[8] The team played their first official international game in 1923 and has represented the nation in major competitions since their debut appearance at the 1924 Summer Olympics.

Although Turkey qualified for the 1950 World Cup, beating Syria 7–0, they were forced to withdraw from the tournament due to financial problems.

The Turks, however, never played Hungary due to the tournament format, and a 4–1 defeat by the Germans was followed by Turkey carrying out a 7–0 win over South Korea.

But the 1990 World Cup qualifiers would mark a turning point for Turkish football, with Turkey only missing out on qualification in the final match.

Prominent players in this period included Rıdvan Dilmen, Oğuz Çetin, Rıza Çalımbay, Feyyaz Uçar, and European Golden Boot winner Tanju Çolak.

Many of these players (which included Bülent Korkmaz, Alpay Özalan, Sergen Yalçın, Rüştü Reçber, and Hakan Şükür) would become the backbone of the national team for many years.

For the 2002 World Cup, Turkey finished second in their qualifying group, losing to Sweden in the match that would decide the number-one spot.

[16] The Turkish team continued their run, as they beat Senegal 1–0 on a golden goal to book their place in the semi-finals, where a 1–0 defeat against eventual tournament winners Brazil forced them to play the third-place match.

[20][21] Tens of thousands of flag-waving Turkish fans greeted the World Cup squad on their return to Istanbul, where they joined a massive street party at Taksim Square.

They also missed out on the 2006 World Cup after failing to win the play-offs, this time on away goals against Switzerland, again after finishing second in their group.

In their first match, they played Portugal and were beaten 2–0, but wins over Switzerland (2–1) and the Czech Republic (3–2) – both secured by late goals – meant qualification for the knockout stages.

On 14 November 2012, Turkey celebrated their 500th match in a friendly game played against Denmark at the Türk Telekom Arena, Istanbul, which ended in a 1–1 draw.

Turkish pop singer Hadise, who wore a national team jersey with the number 500, performed a small concert.

[30][31] Turkey was drawn in Group D in qualification for the 2014 World Cup, together with Andorra, Estonia, Hungary, the Netherlands and Romania, finishing fourth.

Fatih Terim was put in charge for the third time to lead the national team, but a 2–0 defeat against the Netherlands ended hopes of qualification.

Grouped in Group A in the qualification campaign for Euro 2016, with Iceland, Latvia, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, the team qualified for their first major tournament in eight years as the best third-placed team after beating Iceland 1–0, with Selçuk İnan netting a free kick in the 89th minute, along with Kazakhstan beating Latvia 1–0.

After eight games, Turkey were in pole position to qualify for the tournament, but a 3–0 defeat to Iceland at home ended automatic qualification hopes.

Turkey was drawn with Russia and Sweden in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League B and performed poorly, leading to a bottom finish.

Turkey was drawn in Group H in the qualifying stages of Euro 2020 along with 2018 World Cup champions France, Iceland, Albania, Moldova, and Andorra.

Veteran coach Şenol Güneş revolutionized the team, with many young talents, combining them with experienced players like Burak Yılmaz and Emre Belözoglu.

This was followed by an Icelandic supporter holding a toilet brush to team captain Emre Belozoglu as a pretend microphone during an interview.

[39] After qualifying for Euro 2020, which would be postponed to June and July 2021 due to COVID-19, Turkey was drawn against Russia, alongside Hungary, and Serbia in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B.

This hampered their chances of qualifying for League A, as their next opponents in October would be Russia (a country that Turkey hasn't beaten since 1975) and Hungary.

[44][45][46] Such an outcome also meant Turkey would have to fight to get a direct Qatar 2022 ticket as play-off qualification appeared slim with their relegation, in which the 2022 World Cup qualifiers that started in March 2021.

Roberto Mancini's side had been frustrated by Turkey's defensive approach in the first half but broke through in the 53rd minute when a hard-hit cross from Domenico Berardi flew in off Turkish defender Merih Demiral for an own goal.

Their Nations League success not only rewarded them a playoff place should they fail to qualify directly,[55] but also an easier draw in Group D with Croatia, Wales, Armenia, and Latvia.

The two teams faced each other in the 2012 Euro qualifying play-offs, with Croatia winning 3–0 in the first-leg in Istanbul, and advancing to the tournament finals following a 0–0 draw in the second-leg.

[66][67] Only three months after the Euros, the two teams played in their opening match in Group I of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, which finished 1–1.

Due to tension between the two countries and the dispute over Cyprus, coupled with several incidents occurring during matches between Turkish and Greek clubs, it has been described as one of the biggest international football rivalries.

Win Draw Loss Fixture The following players were called up for 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Wales and Montenegro on 16 and 19 November 2024, respectively.