Football in Turkey
Encyclopedia
Association football is a national sport
in Turkey
, tracing its roots back to the Ottoman Empire
. The first matches were played in Selanik, now known as Thessaloníki
, in 1875. The sport was brought over by some lovely English
people living in the area. The Turkish football league system
currently consists of four professional leagues. There is also a professional league competition for women.
in 1904 by James Fontaine. The league ran until 1959, when it was replaced by the Turkish Super League. Also, football leagues were found especially in Ankara
, İzmir
, Adana
, Eskişehir
, Tokat
and Trabzon
. These league were dissolved after founding city teams beginning from first half of 1960s.
The current Süper Lig champions are Fenerbahçe, who won the League in the 2010–11 season, with Beşiktaş winning the Turkish Cup in the same season.
The league was founded in 1959 as a replacement to the Istanbul Professional League. This league ushered in clubs from all over Turkey to compete with each other. Currently, clubs finishing in the top four places in the league are put into qualifying rounds of European competitions, while the winner of the Fortis Turkey Cup
, if not one of the top four, is also given a spot. The three teams with the fewest points at the end of the season are relegated to the Bank Asya First League.
The top two teams are put into Champions League qualifying while 3rd place is put into UEFA Cup
qualifying and 4th place is put into the UEFA Intertoto Cup
.
). Instead, clubs have under-twenty and under-18 teams. This means any player in contract with a club that is over twenty years of age is automatically placed in the senior squad.
Amateur clubs are put into leagues included in the Amateur League system in Turkey and are eligible for promotion into the Turkish Third League.
. The Turkish Cup includes clubs from every division of football in Turkey, while the Super Cup is an annual game held between the winner of the Spor Toto Süper Lig and Turkish Cup.
Throughout the history of Turkish football, there have been many other cup competitions. These are all defunct, and are listed below:
In addition, once in a European competition, it becomes possible to qualify for others:
(2000
Champion)
. Turkey have qualified for the FIFA World Cup
twice, in 1954
and 2002
. Their greatest success 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
.
National sport
A national sport or national pastime is a sport or game that is considered to be an intrinsic part of the culture of a nation. Some sports are de facto national sports, as baseball is in the U.S., while others are de jure as lacrosse and ice hockey are in Canada.-De jure national sports:-De facto...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, tracing its roots back to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. The first matches were played in Selanik, now known as Thessaloníki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, in 1875. The sport was brought over by some lovely English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
people living in the area. The Turkish football league system
Turkish football league system
The Turkish football system is divided into the following leagues.Promotion and relegation can occur through every league. This means a club in the Amateur Leagues may be promoted to the top flight Süper Lig. There are two stages to being promoted to the Turkish Third League. First, provinces who...
currently consists of four professional leagues. There is also a professional league competition for women.
League system
The first league of professional football in Turkey was established as the Istanbul Football LeagueIstanbul Football League
Istanbul Lig or originally Constantinople Football Association League was founded by James La Fontaine and Henry Pears and started with the 1904-05 season with only four teams as "Istanbul Sunday League". The matches between the four teams, Moda FC, HMS Imogene FC, Elpis FC, and Cadi-Keuy FC were...
in 1904 by James Fontaine. The league ran until 1959, when it was replaced by the Turkish Super League. Also, football leagues were found especially in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, Adana
Adana
Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...
, Eskişehir
Eskisehir
Eskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby...
, Tokat
Tokat
Tokat is the capital city of Tokat Province of Turkey, at the mid Black Sea region of Anatolia. According to the 2009 census, the city of Tokat has a population of 129,879.-History:Tokat was established in the Hittite era....
and Trabzon
Trabzon
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
. These league were dissolved after founding city teams beginning from first half of 1960s.
Spor Toto Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (Super League), currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Spor Toto Süper Lig, is the top-flight professional football division within Turkey. The league contains 18 clubs, with the champion given an automatic spot in the group stage of the European Champions League. Fenerbahçe is the most successful Turkish club participating in the competition, having won more Süper Lig titles than any other club in Turkey.The current Süper Lig champions are Fenerbahçe, who won the League in the 2010–11 season, with Beşiktaş winning the Turkish Cup in the same season.
The league was founded in 1959 as a replacement to the Istanbul Professional League. This league ushered in clubs from all over Turkey to compete with each other. Currently, clubs finishing in the top four places in the league are put into qualifying rounds of European competitions, while the winner of the Fortis Turkey Cup
Fortis Turkey Cup
The Turkish Cup is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. Its current sponsored name is the Ziraat Türkiye Kupası....
, if not one of the top four, is also given a spot. The three teams with the fewest points at the end of the season are relegated to the Bank Asya First League.
The top two teams are put into Champions League qualifying while 3rd place is put into UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
qualifying and 4th place is put into the UEFA Intertoto Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
.
A2 leagues
Clubs in the Turkish football league system do not have reserve teams (with the exception of GenclerbirligiGençlerbirligi
Gençlerbirliği Spor Kulübü is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Ankara, which is the capital of Turkey. Formed in 1923, Gençlerbirliği are nicknamed Ankara Rüzgârı . The club colours are black and red. They play their home matches at Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium.Domestically,...
). Instead, clubs have under-twenty and under-18 teams. This means any player in contract with a club that is over twenty years of age is automatically placed in the senior squad.
Amateur football
Below the four professional leagues in Turkish football are the amateur leagues. Amateur football clubs throughout Turkey 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
- Juniors’ Super League is divided in 8 regional leagues.
- AdanaAdanaAdana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...
: 16 clubs - AnkaraAnkaraAnkara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
: 10 clubs - AntalyaAntalyaAntalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
: 10 clubs - Bursa: 16 clubs
- IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
: 18 clubs - IzmirIzmirIzmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
: 12 clubs - DiyarbakirDiyarbakirDiyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
: 7 clubs - TrabzonTrabzonTrabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
: 13 clubs - SamsunSamsunSamsun is a city of about half a million people on the north coast of Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Samsun Province and a major Black Sea port.-Name:...
: 10 clubs
- Adana
Amateur clubs are put into leagues included in the Amateur League system in Turkey and are eligible for promotion into the Turkish Third League.
Cup competitions
There are currently two major cup competitions in Turkish football. They are the Turkish Cup and Turkish Super CupTurkish Super Cup
The TFF Süper Kupa, as it is currently known, is the annual super cup football match contested between the previous season's Süper Lig champions and the Turkish Cup winners in Turkey. It was originally known as the Cumhurbaşkanlığı Kupası from 1966 to 1998. No competition was held between 1999 and...
. The Turkish Cup includes clubs from every division of football in Turkey, while the Super Cup is an annual game held between the winner of the Spor Toto Süper Lig and Turkish Cup.
Throughout the history of Turkish football, there have been many other cup competitions. These are all defunct, and are listed below:
- Atatürk Cup
- President Cup
- Chancellor Cup
- Istanbul Cup
- Fleet Cup
- TSYD Cup
- Spor-Toto Cup
Qualification for European competitions
| Competition | Who Qualifies | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League groupe stage | Club finishing 1st in the Spor Toto Super League | |
| UEFA Champions League third qualifying round | Club finishing 2nd in the Spor Toto Super League | |
| UEFA Europa League Third qualifying round | Club finishing 3rd in the Spor Toto Super League | |
| UEFA Europa League Second qualifying round | Club finishing 4th in the Spor Toto Super League | |
| UEFA Europa League Play-off round | Winner of the Turkish Cup | If the winner is already guaranteed a place in Europe, the runners-up are sent. |
| UEFA Europa League | Spor Toto Super League club with the best UEFA Fair Play ranking UEFA Fair Play ranking The UEFA Fair Play ranking has been used by UEFA since 1995 to grant three berths for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.-Current club qualification system:... that has not already qualified for Europe, but only if Turkey has the best fair play ranking or has a fair play score of above 8 and is one of the two countries drawn out of the hat |
In addition, once in a European competition, it becomes possible to qualify for others:
- All the winners of the Champions League Third Qualifying Round go forward to the Champions League
- All the losers of the Champions League Third Qualifying Round go forward to the UEFA Europa League Play-off round
- All the winners of the UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round go forward to UEFA Europa League
- Any clubs playing in the Champions League that finish third in the group stage go into the UEFA Europa League Round of 32
UEFA Cup
- GalatasarayGalatasaray S.K. (football team)Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
(1999-00UEFA Cup 1999-00The UEFA Cup 1999-2000 season was won by Galatasaray of Turkey, who defeated Arsenal of England in the final. The game was scoreless through the first ninety minutes and stayed that way through thirty minutes of extra time. The game went on to penalty kicks in which Gheorghe Popescu, the Romanian...
– Champion) - BesiktasBesiktas J.K.Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
(2002–03 – Quarter-finals) - Göztepe A.Ş.GöztepeGöztepe can refer to:*Göztepe, Istanbul, a neigbourhood in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey*Göztepe, İzmir, a district of İzmir, Turkey*Göztepe A.Ş., a football club in İzmir...
(1968–69 – Semi-finals)
UEFA Super Cup
GalatasarayGalatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
(2000
2000 UEFA Super Cup
The 2000 UEFA Super Cup was a football match played on 25 August 2000 between Real Madrid of Spain and Galatasaray of Turkey. Real Madrid qualified by beating Valencia in the 2000 UEFA Champions League Final, while Galatasaray had made it to the Super Cup after beating Arsenal in the 2000 UEFA Cup...
Champion)
UEFA Champions League
- GalatasarayGalatasaray S.K. (football team)Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
(1993–94UEFA Champions League 1993-94The 1993–94 UEFA Champions League was the 39th edition of UEFA's top club football tournament, and the second since the tournament was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League. The competition was won by A.C. Milan, their fifth title, beating Barcelona 4–0 in the final...
– Quarter-finals), (2000–01UEFA Champions League 2000-01The 2000–01 UEFA Champions League was the ninth edition of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA's premier European club football tournament, since it was renamed from the European Cup in 1992, and the 46th tournament overall. The competition was won by Bayern Munich , who beat Valencia 5–4 on...
– Quarter-finals) - Fenerbahçe (2007–08 – Quarter-finals)
European Cup
- GalatasarayGalatasaray S.K. (football team)Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
(1962–63 – Quarter-finals), (1969–70 – Quarter-finals) and (1988–89 – Semi-finals) - BesiktasBesiktas J.K.Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
(1986–87 – Quarter-finals)
UEFA Cup Winners Cup
- GalatasarayGalatasaray S.K. (football team)Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
(1991–92 – Quarter-finals) - Göztepe A.Ş.GöztepeGöztepe can refer to:*Göztepe, Istanbul, a neigbourhood in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey*Göztepe, İzmir, a district of İzmir, Turkey*Göztepe A.Ş., a football club in İzmir...
(1969–70 – Quarter-finals) - Fenerbahçe (1963–64 – Quarter-finals)
Turkish national team
The Turkish national team's first match came on October 26, 1923 in a 2–2 draw with the Romania national football teamRomania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
. Turkey have qualified for the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
twice, in 1954
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
and 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
. Their greatest success 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
2008 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations. It took place in Austria and Switzerland from 7 to 29 June 2008...
and played in the quarter-finals of Euro 2000
2000 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by UEFA, association football's governing body in Europe....
.
Seasons
| 1900s: | 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 1959–60 in Turkish football The 1959-60 season was the 55th season of competitive football in Turkey.-Overview:Beşiktaş were crowned champions for the first time. The club recorded eleven wins by a 1–0 result. Fenerbahçe finished second, while Galatasaray placed third. Baraj Maçları were created to decide who would be... |
| 1960s: | 1960–61 | 1961–62 | 1962–63 1962–63 in Turkish football The 1962–63 season was the 59th season of competitive football in Turkey.-Overview:Galatasaray won their second title, becoming the first club to win back-to-back league titles. Beşiktaş finished runners-up, with Fenerbahçe rounding out the top three. The Türkiye Kupası was held for the first time... |
1963–64 1963–64 in Turkish football The 1963–64 season was the 60th season of competitive football in Turkey.-Overview:Fenerbahçe won their third top-flight title and Beşiktaş finished runners-up for the second time. Şeker won the first edition of the 2.Lig. Galatasaray won their second Türkiye Kupası in a row, with Altay finishing... |
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 1976–77 in Turkish football The 1976–77 season was the 73rd season of competitive football in Turkey.-Overview:Trabzonspor won their second 1.Lig title in 1976–77. Necmi Perekli, forward for Trabzonspor, finished top scorer with 18 goals. Fenerbahçe finished runners-up, while Altay finished third, with both clubs earning a... |
1977–78 1977–78 in Turkish football The 1977–78 season was the 74th season of competitive football in Turkey.-Overview:Fenerbahçe won their ninth 1.Lig title in 1977–78. Cemil Turan, forward for Fenerbahçe, finished top scorer with 17 goals. Trabzonspor finished runners-up, and Adanaspor finished third, their highest finish... |
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 | 1999–2000 |
| 2000s: | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 2009–10 in Turkish football The 2009–10 season was the 105th season of competitive football in Turkey.-Overview:Bursaspor became league champions for the first time in club history, as well as the second club outside of Istanbul to win the Süper Lig. Fenerbahçe were runners-up, while Galatasaray finished third.... |
| 2010s: | 2010-11 |