Guler: Today of all days, we finally won

Türkiye's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign ended on a high note as they secured a 3-2 comeback victory against co-hosts USA at Los Angeles Stadium. Despite already being eliminated from the tournament, the Turkish team displayed the quality that had been missing in their earlier matches.

A rocky start to the tournament

Türkiye's first World Cup appearance since 2002, when they reached the semi-finals and won the bronze medal, began with disappointment. They suffered a defeat against Australia in their opening match, followed by a loss to Paraguay despite playing against ten men for the entire second half. In both games, Türkiye registered numerous shots on goal but failed to convert their chances.

Redemption in the final match

After the second defeat confirmed their early exit, forward Kenan Yildiz promised that the team would finally score and leave the tournament with pride. The team delivered on that promise. Despite conceding early again, Arda Guler equalized, becoming Türkiye's youngest ever World Cup goalscorer at 21 years and 150 days, breaking a record set at the 2002 tournament.

Türkiye took the lead before half-time and held off pressure from the USA team, who were backed by a home crowd. The USA equalized, but in the final seconds, substitute Kaan Ayhan scored the winning goal to complete the comeback.

"Today of all days, we finally won. We can return to our country with a little more pride," Guler told FIFA after the match. "Hopefully, we’ll be able to make everyone happy again."

Guler, named Superior Player of the Match, added: "We knew we were capable of playing at that level, but we saved that performance for the last game."

Looking ahead

The team features young talents like Guler, Yildiz, and Can Uzun, all born in 2005, who have become key players. "We aim to show that same level of play and that same determination again in our upcoming games," Guler said. "We want to take part in future tournaments, represent ourselves better and bring more joy to our country."