Turkey defeats Romania, advances to play-off final: One step away from the World Cup
The National Team defeated Romania 1-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers play-off semi-final to reach the final.
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Our National Team's goal was scored by Ferdi Kadıoğlu in the 53rd minute.
Scoring his first official goal in a National Team jersey against Romania, Ferdi Kadıoğlu converted Turkey's first shot on target in the match.
Turkey will face the winner of the Slovakia-Kosovo match in the play-off final on March 31, away from home.
If the National Team wins the final, they will qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 24 years.
Key absences
Merih Demiral and Zeki Çelik, who were called up to the preliminary squad for the National Team's play-off matches, were unable to join the team due to injuries.
In addition to these players, Muhammed Şengezer, Ahmetcan Kaplan, Mustafa Eskihellaç, and Semih Kılıçsoy were not included in the match squad by the decision of the technical staff.
Before the match, the Turkish Football Federation placed Turkish flags on the seats at Tüpraş Stadium.
Fans who took their places in the stands to support the National Football Team waved flags and sang along to anthems before the match.