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Football in Turkey#A2 leagues

{{Short description|none}}

{{Infobox sport overview

| boxwidth = 250

| title = Football in Turkey

| image = File:Atatürk_Olimpiyat.jpg

| imagesize = 240px

| image_alt =

| caption = Atatürk Olympic Stadium has a capacity of 74,753 spectators.

| union = TFF

| country = Turkey

| sport = association football

| noncountry =

| teamlabel1 =

| nationalteam = Turkey

| teamlabel2 =

| repteam =

| nickname =

| first = {{start date and age|1898}}

| registered =

| clubs =

| national_list = {{unbulleted list|{{align|center|Leagues}}|{{unbulleted list|Men's:|{{unbulleted list|Süper Lig|TFF First League|TFF Second League|TFF Third League}}|Women's:{{unbulleted list|Women's Super League|Women's First League|Women's Second League|Women's Third League}}|{{align|center|Cups}}|{{unbulleted list|Turkish Cup|Turkish Super Cup}}}}}}

| club_list =

| intl_list = {{unbulleted list|{{align|center|Club}}|{{Unbulleted list|Men's:|FIFA Club World Cup|UEFA Champions League|UEFA Europa League|UEFA Conference League|UEFA Super Cup}}|{{unbulleted list|Women's:|UEFA Women's Champions League}}|{{align|center|National team}}|{{Unbulleted list|{{Unbulleted list|Men's:|FIFA World Cup|UEFA European Championship|UEFA Nations League}}|Women's:|FIFA Women's World Cup|UEFA Women's Championship|UEFA Women's Nations League}}}}

| match =

| league =

}}

Image:Galatasaray Arena North-West Corner.jpg is home stadium of club Galatasaray.]]

Football is the most popular sport in Turkey, followed by basketball, tracing its roots to the Ottoman Empire.{{cite web|url=http://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/aslan-amani/football-in-turkey-force-for-liberalisation-and-modernity |title=Football in Turkey: A force for liberalisation and modernity? |author=Aslan Amani |publisher=openDemocracy |date=2013-07-19 |access-date=2014-06-24}} The first matches were played in Ottoman Salonica in 1875. The sport was introduced by English residents.{{cite web|url=https://www.angelfire.com/nj/sivritepe/5758/tl.html|title=Before the national Turkish leagues|publisher=Erdinç Sivritepe|access-date=15 September 2018}} The Turkish football league system comprises five professional leagues, one of which is dedicated to female athletes.

History

{{details|History of Turkish football}}

League system

{{main|Turkish football league system}}

=Süper Lig=

{{main|Süper Lig}}

The Süper Lig (Super League) is the top division in Turkey since 1959. There are 18 clubs in the league (as of 2025–26 season). 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. Each season, the four teams with the least points are relegated to the TFF First League. A total of 75 clubs have competed in the Süper Lig, but only six clubs have been champions so far: Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, Trabzonspor, Başakşehir and Bursaspor. Galatasaray has won the most Süper Lig trophies with 25 trophies (the club has also won more Turkish Cups and Turkish Super Cups than any other team).

The most popular Süper Lig clubs on X as of 6 May 2025:

{{row counter|

class{{=}}"wikitable sortable"

!#!!Football club!!City!!Followers

style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_countGalatasarayIstanbul16.2 million
style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_countFenerbahçeIstanbul13.7 million
style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_countBeşiktaşIstanbul6.2 million
style{{=}}"text-align:center;"| _row_countTrabzonsporTrabzon2.1 million
}}

=Reserve leagues=

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:

  • Seniors’ First Amateur League: 2145 clubs
  • Seniors’ Second Amateur League: 1743 clubs
  • Seniors’ Third Amateur League: 1 club
  • Women's League: 9 clubs
  • Juniors’ First Amateur League: 27 clubs
  • Juniors’ Second Amateur League: 100 clubs
  • Juniorsclubs
  • Antalya: 10 clubs
  • Bursa: 16 clubs
  • Istanbul: 18 clubs
  • İzmir: 12 clubs
  • Diyarbakır: 7 clubs
  • Trabzon: 13 clubs
  • Samsun: 10 clubs

Amateur clubs are put into leagues included in the Amateur League system and are eligible for promotion to the Turkish Third League.

Largest football stadiums in Turkey

class="wikitable sortable"

!#!!Image!!Stadium!!Capacity!!City!!Home team(s)!!Opened

style="text-align:center;"|1150pxAtatürk Olympic Stadiumstyle="text-align:center;"| 74,753{{Cite web |url=http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=394&stadID=110 |title=Stat Arama Detay TFF |access-date=2012-04-23 |archive-date=2019-01-31 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190131175826/http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=394&stadID=110 |url-status=live }}rowspan=2|IstanbulTurkeystyle="text-align:center;"| 2002
style="text-align:center;"|2150pxAli Sami Yen Spor Kompleksistyle="text-align:center;"| 53,978{{Cite web |url=https://www.galatasaray.org/s/ali-sami-yen-sk-turk-telekom-arena/60 |title=Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi Nef Stadyumu - GALATASARAY.ORG |access-date=2021-10-21 |archive-date=2021-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021124935/https://www.galatasaray.org/s/ali-sami-yen-sk-turk-telekom-arena/60 |url-status=live }}Galatasaray SKstyle="text-align:center;"| 2011
style="text-align:center;"|3150pxİzmir Atatürk Stadiumstyle="text-align:center;"| 51,337{{Cite web |url=http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=394&stadID=118 |title=Stat Arama Detay TFF |access-date=2012-04-23 |archive-date=2019-01-31 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190131180146/http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=394&stadID=118 |url-status=live }}İzmirKarşıyaka SKstyle="text-align:center;"| 1971
style="text-align:center;"|4150pxŞükrü Saracoğlu Stadiumstyle="text-align:center;"| 47,430{{Cite web |url=https://www.fenerbahce.org/kulup/tesislerimiz/ulker-stadyumu-fenerbahce-sukru-saracoglu-spor-kompleksi |title=Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi - Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü |access-date=2021-10-21 |archive-date=2021-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121215106/https://www.fenerbahce.org/kulup/tesislerimiz/ulker-stadyumu-fenerbahce-sukru-saracoglu-spor-kompleksi |url-status=live }}Istanbul Fenerbahçe SKstyle="text-align:center;"| 1908
style="text-align:center;"|5150pxBursa Metropolitan Municipality Stadiumstyle="text-align:center;"| 43,361{{Cite web |url=http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=394&stadID=6070 |title=Stat Arama Detay TFF |access-date=2016-01-16 |archive-date=2018-07-01 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180701075456/http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=394&stadID=6070 |url-status=live }}BursaBursasporstyle="text-align:center;"| 2015
style="text-align:center;"|6150pxBeşiktaş Stadiumstyle="text-align:center;"|42,590{{Cite web |url=http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=394&stadID=6097 |title=Stat Arama Detay TFF |access-date=2016-08-28 |archive-date=2018-07-01 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180701075914/http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=394&stadID=6097 |url-status=live }}IstanbulBeşiktaş JKstyle="text-align:center;"|2016
style="text-align:center;"|7150pxKonya Metropolitan Municipality Stadiumstyle="text-align:center;"| 42,000{{Cite web |url=http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=394&stadID=5754 |title=Stat Arama Detay TFF |access-date=2015-12-27 |archive-date=2018-07-01 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180701075448/http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=394&stadID=5754 |url-status=live }}Konya Konyasporstyle="text-align:center;"| 2014
style="text-align:center;" |8150pxŞenol Güneş Sports Complexstyle="text-align:center;" | 40,782{{Cite web |url=http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=394&stadID=6219 |title=Stat Arama Detay TFF |access-date=2018-11-08 |archive-date=2019-01-31 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190131180444/http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=394&stadID=6219 |url-status=live }}TrabzonTrabzonsporstyle="text-align:center;" | 2017
style="text-align:center;" |9150pxKocaeli Stadiumstyle="text-align:center;" | 34,829İzmitKocaelisporstyle="text-align:center;" | 2018
style="text-align:center;" |10150pxSamsun 19 Mayıs Stadiumstyle="text-align:center;" | 33,919SamsunSamsunsporstyle="text-align:center;" | 2017

Cup competitions

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.

Now-defunct Turkish cup competitions include the Prime Minister's Cup, Atatürk Cup, Istanbul Football Cup and Spor Toto Cup.

Qualification for European competitions

{{Updated|2025-26 season}}

class="wikitable"
Competition

!Who Qualifies

!Notes

UEFA Champions League league phase

|Club finishing 1st in the Süper Lig

|

UEFA Champions League play-off round

|Club finishing 2nd in the Süper Lig

|

|UEFA Europa League second qualifying round

|Club finishing 3rd in the Süper Lig

|

UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round

|Club finishing 4th in the Süper Lig

|

|UEFA Europa League play-off round

|Winner of the 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.

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

European competition records

{{main|Turkish football clubs in European competitions}}

The following teams have made the last eight of European competitions:

=UEFA Super Cup=

=European Cup / UEFA Champions League=

‡ 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.

=UEFA Cup / Europa League=

= UEFA Europa Conference League =

=Inter-Cities Fairs Cup=

=Balkans Cup=

=UEFA Cup Winners Cup=

=UEFA Intertoto Cup=

Turkey national team

{{main|Turkey national football team}}

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.{{cite web|author=James Davis |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/apr/28/worldcupfootball2002.sport1 |title=Turkey's world challenge born in Germany |publisher=The Observer |date=2002-04-28 |access-date=2014-06-24}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/ozils-choice-is-germanys-gain-and-turkeys-loss |title=Ozil's choice is Germany's gain and Turkey's loss |author=Ian Hawkey |publisher=The National |date=2010-10-11 |access-date=2014-06-24}}{{cite web|last1=Flohr |first1=Markus |last2=Popp |first2=Maximilian |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/reverse-immigration-turkey-recruits-players-made-in-germany-a-717927.html |title=Reverse Immigration: Turkey Recruits Players 'Made in Germany' |publisher=Spiegel Online |date=2010-09-17 |access-date=2014-06-24}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2003/oct/07/newsstory.sport4|title=German foundation beneath Turkey's rise to greatness|first=Kevin|last=McCarra|date=7 October 2003|website=the Guardian}}{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/15/1084570999598.html?from=storylhs|title=Dawn of a new Turkish era - Soccer - www.theage.com.au|website=www.theage.com.au|date=16 May 2004 }} Turkey will host the UEFA Euro 2032 alongside Italy.

Women's football

{{main|Women's football in Turkey}}

Records

{{details|Football records in Turkey}}

Seasons

class="wikitable"
1900s:

|colspan=4|

|1904–05

|1905–06

|1906–07

|1907–08

|1908–09

|1909–10

1910s:

|1910–11

|1911–12

|1912–13

|1913–14

|1914–15

|1915–16

|1916–17

|1917–18

|1918–19

|1919–20

1920s:

|1920–21

|1921–22

|1922–23

|1923–24

|1924–25

|1925–26

|1926–27

|1927–28

|1928–29

|1929–30

1930s:

|1930–31

|1931–32

|1932–33

|1933–34

|1934–35

|1935–36

|1936–37

|1937–38

|1938–39

|1939–40

1940s:

|1940–41

|1941–42

|1942–43

|1943–44

|1944–45

|1945–46

|1946–47

|1947–48

|1948–49

|1949–50

1950s:

|1950–51

|1951–52

|1952–53

|1953–54

|1954–55

|1955–56

|1956–57

|1957–58

|1958–59

|1959–60

1960s:

|1960–61

|1961–62

|1962–63

|1963–64

|1964–65

|1965–66

|1966–67

|1967–68

|1968–69

|1969–70

1970s:

|1970–71

|1971–72

|1972–73

|1973–74

|1974–75

|1975–76

|1976–77

|1977–78

|1978–79

|1979–80

1980s:

|1980–81

|1981–82

|1982–83

|1983–84

|1984–85

|1985–86

|1986–87

|1987–88

|1988–89

|1989–90

1990s:

|1990–91

|1991–92

|1992–93

|1993–94

|1994–95

|1995–96

|1996–97

|1997–98

|1998–99

|1999–00

2000s:

|2000–01

|2001–02

|2002–03

|2003–04

|2004–05

|2005–06

|2006–07

|2007–08

|2008–09

|2009–10

2010s:

|2010–11

|2011–12

|2012–13

|2013–14

|2014–15

|2015–16

|2016–17

|2017–18

|2018–19

|2019–20

2020s:

|2020–21

|2021–22

|2022–23

|2023–24

|2024–25

|2025–26

|2026–27

|2027–28

|2028–29

|2029–30

See also

Notes

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.turkishfootballnews.com/ TurkishFootballNews.com - your source for the latest in Turkish football ]
  • [http://www.turkish-football.com/ Turkish soccer live scores and news and blog by Ahmet Bob Turgut ]
  • [http://www.amatorfutbol.org/ All of results in Turkish Football]

{{Football in Turkey}}

{{Football in Europe}}

{{Football in Asia}}