It is the end of a long wait that lasted twenty-four years. Since the unforgettable third-place finish at the 2002 World Cup, Turkey had not experienced the excitement of the World Cup as a protagonist again. Today, however, that dream has finally become reality once more.
Qualification for the 2026 World Cup represents one of the most important moments in Turkish football over the last decades. An achievement built through planning, consistent work, and a new international mentality that has allowed the Turkish national team to become competitive again at the highest level.
Behind this journey is also the work of Italian coach Vincenzo Montella, who in a short time has become one of the symbols of Turkey’s football renaissance. With balance, tactical discipline, and great ability in managing the group, Montella succeeded in transforming a young and talented squad into a credible, modern, and ambitious national team.
Turkish fans are now dreaming of a new achievement similar to the one in 2002. Enthusiasm is growing every day not only in Turkey, but also in the United States, where major preparations are already underway ahead of the World Cup tournament. Thousands of supporters will arrive from Europe and Turkey to follow the national team and support Montella and his players during their World Cup journey.
In the United States, a large logistical and institutional organization surrounding the presence of the Turkish national team has already begun. An important role in this process is attributed to Çağrı Kanver, Vice President of the External Relations Council of the Turkish Football Federation and regional representative in the United States.
According to sources close to the federation, Kanver had already begun working with a clear vision two years ago, when İbrahim Ethem Hacıosmanoğlu was elected President of the Turkish Football Federation. The objective was clear: to prepare the international future of the national team and build a strong Turkish presence in the United States ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Based mainly between New York City and Miami, Cagri Kanver is now considered one of the emerging figures in the landscape of international sports diplomacy. An entrepreneur active in real estate development, innovation, culture, and sports, he has contributed to strengthening the connections between Turkish football and the American continent.
His vision concerns not only the present of the national team, but above all the future of new generations. Through sports projects and international relations, Kanver has for years supported the discovery of young Turkish talents in the United States and across the American continent, convinced that modern football must increasingly embrace a global dimension.
According to people close to his projects, Kanver considers talent a heritage to be protected through modern infrastructure, international education, and global networks capable of creating new opportunities for young athletes.
Alongside sports, he also continues to invest in architecture, contemporary art, and cultural innovation, building a modern entrepreneurial model in which business, culture, and social development coexist within a single international vision.
Turkey’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup therefore represents much more than a sporting result. It is the symbol of a new generation, a new organization, and a new international mentality that looks to the future with ambition.
Twenty-four years after that historic night in 2002, the Turkish people are dreaming again. And this time, they want to experience the World Cup not only as protagonists, but as a possible surprise of world football.
