Hakan Çalhanoğlu said Turkey are ready for their first 2026 FIFA World Cup test and will not lean on the hot weather as an excuse when they face Australia. Speaking before the match, he said the squad has waited a long time for this moment and wants to put its own game on the field.
The timing matters because Turkey is heading into its opening World Cup game with expectation and pressure already built in. Çalhanoğlu said the preparation period has been productive, and the message from the camp was simple: the team wants a positive result, not a list of reasons if one does not come.
Australia, in Turkey’s reading, is not a side to be measured only by name. Çalhanoğlu described it as physically strong, effective on set pieces and dangerous when it sits deep and looks to break quickly. He said Turkey has the speed, dynamism and individual quality to answer that style, and that the team’s own strength is worth trusting on the field.
That confidence is also tied to the argument from the other side. Australia has been presented as the more experienced team, but Çalhanoğlu said that kind of talk has only sharpened Turkey’s focus. He pointed out that Turkey has many players in top leagues and big clubs, and said the team will use creative players such as Arda Güler and Orkun Kökçü, along with players who are strong in the air, to match the demands of the match.
Ozan Kabak added the most concrete detail about how Turkey has been built for the game. He said the team has been in camp for 3 weeks, has completed its analysis and knows exactly what it will do on the pitch. Kabak also called Australia a physically strong side, which fits the broader picture: Turkey has spent the buildup trying to prepare for force, discipline and dead-ball danger without losing the confidence that brought it here.
Vincenzo Montella now faces the practical question behind all of those comments: how much to adjust for an opponent that can turn the match into a battle for second balls and set pieces. Turkey has made clear it wants to play its own game, but the first answer will come only when the whistle blows. For Kabak and Çalhanoğlu, the next step is no longer preparation. It is showing that the plan works when the tournament starts for real.
