Football in Turkey

Atatürk Olympic Stadium has a capacity of 74,753 spectators.

Country| Turkey
Governing body| TFF
National team(s)| Turkey
First played| 1898; 127 years ago (1898)

National competitions

* Leagues

*     * Men's:
*       * Süper Lig
* TFF First League
* TFF Second League
* TFF Third League

* Women's:

* Women's Super League
* Women's First League
* Women's Second League
* Women's Third League

* Cups

*       * Turkish Cup
* Turkish Super Cup

International competitions

* Club

*     * Men's:
* FIFA Club World Cup
* UEFA Champions League
* UEFA Europa League
* UEFA Conference League
* UEFA Super Cup

*     * Women's:
* UEFA Women's Champions League

* National team

*     *       * Men's:
* FIFA World Cup
* UEFA European Championship
* UEFA Nations League

* Women's:
* FIFA Women's World Cup
* UEFA Women's Championship
* UEFA Women's Nations League

Rams Park is home stadium of club Galatasaray.

Football is the most popular sport in Turkey, followed by basketball, tracing its roots to the Ottoman Empire.[1] The first matches were played in Ottoman Salonica in 1875. The sport was introduced by English residents.[2] The Turkish football league system comprises five professional leagues, one of which is dedicated to female athletes.

## History

[edit]

Further information: History of Turkish football

## League system

[edit]

Main article: Turkish football league system

### Süper Lig

[edit]

Main article: Süper Lig

The Süper Lig (Super League) is the top division in Turkey since 1959. There are 18 clubs in the league (as of 2025–26 season). The league ushered in clubs from all over Turkey to compete with each other. Currently, clubs finishing in the top four places in the league enter qualifying rounds of European competitions, and the winners of the Turkish Cup, if not one of the top four, are also given a spot. Each season, the four teams with the least points are relegated to the TFF First League. A total of 75 clubs have competed in the Süper Lig, but only six clubs have been champions so far: Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, Trabzonspor, Başakşehir and Bursaspor. Galatasaray has won the most Süper Lig trophies with 25 trophies (the club has also won more Turkish Cups and Turkish Super Cups than any other team).

The most popular Süper Lig clubs on X as of 6 May 2025:

# | Football club | City | Followers

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|
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1 | Galatasaray | Istanbul | 16.2 million
2 | Fenerbahçe | Istanbul | 13.7 million
3 | Beşiktaş | Istanbul | 6.2 million
4 | Trabzonspor | Trabzon | 2.1 million

### Reserve leagues

[edit]

Clubs in the Turkish football league system do not have reserve teams with the exception of Genclerbirligi and Altinordu. Hacettepe SK is the reserve side of Genclerbirligi, and Nigde Anadolu FK is of Altinordu. Other clubs have U21 and U18 teams which compete outside the main league system.

### Amateur football

[edit]

Below the four professional leagues in Turkish football are amateur leagues. Amateur football clubs include:

* Seniors’ First Amateur League: 2145 clubs
* Seniors’ Second Amateur League: 1743 clubs
* Seniors’ Third Amateur League: 1 club
* Women's League: 9 clubs
* Juniors’ First Amateur League: 27 clubs
* Juniors’ Second Amateur League: 100 clubs
* Juniorsclubs
* Antalya: 10 clubs
* Bursa: 16 clubs
* Istanbul: 18 clubs
* İzmir: 12 clubs
* Diyarbakır: 7 clubs
* Trabzon: 13 clubs
* Samsun: 10 clubs

Amateur clubs are put into leagues included in the Amateur League system and are eligible for promotion to the Turkish Third League.

## Largest football stadiums in Turkey

[edit]

# | Image | Stadium | Capacity | City | Home team(s) | Opened

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1 |  | Atatürk Olympic Stadium | 74,753[3] | Istanbul | Turkey | 2002
2 |  | Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi | 53,978[4] | Galatasaray SK | 2011
3 |  | İzmir Atatürk Stadium | 51,337[5] | İzmir | Karşıyaka SK | 1971
4 |  | Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium | 47,430[6] | Istanbul |  Fenerbahçe SK | 1908
5 |  | Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Stadium | 43,361[7] | Bursa | Bursaspor | 2015
6 |  | Beşiktaş Stadium | 42,590[8] | Istanbul | Beşiktaş JK | 2016
7 |  | Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium | 42,000[9] | Konya |  Konyaspor | 2014
8 |  | Şenol Güneş Sports Complex | 40,782[10] | Trabzon | Trabzonspor | 2017
9 |  | Kocaeli Stadium | 34,829 | İzmit | Kocaelispor | 2018
10 |  | Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadium | 33,919 | Samsun | Samsunspor | 2017

## Cup competitions

[edit]

The two major cup competitions are the Turkish Cup and Turkish Super Cup. The Turkish Cup includes clubs from every division. The Super Cup is an annual match held between the winners of the Süper Lig and Turkish Cup.

Now-defunct Turkish cup competitions include the Prime Minister's Cup, Atatürk Cup, Istanbul Football Cup and Spor Toto Cup.

## Qualification for European competitions

[edit]

As of 2025-26 season
Competition  | Who Qualifies  | Notes

|
|

UEFA Champions League league phase  | Club finishing 1st in the Süper Lig  |
UEFA Champions League play-off round  | Club finishing 2nd in the Süper Lig  |
UEFA Europa League second qualifying round  | Club finishing 3rd in the Süper Lig  |
UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round  | Club finishing 4th in the Süper Lig  |
UEFA Europa League play-off round  | Winner of the Turkish Cup | If the winner is already guaranteed a place in Europe, the highest ranked club in Süper Lig which did not qualify to UEFA Champions League will replace them.

In addition, once in a European competition, it becomes possible to qualify for others:

* All the losers of the Champions League third qualifying round go forward to the UEFA Europa League Play-off round
* All the losers of the Champions League play-off round go forward to the UEFA Europa League group stage

## European competition records

[edit]

Main article: Turkish football clubs in European competitions

The following teams have made the last eight of European competitions:

### UEFA Super Cup

[edit]

* Galatasaray (2000 – Champions)

### European Cup / UEFA Champions League

[edit]

* Galatasaray (1988–89 – Semi-finals)
* Galatasaray (1962–63 – Quarter-finals)
* Galatasaray (1969–70 – Quarter-finals)
* Besiktaş (1986–87 – Quarter-finals)
* Galatasaray (1993–94 – Group stage)‡
* Galatasaray (2000–01 – Quarter-finals)
* Fenerbahçe (2007–08 – Quarter-finals)

* Galatasaray (2012–13 – Quarter-finals)

‡ Galatasaray was one of the eight teams in the group stage of the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, however, UEFA does not consider this a quarter-final participation.

### UEFA Cup / Europa League

[edit]

* Galatasaray (1999–00 – Champions)
* Fenerbahçe (2012–13 – Semi-finals)
* Besiktaş (2002–03 – Quarter-finals)
* Besiktaş (2016–17 – Quarter-finals)

### UEFA Europa Conference League

[edit]

* Fenerbahçe ( 2023-24 – Quarter-finals)

### Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

[edit]

* Göztepe (1968–69 – Semi-finals)

### Balkans Cup

[edit]

* Fenerbahçe (1966–67 – Champions)
* Sarıyerspor (1991–92 – Champions)
* Samsunspor (1993–94 – Champions)
* Eskişehirspor (1975 – Runners-up)

### UEFA Cup Winners Cup

[edit]

* Fenerbahçe (1963–64 – Quarter-finals)
* Göztepe (1969–70 – Quarter-finals)
* Bursaspor (1974–75 – Quarter-finals)
* Galatasaray (1991–92 – Quarter-finals)

### UEFA Intertoto Cup

[edit]

* Kayserispor (2006 – Joint Winners)
* Trabzonspor (2007 – Runners-up)
* Sivasspor (2008 – Runners-up)
* İstanbulspor (1997 – Semi-finals)
* Samsunspor (1998 – Semi-finals)
* Trabzonspor (1999 – Semi-finals)
* Bursaspor (1995 – Quarter-finals)

## Turkey national team

[edit]

Main article: Turkey national football team

The Turkey national team made its debut on October 26, 1923. The match ended in a 2–2 draw against the Romania. Turkey have qualified for the FIFA World Cup twice: 1954 and 2002. Their longest duration of competing for the Cup was coming third in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Turkey also finished third in the 2003 Confederations Cup, reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008 and played in the quarter-finals of Euro 2000.[11][12][13][14][15] Turkey will host the UEFA Euro 2032 alongside Italy.

## Women's football

[edit]

Main article: Women's football in Turkey

## Records

[edit]

Further information: Football records in Turkey

## Seasons

[edit]

1900s: |  | 1904–05 | 1905–06 | 1906–07 | 1907–08 | 1908–09 | 1909–10

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1910s: | 1910–11 | 1911–12 | 1912–13 | 1913–14 | 1914–15 | 1915–16 | 1916–17 | 1917–18 | 1918–19 | 1919–20
1920s: | 1920–21 | 1921–22 | 1922–23 | 1923–24 | 1924–25 | 1925–26 | 1926–27 | 1927–28 | 1928–29 | 1929–30
1930s: | 1930–31 | 1931–32 | 1932–33 | 1933–34 | 1934–35 | 1935–36 | 1936–37 | 1937–38 | 1938–39 | 1939–40
1940s: | 1940–41 | 1941–42 | 1942–43 | 1943–44 | 1944–45 | 1945–46 | 1946–47 | 1947–48 | 1948–49 | 1949–50
1950s: | 1950–51 | 1951–52 | 1952–53 | 1953–54 | 1954–55 | 1955–56 | 1956–57 | 1957–58 | 1958–59 | 1959–60
1960s: | 1960–61 | 1961–62 | 1962–63 | 1963–64 | 1964–65 | 1965–66 | 1966–67 | 1967–68 | 1968–69 | 1969–70
1970s: | 1970–71 | 1971–72 | 1972–73 | 1973–74 | 1974–75 | 1975–76 | 1976–77 | 1977–78 | 1978–79 | 1979–80
1980s: | 1980–81 | 1981–82 | 1982–83 | 1983–84 | 1984–85 | 1985–86 | 1986–87 | 1987–88 | 1988–89 | 1989–90
1990s: | 1990–91 | 1991–92 | 1992–93 | 1993–94 | 1994–95 | 1995–96 | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–00
2000s: | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10
2010s: | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20
2020s: | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | 2025–26 | 2026–27 | 2027–28 | 2028–29 | 2029–30

## See also

[edit]

* List of Turkish football champions
* List of football clubs in Turkey
* Amputee football in Turkey
* Big Three (Turkey)
* Sport in Turkey

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Aslan Amani (2013-07-19). "Football in Turkey: A force for liberalisation and modernity?". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
2. ^ "Before the national Turkish leagues". Erdinç Sivritepe. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
3. ^ "Stat Arama Detay TFF". Archived from the original on 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
4. ^ "Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi Nef Stadyumu - GALATASARAY.ORG". Archived from the original on 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
5. ^ "Stat Arama Detay TFF". Archived from the original on 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
6. ^ "Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi - Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü". Archived from the original on 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
7. ^ "Stat Arama Detay TFF". Archived from the original on 2018-07-01. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
8. ^ "Stat Arama Detay TFF". Archived from the original on 2018-07-01. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
9. ^ "Stat Arama Detay TFF". Archived from the original on 2018-07-01. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
10. ^ "Stat Arama Detay TFF". Archived from the original on 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
11. ^ James Davis (2002-04-28). "Turkey's world challenge born in Germany". The Observer. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
12. ^ Ian Hawkey (2010-10-11). "Ozil's choice is Germany's gain and Turkey's loss". The National. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
13. ^ Flohr, Markus; Popp, Maximilian (2010-09-17). "Reverse Immigration: Turkey Recruits Players 'Made in Germany'". Spiegel Online. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
14. ^ McCarra, Kevin (7 October 2003). "German foundation beneath Turkey's rise to greatness". the Guardian.
15. ^ "Dawn of a new Turkish era - Soccer - www.theage.com.au". www.theage.com.au. 16 May 2004.

## External links

[edit]

* TurkishFootballNews.com - your source for the latest in Turkish football
* Turkish soccer live scores and news and blog by Ahmet Bob Turgut
* All of results in Turkish Football

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Football in Turkey

Turkish Football Federation

National teams|

| Men|

* Men's
* results
* footballers
* managers
* B
* U-21
* Youth
* Futsal
* Beach soccer

|

Women|

* Women's
* results
* footballers
* managers
* U-21
* U-19
* U-17

Domestic leagues|

| Men|

* Süper Lig
* TFF First League
* TFF Second League
* TFF Third League
* Turkish Regional Amateur League
* Super Amateur Leagues
* Amateur First Division
* Amateur Second Division
* U21 Ligi

|

Women|

* Super League
* First League
* Second League
* Third League

Domestic cups|

* Turkish Cup
* Turkish Super Cup
* Turkish stage of the UEFA Regions' Cup

Defunct leagues|

* Ankara Football League
* Çukurova Football League
* Eskişehir Football League
* Istanbul Football League
* İzmir Football League
* Trabzon Football League
* Turkish Federation Cup
* Turkish Football Championship
* Turkish National Division
* Turkish Women's Regional Football League

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* Atatürk Cup
* Fleet Cup
* Istanbul Football Cup
* Istanbul Shield
* Prime Minister's Cup
* Spor Toto Cup
* TSYD Cup

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| Men|

* Champions
* Clubs
* by foundation date
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|

Women|

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* Records
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