Turkey national under-21 football team
The Turkey national Under-21 football team, also known as Turkey Under-21s or Turkey U-21s, is the Under-21 years of age team of the Turkey national football team.
History
This team is for Turkish players aged 21 or under at the start of a two-year UEFA European Under-21 Championship campaign, so players can be, and often are, up to 23 years old. Also in existence are teams for Under-20s, Under-19s and Under 17s. As long as they are eligible, players can play at any level, making it possible to play for the U-21s, senior side and again for the U-21s, as Oğuzhan Özyakup has done recently. It is also possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior level.Competitive Record
UEFA Under-23 Qualification
| # | Year | M | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 1 | 1972 UEFA European Under-23 Championship | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | -8 |
| 2 | 1974 UEFA European Under-23 Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 |
| 3 | 1976 UEFA European Under-23 Championship | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 |
| Total | 3/3 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 16 | -13 |
UEFA Under-21 Qualification
[Toulon Tournament]
- 2002 Toulon Tournament - 8th place
- 2004 Toulon Tournament - 7th place
- 2008 Toulon Tournament - 6th place
- 2012 Toulon Tournament - 2nd place
- 2018 Toulon Tournament - 3rd place
Players
Current squad
The following players were called up for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Ukraine and Lithuania on 14 and 18 November 2025, respectively.Caps and goals updated as of 8 June 2025, after the match against Albania.
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still eligible to represent.- SEN = Player have been called up to the senior team.
- INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury.
Player records
Most appearances
The following is the top 10 most capped under-21 players:| Rank | Name | Period | Caps | Goals |
| 1 | Berkant Göktan | 29 | 10 | |
| 1 | Kemal Aslan | 29 | 5 | |
| 3 | Serkan Aykut | 24 | 12 | |
| 3 | Erhan Albayrak | 24 | 7 | |
| 3 | Nihat Kahveci | 24 | 1 | |
| 3 | Feti Okuroğlu | 24 | 0 | |
| 7 | Serhat Akın | 23 | 12 | |
| 7 | Güngör Öztürk | 23 | 2 | |
| 9 | Mehmet Topuz | 22 | 2 | |
| 9 | Hüseyin Çimşir | 22 | 1 | |
| 9 | Ravil Tagir | 22 | 1 | |
| 9 | Metin Uzun | 22 | 1 | |
| 9 | Mehmet Nas | 22 | 0 | |
| 9 | Şenol Yavaş | 22 | 0 |
Top goalscorers
The following is the top 10 under-21 players goalscorers| Rank | Player | Period | Goals | Caps | Ratio |
| 1 | Serhat Akın | 12 | 23 | ||
| 1 | Serkan Aykut | 12 | 24 | ||
| 3 | Tuncay Şanlı | 10 | 14 | ||
| 3 | Berkant Göktan | 10 | 29 | ||
| 5 | Oktay Derelioğlu | 9 | 14 | ||
| 6 | Halil Dervişoğlu | 8 | 11 | ||
| 7 | Bertuğ Yıldırım | 7 | 11 | ||
| 7 | Erhan Albayrak | 7 | 24 | ||
| 9 | Semih Kılıçsoy | 6 | 9 | ||
| 9 | Bülent Uygun | 6 | 14 | ||
| 9 | Mustafa Özkan | 6 | 15 | ||
| 9 | Emrah Başsan | 6 | 17 | ||
| 9 | Enis Destan | 6 | 21 | ||
| 9 | Semih Şentürk | 6 | 21 |
Former squads
- 2000 [UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squads#Turkey|2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squads – Turkey]
Former players
- Abdullah Ercan
- Alpay Özalan
- Arda Turan
- Arif Erdem
- Berkant Göktan
- Bülent Korkmaz
- Colin Kazim-Richards
- Emre Aşık
- Emre Belözoğlu
- Fatih Terim
- Gökhan Töre
- Gökhan Zan
- Hakan Şükür
- Halil Altıntop
- Mehmet Topal
- Mehmet Topuz
- Nihat Kahveci
- Necati Ateş
- Nuri Şahin
- Okan Buruk
- Saffet Sancaklı
- Semih Şentürk
- Sergen Yalçın
- Tuncay Şanlı
- Ümit Özat
- Volkan Demirel
- Yıldıray Baştürk
Former Coaches
- 1957–1959: Şeref Görkey
- 1960–1962: Şeref Görkey
- 1976–1977: Candan Tarhan
- 1981–1982: Şeref Görkey
- 1984–1984: Yılmaz Gökdel
- 1990–1993: Fatih Terim
- 1993–1996: Erdoğan Arıca
- 1996–1998: Rıza Çalımbay
- 1998–2005: Raşit Çetiner
- 2005–2006: Reha Kapsal
- 2006–2006: Tolunay Kafkas
- 2006–2007: Ünal Karaman
- 2007–2008: Ümit Davala
- 2008–2010: Hami Mandıralı
- 2010–2012: Raşit Çetiner
- 2013–2018: Abdullah Ercan
- 2018–2018: Alpay Özalan
- 2018–2020: Vedat İnceefe
- 2020–2023: Tolunay Kafkas
- 2023–2024: Levent Sürme
- 2024–present Gökhan Gönül