Türkiye finished 2002 World Cup 3rd, Galatasaray took home UEFA Cup highlights of century of Turkish football

By Can Erozden

Football has long been a hugely popular sport in Türkiye, with the notable achievements of the men's national team and such banner clubs as Galatasaray stirring up great excitement and interest.

Türkiye, a member of FIFA since 1923 and UEFA since 1962, played their first official international match against Romania on Oct. 26, 1923 at Istanbul's Taksim Stadium – auspiciously enough, three days before the foundation of the Republic of Türkiye (The match ended in a 2-2 draw).

Sunday will mark the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the Turkish Republic.

The new millennium has seen the Turkish men's national team reach their highest achievements to date.

The country is not a regular competitor in the FIFA World Cup, but they secured a bronze medal in the 2002 finals co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. Before 2002, Türkiye played in the 1954 World Cup only to be eliminated in the group stage.

Under coach Senol Gunes, Türkiye displayed a heroic performance in South Korea and Japan to amaze football fans and commentators when they reached the UEFA EURO 2000 quarterfinals.

In 2002, Türkiye shared a group with five-time World Cup champions Brazil, and Costa Rica, and China, and qualified for the last 16 after leaders Brazil.

Türkiye eliminated co-hosts Japan 1-0 in the last 16 and Senegal 1-0 in the quarterfinals.

But the Turkish national team lost to Brazil 1-0 in the semifinal to play a third-place playoff. Ronaldo's win took Brazil to the 2002 final against Germany and to claim the world title in Yokohama.

Türkiye beat co-hosts South Korea 3-2 to win the bronze medal at the 2002 World Cup.

Following the World Cup, Türkiye qualified for the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup (done away with in 2017) to finish in the number three spot.

- Türkiye do their EURO best in 2008, reach semifinals

Unlike the World Cup, Türkiye has played in the EUROs many times; 1996, 2000, 2008, 2016, and 2020.

But Türkiye did their EURO best in 2008, in games held in Austria and Switzerland. The team reached the semifinals in that European football championship.

Coach Fatih Terim's men were in the same group as Portugal, the Czech Republic, and co-hosts Switzerland.

Türkiye beat Switzerland and the Czech Republic to advance to the knockout stage.

In the quarterfinals, Türkiye eliminated Croatia on penalties to face Germany in the semifinal phase.

Germany, one of the leading football nations, beat Türkiye 3-2 in the semifinals in Basel, Switzerland, but then the Germans lost the EURO 2008 title to Spain 1-0 in the final in Vienna.

This month, Türkiye qualified for the EURO 2024 to be held in Germany, the sixth time that it has passed the hurdles to play in the tournament.

- Galatasaray win UEFA Cup, Super Cup in 2000

Istanbul powerhouse Galatasaray is still Türkiye's most successful club in UEFA campaigns as they won the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup in 2000, a historic success for both the club and the nation.

Galatasaray beat English opponents Arsenal 4-1 on penalties to win the UEFA Cup for the first time, a feat which amazed the football community.

Introduced in 1971, Europe's second-tier UEFA Cup was rebranded the UEFA Europa League in 2009.

After winning the 2000 UEFA Cup, Galatasaray took on Spanish giants Real Madrid, who won the UEFA Champions League title that same year.

Galatasaray beat Real Madrid 2-1 in Monaco to win the 2000 Super Cup, which was also the Lions' first.

In the European Cup/Champions League, Turkish clubs played in the semifinals once (Galatasaray in 1989) and quarterfinals seven times.

Galatasaray reached the European Cup/Champions League last eight in 1963, 1970, 1994, 2001, and 2013.

In 1987, Istanbul’s Besiktas played in the European Cup quarterfinals.

One of the "Big Three" in Turkish football, Istanbul’s Fenerbahce played in the 2008 Champions League quarterfinals, which was the club's best showing in the top-tier tournament.

In 2013, Fenerbahce fought hard to proceed in the Europa League, but were eliminated in the semifinals by Portugal's Benfica.

Besiktas have twice made the UEFA Cup/Europa League quarterfinals, in 2003 and 2017.