Türkiye appoint Sergen Yalçın as coach after Montella exit
Former Beşiktaş coach Sergen Yalçın signs a four-year deal to lead Türkiye after four straight Nations League defeats cost Vincenzo Montella his job.
The Turkish Football Federation has appointed Sergen Yalçın as head coach of the men's national team. The announcement came on Tuesday 20 October. The 53-year-old former Türkiye midfielder signs a four-year contract and replaces Vincenzo Montella.
Why Montella went
Montella was dismissed earlier this month. Türkiye had lost all four of their opening matches in the current UEFA Nations League campaign: two defeats to 
Italy, plus losses to 
France and 
Belgium. That left them bottom of their League A group, a few months after they went out of the 2026 World Cup in the group stage. Montella had been in charge since 2023. His predecessor was the German coach Stefan Kuntz, so Yalçın is the first Turkish head coach after two foreign appointments in a row.
Who is Sergen Yalçın?
As a player, Yalçın was a creative midfielder who won 37 caps for Türkiye and played at Euro 1996 and Euro 2000. He spent his whole club career in Turkey and is closely linked with Beşiktaş, where he had two spells and won league titles. He also played for Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe.
As a coach, his best-known work is also at Beşiktaş. He led them to a Süper Lig and Turkish Cup double in 2020-21. His most recent job was a second spell at Beşiktaş, which ended by mutual consent in May after one season.
A difficult first assignment
There is no gentle start. Yalçın's first match is at home to Belgium on 12 November, followed three days later by an away trip to France. Both opponents have already beaten Türkiye in this campaign. With four defeats from four games and Türkiye bottom of the group, the short-term aim is to rebuild some confidence. Results against Belgium and France will show quickly whether the change has made a difference.
The federation has chosen a coach who knows Turkish football well and has won a domestic title. A four-year contract also suggests the federation sees this as a long-term project. That gives Yalçın time, at least in theory, to build towards the next major tournament cycle and not just the remaining Nations League games.
Fixtures, results and the current group table are on the Türkiye team page. The Türkiye vs Belgium match page is already live.
Sources
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Türkiye
Belgium
France
Italy
UEFA Nations League
