Sergen Yalçın names first Turkey squad, with three debutants for Belgium

Sergen Yalçın has picked his first squad as Turkey's head coach, and it comes with a few new faces. Three players have been called up for the very first time, and one goalkeeper is back after a long absence.

One of the debutants found out live on air, and he shared the moment with his followers.

What happened?

Yalçın announced a 26-player provisional squad at a live press conference. It is for two UEFA Nations League games: Belgium in İzmir on 12 November and France on 15 November.

The first-timers are Kocaelispor goalkeeper Serhat Öztaşdelen, UAE-based goalkeeper Ersin Destanoğlu and defender Ahmetcan Kaplan of Dutch club NEC Nijmegen. Öztaşdelen posted the moment his name was read out on his Instagram account.

Goalkeeper Berke Özer, who plays in France, is also back. He left camp in 2025 after not being included in the squad for the Bulgaria match, and he hasn't been called up since. Yalçın said there had been problems before, but none now. "He is dying to come to the national team," he said.

Why is everyone talking about it?

Yalçın says he wants a team for the future, not just for today. "Names and clubs aren't that important. Whoever deserves it, whoever will contribute to this team, will be there," he said.

That matters because Vincenzo Montella, who was dismissed in October, faced criticism for keeping his squad largely unchanged.

Yalçın also said Arda Güler has made a serious breakthrough and will play wherever he prefers. He added that the staff now use an AI-supported platform to track players and analyse their performances.

What's next?

Yalçın signed his official contract on 22 October. He says there is an important four-year period ahead of the team.

His first big goal is qualifying for Euro 2028, which will be hosted by England and the Republic of Ireland. First, though, come Belgium and France in the next ten days.