Merih Demiral: Hopefully we will carry our country to the World Cup

In the 6th and final match of Group E of the 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers, the A National Football Team drew 2-2 with Spain at La Cartuja Stadium. Responding to questions from members of the press after the match, national football player Merih Demiral said, "In the absence of Hakan, it fell to me to give that speech before the match today. We showed the necessary fight. That is why I am very happy and proud. If we hadn't been left with 10 men for the last 10 minutes due to Yusuf's injury, we could have won the match. We never gave up. We showed the necessary fight on the pitch. I am very proud of all my teammates," he said.

Evaluating the upcoming play-offs for the World Cup, Demiral said, "It doesn't matter who we face. What matters is our performance. I believe in this. We will play the first match at home. Hopefully, we will play the second match at home as well. It doesn't make a difference for the opponent; it's not very important. If we show the necessary performance and dedication, hopefully we will carry our country to the World Cup."

Emphasizing that the technical staff and players were very motivated for this match, the 27-year-old footballer stated, "Both the coach and the players, everyone was motivated for this match. We were aware of our talent. We needed to show that on the pitch. We had a very unfortunate result in the first match. Even though we conceded a goal in the early minutes today, we put the necessary character on the pitch. There may be shortcomings. There are 25 players who come to the national team. All of them are high quality. Some play, some don't, but everyone provides the necessary support. I think this is the most important thing. Because everyone is talented, everyone is a good footballer at their clubs. That's why they come to the national team by merit. If we put the necessary dedication and character on the pitch, there is no team in the world we cannot beat. I believe in this," he expressed.

When reminded that they played with a 3-man defense against Spain, Merih Demiral said, "Sometimes we play with 3. It changes according to the coach's discretion. It doesn't make a difference for us. Of course, this is a secret weapon; we play like this against some teams."

Finally, regarding the World Cup, Demiral concluded his words by saying, "Our nation wants it very much, and we want it very much too. Hopefully, we will reflect the necessary fight and self-confidence on the pitch in March as well. We will be at the World Cup, I believe in this with all my heart."