Young Stars Arda Güler and Kenan Yildiz Can Make Türkiye More Than ‘Dark Horses’

Türkiye will make a rare appearance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but they have two of the most promising young players on the planet in their squad. We look at why Arda Güler and Kenan Yildiz can give Vincenzo Montella’s side hope of making an impact this summer.

Türkiye are readying themselves for their first World Cup since 2002. Considering they finished third in that tournament, it’s quite surprising it was their only World Cup appearance since 1954, until now.

They came through the UEFA play-offs by beating Romania and Kosovo to book their place in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and are ready to compete again as they did in Japan and South Korea 24 years ago.

The nation formerly known as Turkey sent a letter of request to the United Nations to be referred to as Türkiye in 2022, partly to distance itself from the bird of the same name.

Another name the Türkiye men’s national team have been known as, when it comes to major tournaments anyway, is ‘dark horse’, due to a belief that they can do as they did in 2002 and go further than perhaps many expect them to. There is seemingly no getting away from names related to animals.

One reason why Vincenzo Montella’s side are being tipped to do well this summer by many is a pair of young lions who look primed to produce on the biggest international stage.

Arda Güler and Kenan Yildiz are both 21 years of age, and while they had some impact as teenagers at Euro 2024 when Türkiye reached the quarter-finals, it feels like they are now at a point where they can take the world by storm.

Both have been highly rated for years now, and the 2025-26 campaign was a big one for both at club level.

Güler was required to be patient at Real Madrid, but that paid off and then some this campaign. Having only started 18 games in all competitions in 2024-25, he started 40 for Los Blancos in 2025-26. He impressed head coach Xabi Alonso early on, becoming a big part of the Madrid midfield, and maintained that trust when Alonso was replaced by Álvaro Arbeloa in January.

Güler managed 20 goal involvements (6 goals, 14 assists) in 51 outings at club level. He also showed he can be a danger from almost anywhere, scoring from beyond the halfway line for Madrid against Elche in March.

He then found the net from distance after just 35 seconds against Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final in April. Later that same game, he converted a free-kick past the great Manuel Neuer as well, though it wasn’t enough for Madrid to advance to the semis.

Güler is primarily a creative force, though. No Real Madrid teammate created more chances than him in La Liga this season (70, level with Vinícius Júnior), while his nine assists was more than any other Madrid player.

That Güler has proven himself at the top level bodes well heading into a World Cup, and his ability to break lines with his passing could be key. In the Champions League this season, only Joshua Kimmich (22) and Lamine Yamal (17) made more passes that broke the opposition’s defensive line than Güler (16).

He is very much left footed: he attempted 43 shots with his favoured left foot in La Liga last season, and just five with his right. But when your strongest foot is that good, it matters very little.

Yildiz, on the other hand (or foot) is more ambipedal. While he primarily favours his right, he is very comfortable shooting with his left as well. Yildiz attempted 73 shots with his right foot in Serie A this season, and 23 with his left. In fact, four of his seven Serie A goals the previous season were with his left foot, often leaving defenders unsure as to which way to show him when he’s running at them.

It was a very good campaign for Yildiz, whose name appropriately translates as ‘star’. It followed a solid 2024-25 season in which he played 48 games (38 starts) – none of his Juve teammates played more – and only Dusan Vlahovic (15) scored more than his nine goals for the club. But this season felt like he reached the next level.

Juventus ultimately missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification, but Yildiz was one of the Bianconeri’s standout players in 2025-26, recording 20 goal involvements in 47 games in all competitions (11 goals, 9 assists).

He made an excellent start to the 2025-26 campaign, becoming only the second Juventus player in the last 50 years to score at least five goals in the first 15 games of a Serie A season before turning 21. The other was Yildiz’s boyhood hero, the great Alessandro Del Piero (5 in 1994-95).

Yildiz then went on to become the first non-Italian Juve player to reach double figures for goals before turning 21 in a Serie A campaign, and just the seventh player overall to do so for the club, the first since Roberto Bettega way back in 1970-71 (13 goals).

Yildiz is as much a creator as a goalscorer, though. Of players in the top five European leagues this term, only Michael Olise (79) created more chances than Yildiz (76), while just four completed more dribbles than him (78), so giving him the ball and letting him run at defenders could be a potent tactic for Montella.

The former Italy international is a big fan of Yildiz, recently saying to Sky Sport Italia: “He always wants to improve, he’s balanced. There are signs that make you notice him immediately… He never comes off the pitch, he arrives earlier than anyone else and still does. In my opinion, he’s destined to improve even more.

“He’s devastating in one-on-ones, the opponents can barely get the ball off him. I like to play him on the left, but he also has to come inside and play.”

There are some concerns about his fitness heading into the World Cup. Yildiz suffered a calf injury last month and didn’t feature in Monday’s 4-0 friendly win over North Macedonia, but Montella seems optimistic he will be fit in time for the start of the tournament.

Yildiz and Güler have already performed for their country. Yildiz created 12 chances from open play in World Cup qualifying, the most for Türkiye, while Güler created nine, the second most.

Yildiz scored three goals in his seven games in qualifying, the joint most for his county along with Kerem Aktürkoglu, while Güler’s four assists was the joint most along with Hakan Çalhanoglu.

Montella does not really have a top-level striker in his squad, but with Güler on one wing and Yildiz on the other, whoever plays down the middle will likely have plenty of ammunition and assistance in attack. Group games against Australia, Paraguay and the United States could provide opportunities to grow into the tournament.

There’ll likely be an awful lot of hope placed on the young shoulders of Güler and Yildiz this summer, but they have shown they have the ability at the top level, and it would not be a surprise to see them guiding Türkiye to another strong World Cup showing.

Perhaps the duo can even take their country from a dark horse to a front runner.

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