Australia and Türkiye have made a combined 10 appearances at the World Cup—though many will be surprised to learn that this is only the third time the latter have qualified for the biggest tournament in soccer.
It’s a fact that is all the more remarkable because the last time Türkiye competed at the World Cup, 24 years ago in 2002, they bagged a surprise third-place finish after a sensational campaign that saw them down Japan and Senegal in the knockout stages before falling to eventual winners Brazil.
Managed by legendary former Italian striker Vincenzo Montella, Türkiye hope to ride the momentum of four successive wins pre-World Cup against an Australia side whose preparations haven’t been quite as good. A loss to Mexico and draw against Switzerland is objectively okay, but better will be needed if the Socceroos are to have any chance of getting out of a competitive Group D that also contains host nation the United States and Paraguay.
