13.06.2026 07:20
Vincenzo Montella, head coach of the Turkish National Football Team, stated that they will face Australia in the first match of Group D of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and expressed excitement for this long-awaited match after 24 years, believing they will deliver a strong performance.
National Football Team Head Coach Vincenzo Montella said: "This is a match we have been waiting for a long time, 24 years. We are very excited. We believe we will deliver a good performance. We want to feel proud and make proud from the work we do."
The National Football Team will face Australia in the first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D tomorrow at 07:00 TSİ. Before the match, National Football Team Head Coach Vincenzo Montella held a press conference at the BC Palace Stadium where the match will be played. Expressing his excitement for tomorrow's match, Montella said: "This is a match we have been waiting for a long time, 24 years. We are very excited. We believe we will deliver a good performance. We are aware of the challenges we will face. We want to enjoy this. We want to feel proud and make proud from the work we do."
"WE ARE PREPARED FOR ALL CONDITIONS" Stating that he expects a tough match like in Kosovo, the experienced coach said: "I have great respect for Australia. I watched their matches. We saw that they are very accustomed to playing in the World Cup, they are a balanced team, and they are physical. We have been involved in the game with these forwards for a long time. Speed can be a challenge for them. I also expect a tough match. Just like in Kosovo. We are prepared for all conditions. We have faced tough matches before. It will be very close. Whoever is talented will make the difference."
"WE BELIEVE WE WILL DELIVER A GOOD GAME" The Italian coach, stating that they believe they will play a good game, continued his words as follows:
"I wanted all players to join the team. The level of the football we play needs to be improved further, and this will start from tomorrow. We believe we will deliver a good game. We know there are many challenges we need to overcome. We also need to be very balanced. We need to be mentally balanced and mentally prepared for all kinds of difficulties."
"WE NEED TO MAKE THE RIGHT MOVES" Speaking about players returning from injury, Vincenzo Montella said: "There are specific things we need to do in every match. We need to prepare depending on how we will play and, of course, based on the characteristics of the opposing team. We have worked on this. We have always taken this into account. We have worked very hard. I know our opponent has also worked hard. We need to make the right moves. All players are playing through some difficulties. Arda, Hakan, and Kenan, as many minutes as they can get in a 100-minute match, hopefully they can, but I don't think they can play the full 100 minutes. I have a few question marks about that."
"THE FIRST MATCH IS IMPORTANT" Pointing out that first matches in organizations like the World Cup are very important, Montella said: "I think the group is extremely balanced. All four teams hope to advance from the group. We believe we will do a good job. We will do our best. The first match is important. You can get important points in later matches, but I think the first match will be decisive. I think it will give our team a very good position in the future."
"I FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN ADOPTED" Saying he feels at home, Montella said: "I feel responsibility. We need to do our best. I feel like I have been adopted. I feel like I am at home. I am passionately committed to my team. Even if they say good things on social media, I don't follow it. I might also receive bad criticism. This is part of my job, I have to do it."
"TALENT CAN BE DECISIVE FOR THIS MATCH" Stating that Australia is physically strong and mentally resilient, the experienced coach said:
"Talent can be decisive for this match. Australia is very strong and mentally very resilient. They can play a compact game patiently. We need to avoid these traps because the opponent feeds on counterattacks. We need to prevent them. We need to play our team game very well."
"WE NEED TO CONTINUE AS WE HAVE COME SO FAR" Stating that he tells his players they need to play their own game and be relaxed, Vincenzo Montella said: "We have a passionate team. We feel the responsibilities. We know that millions support us. We know there are expectations. When talking to my players, I always said that we need to play our own game and they need to be relaxed. We need to continue as we have come so far."
Saying that Turkish fans welcomed them very well in Vancouver, Montella said:
"We felt at home. There were many Turkish fans. Thank you for being with us. We always see them at the hotel. Vancouver is a very beautiful city. We had a very nice encounter. I am here for the first time. It's a very nice field and stadium. All conditions are right for us to start well. We will not be hasty. We will put forward our own game patiently."
"WE TOLD THEM WE NEED TO PLAY OUR OWN FOOTBALL" Stating that he told the players they need to play their own football, Montella said: "I also read such comments in newspapers. They said correct things too. We haven't played in the World Cup for 24 years, they have been in 6 tournaments. They are very experienced, but they are all experienced in the same way. Of course, we are under pressure. We can manage this. We have players who have played under pressure in big European matches and also under serious pressure in Turkey. I tell our players: Not being able to qualify for 24 years was beyond our responsibility; you showed the success of qualifying after 24 years, you should be proud of this. We said we need to play our own football."
Pointing out that conditions were more comfortable at the 2024 European Championship, the Italian coach said: "Everything was very easy in Germany. Our place was very good. Our hotel, everything belonged to us. Travel times were at most 2 hours. The situation is very different here. We need to adapt to this. It is not easy for people my age to get used to these times. We are going between very large countries. We need to adapt. It is not a situation we can change."
"AUSTRALIA IS A VERY FAST TEAM" Emphasizing Australia's speed, Montella said: "Australia, as a whole, is a very fast team."'They have very good players. They have very fast players up front. They have game plans. I believe we need to play our own game without giving them too many chances,' he said.
'WATER BREAKS FEEL LIKE AN EXTRA TIME-OUT' Speaking about the water breaks given during matches, Montella said, 'I've watched some matches. I'm most interested in the USA – Paraguay match, but I'm here now. Water breaks feel like an extra time-out. It's an opportunity to talk to the team. Using these breaks could be a good opportunity.'
'WE WANT THE TURKISH PEOPLE TO BE PROUD OF US' National Football Team Head Coach Vincenzo Montella concluded his remarks with the following statements:
'We want the Turkish people to be proud of us. We want to fulfill their expectations. I want to play our game in a strong, brave, and passionate way. We have many supporters. When we succeed, we will make our fans very happy. There will be fewer supporters here. In Germany, we played like we were at home because there were many of our people living there. I don't know what the numbers will be like here, but I'm sure they will support us. They've been with us since we arrived and have given great support.'"}