Thuram expects strong World Cup run from Türkiye

Former French national footballer Lilian Thuram said he expects Türkiye to make a strong run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, praising the quality of the national team’s players. “Given that my children play in Italy, of course I know Çalhanoğlu, who plays for Inter Milan. He is a very, very strong player, one of the best midfielders in the world. There is also Arda Güler from Real Madrid. He is a very, very talented young player and can cause problems for any defender. So I hope Türkiye goes very, very far,” Thuram told Anadolu.

Belief and history

Thuram said Türkiye’s third‑place finish at the 2002 FIFA World Cup should give confidence to the current generation. “When you have a good team, you can go very, very far. And historically, Türkiye has already gone very far. So that means that, as long as there is a belief among the players wearing the Turkish shirt that we can go even further than third place, then there is no limit.”

France’s strength

Thuram also noted that France has a strong team with a generation of young, high‑quality talent. “France is a very good team, but you have to be very careful. I believe that it is not because you have great players that you can win the World Cup.” Türkiye, drawn in Group D with Australia, Paraguay, and the United States, will open its campaign on June 13. The national team last reached the World Cup semi‑finals in 2002, finishing third. Turkish fans hope that the current squad, led by Hakan Çalhanoğlu and rising star Arda Güler, can repeat or surpass that success.