Preview: Australia vs Turkiye prediction, odds, where to watch, time | FIFA World Cup 2026

Can the Crescent Stars continue their unbeaten streak over the Socceroos even after 22 years?

Perched along the rugged coastline of Western Canada, the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Canada, gears up to host the opening matchweek fixture in Group D of the FIFA World Cup 2026, featuring 2002 World Cup bronze medallists Türkiye and former Asian Champions Australia.

The Socceroos will feature 17 tournament debutants in the FIFA World Cup 2026, and eight players in this team are aged 23 or younger. Australia have qualified for the FIFA World Cup in the last five editions, and in the last edition, they went on to shock the world by beating Denmark to make it to the Round of 16 before giving a tough contest to eventual champions Argentina.

They are led by Tony Popovic, who has previously won the AFC Champions League with Western Sydney Wanderers and the Australia Cup with Melbourne Victory. He took over the reins as Australia’s head coach in September 2024, and since then, he has won 10 out of 18 games.

G'Day Australia 😁 #FIFASeries pic.twitter.com/7bDIU7ApMl

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 27, 2026

Though Australia have been a regular starter, making it past the group stages in 2026 would be a herculean task after being placed alongside tough teams like Paraguay, USA and Turkiye.

The Crescent Stars shocked the footballing world when they defeated hosts Japan and Senegal to make it to their first-ever semi-finals in 2002 before defeating South Korea to win the bronze medal.

However, unfortunately, since that fairytale campaign in 2002, they have never made it to the World Cup, and the 2026 World Cup would mark their most anticipated return to the grandest footballing platform after a 24-year hiatus.

Turkiye also made it to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, and they are one of the serious contenders to top Group D. They have some of the most exciting young talents in world football. They are now led by Italian gaffer Vincenzo Montella, who has coached top teams like Fiorentina, AC Milan, Sevilla and AS Roma previously.

Kick-off:

• Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Stadium: Vancouver Stadium (BC Place)
• Date: Saturday, June 13 [Sunday, June 14 IST]
• Kick-off time: 5 a.m. BST [9:30 a.m. IST, Sunday, June 14 / 9 p.m. PDT, Saturday, June 13]
• Referee: TBD
• VAR: In use

Form:

Australia (in all competitions): L-L-W-W-L-D

Turkiye (in all competitions): W-D-W-W-W-W

Players to Watch

Harry Souttar (Australia)

One of the tallest outfield players in the FIFA World Cup 2026, Souttar, unlike his brother John, switched his allegiance from his birthplace, Scotland, to Australia after having previously played for the Scottish youth teams.

He was a rock-solid presence in the heart of Australian defence, who played a key role in closing tight games and narrow leads to propel Australia to the Round of 16 in Qatar. He is coming after an underwhelming season with Leicester after the Foxes got relegated to the third division.

Apart from just winning aerial duels, his towering presence in set pieces makes him a key asset for Popovic. He will be tasked with the responsibility of neutralising attacking threats from Turkish forwards.

Deniz Gul (Turkiye)

Born and brought up in Stockholm, Gul represented the Swedish youth teams before making a move to represent Turkiye internationally. He is 21 and an exceptional talent who plays for Portugal’s top division club FC Porto, where he has 8 goal contributions in over 40 games this season.

Montella heavily praised him after he seamlessly integrated into the Turkish squad’s tactical dynamics. Despite being over 6 feet, he has an excellent work ethic, and in the absence of Kenan Yildiz, he has a golden opportunity to make Türkiye’s return in the World Cup a memorable one.

He will be up against tall players like Souttar and the mighty Australians, who are defensively very difficult to break, but he has previously played in a top European league at an early age and accumulated massive experience.

Match Facts

• These two sides are set to lock horns for the first time in the FIFA World Cup
• Australia have never won a game against Türkiye
• These two sides will meet after a long interval of 22 years

Australia vs Turkiye: Betting Tips and Odds

• Turkiye to win the game – 8/11 with Betfred
• Deniz Gül to score – 15/8 with Betfred
• Australia 0-1 Turkiye – 11/2 with Betfred

Injury and Team News

Australia World Cup squad

The Socceroos have no injury concerns for the next game and Popovic can pick his best combination of players from a fully fit and available side.

Goalkeepers: Ryan (Levante), Izzo (Randers), Beach (Melbourne City).

Defenders: Behich (Melbourne City), Bos (Feynoord), Burgess (Swansea City), Circati (Parma), Degenek (APOEL), Geria (Albirex Niigata), Herrington (Colorado Rapids), Italiano (Grazer), Souttar (Leicester City), Trewin (New York City).

Midfielders: Devlin (Heart of Midlothian), Hrustic (Heracles Almelo), Irvine (St Pauli), Metcalfe (St Pauli), Okon-Englster (Sydney), O’Neill (New York City).

Forwards: Irankunda (Watford), Leckie (Melbourne City), Mabil (Castellon), Toure (Norwich City), Velupilly (Melbourne City), Volpato (Sassuolo), Yengi (Livingston/Machida Zelvia).

Turkiye World Cup squad

For Turkiye, Kenan Yildiz will most likely miss the next game due to a calf injury. Arda Guler, who got injured for Real Madrid during the business end is fully fit and is expected to start.

Goalkeepers: Ugurcan Cakir (Galatasaray), Altay Bayindir (Manchester United), Mert Gunok (Besiktas)

Defenders: Ferdi Kadioglu (Brighton), Merih Demiral (Al Ahli), Zeki Celik (Roma), Ozan Kabak (Hoffenheim), Mert Muldur (Fenerbahce), Abdulkerim Bardakci (Galatasaray), Eren Elmali (Galatasaray), Caglar Soyuncu (Fenerbahce), Samet Akaydin (Rizespor)

Midfielders: Arda Guler (Real Madrid), Can Uzun (Eintracht Frankfurt), Orkun Kokcu (Besiktas), Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter), Ismail Yuksek (Fenerbahce), Kaan Ayhan (Galatasaray), Salih Ozcan (Borussia Dortmund)

Forwards: Kenan Yildiz (Juventus), Baris Alper Yilmaz (Galatasaray), Kerem Akturkoglu (Fenerbahce), Yunus Akgun (Galatasaray), Oguz Aydin (Fenerbahce), Deniz Gul (Porto), Irfan Can Kahveci (Fenerbahce)

Also Read: FIFA World Cup 2026 Full Fixtures, Schedule, Results, Match Timings & Where to Watch

Head-to-Head

Total games: 02

Australia won: 00

Turkiye won: 02

Matches drawn: 00

Predicted Lineups

Australia predicted lineup (5-4-1)

Mathew Ryan (GK); Jacob Italiano, Lucas Herrington, Harry Souttar, Alessandro Circati, Jordan Bos; Mathew Leckie, Aiden O’Neill, Jackson Irvine, Connor Metcalfe; Mohamed Toure

Turkiye predicted lineup (4-2-3-1)

Uğurcan Çakır (GK); Zeki Çelik, Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Merih Demiral, Eren Elmalı; İsmail Yüksek, Hakan Çalhanoğlu; Barış Alper Yılmaz, Orkun Kökçü, Arda Güler; Deniz Gül

Match Prediction

Despite Australia featuring regularly in the last five World Cups, Turkey has an upper hand in this fixture. They are a solid side on paper, and their recent form includes only wins. It won’t be easy to break the Australian defence, though, but we predict a narrow win for Turkiye.

Prediction: Australia 0-1 Turkiye

Telecast Details

India: Unite8 Sports Channels, ZEE5, Doordarshan

UK: BBC & ITV

USA: FOX Sports

Nigeria: DStv, GOtv

Full Broadcaster List here.

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