Football is the most popular sport in Turkey, followed by basketball, tracing its roots to the Ottoman Empire.[1] The first matches were played in Ottoman Salonica in 1875. The sport was introduced by English residents.[2] The Turkish football league system comprises five professional leagues, one of which is dedicated to female athletes.
The Süper Lig (Super League) is the top division in Turkey since 1959. The league contains 18 clubs. The champions used to receive an automatic berth in the group stage of the European Champions League until the 2020/2021 season. Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, and Trabzonspor are the most successful Turkish clubs that participate in the competition, having won the most titles so far. Galatasaray have won the highest number of Süper Lig trophies (the club won more Süper Lig and Turkish Cup trophies than any other team).
The league ushered in clubs from all over Turkey to compete with each other. Currently, clubs finishing in the top four places in the league enter qualifying rounds of European competitions, and the winners of the Turkish Cup, if not one of the top four, are also given a spot. The three teams with the fewest points each season are relegated to the TFF First League. The top two teams are nominated for the UEFA Champions League while the 3rd and 4th placed clubs are nominated for the UEFA Europa League.
The most popular Süper Lig clubs on X as of 11 September 2023:[3]
Clubs in the Turkish football league system do not have reserve teams with the exception of Genclerbirligi and Altinordu. Hacettepe SK is the reserve side of Genclerbirligi, and Nigde Anadolu FK is of Altinordu. Other clubs have U21 and U18 teams which compete outside the main league system.
Amateur football
Below the four professional leagues in Turkish football are amateur leagues. Amateur football clubs include:
The two major cup competitions are the Turkish Cup and Turkish Super Cup. The Turkish Cup includes clubs from every division. The Super Cup is an annual match held between the winners of the Süper Lig and Turkish Cup.
If the winner is already guaranteed a place in Europe, the highest ranked club in Süper Lig which did not qualify to UEFA Champions League will replace them.
UEFA Europa League
Süper Lig club with the best UEFA Fair Play ranking that has not already qualified for Europe, but only if Turkey has the best fair play ranking or has a fair play score of above 8 and is one of the two countries drawn out of the hat
In addition, once in a European competition, it becomes possible to qualify for others:
All the losers of the Champions League third qualifying round go forward to the UEFA Europa League Play-off round
All the losers of the Champions League play-off round go forward to the UEFA Europa League group stage
Any clubs playing in the Champions League that finish third in the group stage go into the UEFA Europa League round of 32
‡ Galatasaray was one of the eight teams in the group stage of the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, however, UEFA does not consider this a quarter-final participation.
The Turkey national team made its debut on October 26, 1923. The match ended in a 2–2 draw against the Romania. Turkey have qualified for the FIFA World Cup twice: 1954 and 2002. Their longest duration of competing for the Cup was coming third in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Turkey also finished third in the 2003 Confederations Cup, reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008 and played in the quarter-finals of Euro 2000.[12][13][14][15][16]
The Süper Lig, officially known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the Turkish Football Federation. In the 2023 to 2024 season, twenty clubs compete, where a champion is decided and three clubs are promoted from, and another three relegated to the 1. Lig. The season runs from August to May, with each club playing 38 matches. Matches are played Friday through Monday.
Emre Aşık is a Turkish former international footballer. He played centre-back for several clubs in the Turkish Süper Lig, most notably, Galatasaray. Aşık began his career with Sönmez Filamentspor in the TFF Third League, and also played for Balıkesirspor, Fenerbahçe, İstanbulspor and Beşiktaş; he is one of thirteen footballers who has played for both Galatasaray and Beşiktaş.
The Turkish Super Cup, as it is currently known, is the annual super cup football match contested between the previous season's Süper Lig champions and the Turkish Cup winners in Turkey. It was originally known as the Cumhurbaşkanlığı Kupası from 1966 to 1998. No competition was held between 1999 and 2005, although there was a substitute competition played under the name of Atatürk Cup in 2000. The rebranded TFF Süper Kupa is a curtain raiser for the upcoming footballing season, usually taking place in August. In case of a team achieving the double, the Turkish Cup runners-up become finalists.
Burak Yılmaz is a Turkish professional football coach and former player who played as a forward. He is the current head coach of Süper Lig club Kayserispor.
The 2007–08 Süper Lig season,, was the 50th anniversary of top-flight professional football in Turkey. It was won by Galatasaray, who won their 17th championship.
Batuhan Karadeniz is a Turkish professional footballer.
Selçuk İnan is a Turkish football coach and former professional footballer who's the current manager of Süper Lig side Gaziantep.
The 2008–09 Süper Lig was the fifty-first season since its establishment. It began on 22 August 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009. Galatasaray were the defending champions.
The 2009–10 Süper Lig was the 52nd season since its establishment. The season commenced on 7 August 2009 with Istanbul B.B. hosting defending champions Beşiktaş at Atatürk Olympic Stadium. The last matches were played on 16 May 2010.
The 2009–10 season was the 106th year of Beşiktaş' existence, as well as its 50th season in the Süper Lig. The club also competed in the Turkish Cup and UEFA Champions League. Beşiktaş entered the season as the defending champion of both the Süper Lig and the Turkish Cup. During the pre-season, the club also participated in the Peace Cup, finishing second in their group behind Porto and ahead of Lyon.
This page details football records and statistics in Turkey.
The 2009–10 season was the 105th season of competitive football in Turkey.
The 2010–11 season was the 106th season of competitive football in Turkey.
The 2011–12 Süper Lig was the 54th season of the Süper Lig, the top level football league of Turkey. Fenerbahçe were the defending champions. The start date of the league was due to be 7 August 2011, but due to the match fixing scandal in Turkey it began instead on 9 September 2011 and was concluded on 12 May 2012. Galatasaray won their 18th title. A new format was introduced this season, in which after the regular season two play-off groups were played to decide over the Champions League and Europa League starting rounds. Points of the regular season were halved for ranking in those.
The 2011–12 season was Galatasaray's 108th in existence and the club's 54th consecutive season in the Süper Lig. This article shows statistics of the club's players in the season, and also lists all matches that the club played in during the season.
The 2011–12 season was Fenerbahçe's 54th consecutive season in the Süper Lig and their 105th year in existence.
2011–12 Turkish Cup was the 50th season of the Turkish Cup, won by Fenerbahçe. Ziraat Bankası was the sponsor of the tournament, thus the sponsored name was Ziraat Turkish Cup. The tournament began with first qualifying round matches played on 7 December 2011, and concluded at the 16 May 2012 final. As winners Fenerbahçe already secured a berth in 2012–13 UEFA Champions League through league position, the runners-up Bursaspor will enter 2012–13 UEFA Europa League in second qualifying round. By winning the cup, Fenerbahçe qualified for the 2012 Turkish Super Cup.
The 2014–15 Turkish Cup is the 53rd season of the Turkish Cup. Ziraat Bankası is the sponsor of the tournament, thus the sponsored name is Ziraat Turkish Cup. The winners will earn a berth in the group stage of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, and also qualify for the 2015 Turkish Super Cup.
The Papara Park, officially known as the Şenol Güneş Spor Complex Papara Park, is a stadium located in Trabzon, Turkey. It opened to public on 18 December 2016 and has a capacity of 40,782 spectators.
Turkish football clubs have participated in European football competitions since 1956, when Galatasaray took part in the European Cup. In total, 33 Turkish clubs have participated in European competitions to date. The greatest success was achieved when Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2000.
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