Wales v Turkey
Turkey have qualifed for the FIFA World Cup on two occasions, the first time in 1954 when they were drawn out of a hat to advance to the finals after finishing level on points with Spain in a two team group and a drawn match on neutral territory failed to separate both sides.
They have also qualified for the UEFA European Championships on five occasions.
The Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu (TFF) was formed on 23 April 1923, joining FIFA in the same year. Despite not joining UEFA until 1962 Turkey took part in the 1960 UEFA European Championship qualifiers.
Turkey's first international match was a 2-2 draw at home to Romania in October 1923.
Wales' first competitive match against Turkey came in the 1980 UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign where a Nick Deacey goal gave Wales a win in the home match at The Racecourse Ground, Wrexham.
However the away match in İzmir was overshadowed by Byron Stevenson's red card after he allegedly fractured opponent Mustafa Denizli's cheekbone. Stevenson was handed a four-and-a-half year European Championship ban following the incident.
Neville Southall won his 92nd and final cap in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Istanbul in 1997.
Head to Head
| P | W | D | L | F | A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Away | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| Neutral | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ALL | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 10 |
Match details
| no. | date | score | scorers (wales) | venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 345 | 29/11/1978 | Wales 1-0 Turkey | Deacy | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | ECQ |
| 353 | 21/11/1979 | Turkey 1-0 Wales | İzmir Atatürk Stadyumu, İzmir | ECQ | |
| 358 | 15/10/1980 | Wales 4-0 Turkey | Flynn, L James (2), Walsh | Ninian Park, Cardiff | WCQ |
| 361 | 25/03/1981 | Turkey 0-1 Wales | Harris | Mayıs Stadı, Ankara | WCQ |
| 471 | 14/12/1996 | Wales 0-0 Turkey | Arms Park, Cardiff | WCQ | |
| 475 | 20/08/1997 | Turkey 6-4 Wales | Blake, Savage, Saunders, Melville | Ali Sami Yen, Istanbul | WCQ |
| 676 | 16/06/2021 | Turkey 0-2 Wales | Ramsey, C Roberts | Olympic Stadium, Baku | EC |
| 701 | 19/06/2023 | Turkey 2-0 Wales | Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadium, Samsun | ECQ | |
| 707 | 21/11/2023 | Wales 1-1 Turkey | Williams | Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff | ECQ |
FIFA World Cup 3rd Place: 2002
Welsh players to have made their debut against Turkey
Two Welsh players have made their debut for Wales against Turkey.
- Gordon Davies - 21 November 1979
- Rob Page - 14 December 1996
