women's national under-19 football team
- Turkey women's national under-21 football team
- Turkey women's national football team (Results)
- Women's football in Turkey
- Turkish Women's Cup
- Turkey national football team
- Turkey national under-21 football team
- Turkey national under-19 football team
- Turkey national under-17 football team
- Turkish football clubs in European competitions
Notes
edit- ↑ From Euro 2025 onwards a new qualifying format was introduced, linked to the Women's Nations League where teams are divided into leagues with promotion/relegation between the leagues at the end of each cycle.
References
edit- ↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". 16 June 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
- ↑ "Türkiye". FIFA.
- ↑ "Turkish Football Federation". UEFA.
- 1 2 "Kadın Futbolu" (in Turkish). TFF. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ↑ "Özel Maç Kadınlar Milli – Türkiye 0–8 Romanya" (in Turkish). Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ↑ "Avrupa Şampiyonası 1997 Grup Eleme – Macaristan 6–0 Türkiye" (in Turkish). Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ↑ "Dünya Şampiyonası 1999 Grup Eleme – Gürcistan 0–1 Türkiye" (in Turkish). Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ↑ "Özel Maç – Türkiye 1–12 Almanya" (in Turkish). Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ↑ "Avruğpa Şampiyonası 2008 Grup Eleme Türkiye 9–0 Gürcistan" (in Turkish). Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- 1 2 "Kadınlar Milli – A Milli" (in Turkish). Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ↑ "Türkiye'de kadın futbolu daha işin başında". Deutsche Welle (in Turkish). 12 July 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- ↑ "Turkey [Women] » Historical results". World Football. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- 1 2 "Türkiye Kadın A Milli" (in Turkish). Türkiye Futbol federasyonu. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ "Turkey Women's Ranking". www.fifa.com. FIFA. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
External links
edit- (in English) Official website, TFF.org
- (in English) FIFA profile, FIFA.com