Turkey and France have named their starting teams for their Nations League opener at the Turka Arac Muayene Kocaeli Stadyumu on Friday. The hosts are debuting in League A after winning promotion in their last campaign and are attempting to vanquish their underwhelming showing at the World Cup 2026, taking three points on their way to a group stage exit.Les Bleus, who won the 2020/21 Nations League and finished third last time out, will also feel they underachieved at the World Cup, finishing fourth in their final tournament of Didier Deschamps 14-year reign.That means Zinedine Zidane, who won the 1998 World Cup and EURO 2000 as a France midfielder, is taking charge for the first time. Turkey confirmed starting team vs FranceTurkey make four changes from their closing 3-2 win over the USA at the finals on June 26, bringing in Merih Demiral in defence, Can Uzun, and Ismail Yuksek in midfield and Ferdi Kadioglu on the left.Turkey: Ugurcan Cakir, Zeki Celik, Merih Demiral, Salih Ozcan, Arda Guler, Can Uzun, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Ismail Yuksek, Oguz Aydin, Ferdi Kadioglu, Baris Alper YilmazSubstitutes: Altay Bayndr, Okan Kocuk, Emirhan Topcu, Melih Kabasakal, Kerem Akturkoglu, Deniz Gul, Eren Elmali, Ozan Kabak, Irfan Can Kahveci, Yunus Akgun, Aral SimsirFrance full line up vs Turkey in Nations LeagueFrance make four alterations from their 6-4 defeat to England in the third-placed match at the World Cup, introducing Adrien Truffert and Jules Kounde in defence, Manu Kone in midfield and Ousmane Dembele in attack.France: Mike Maignan, Adrien Truffert, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kounde, Ousmane Dembele, Manu Kone, Rayan Cherki, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Adrien Rabiot, Maxence LacroixSubstitutes: Guillaume Restes, Jean Butez, Pierre Kalulu, Eduardo Camavinga, Bradley Barcola, Andy Diouf, Leny Yoro, Maghnes Akliouche, Esteban Lepaul, Desire Doue, Lucas Da Cunha, Jeremy JacquetWhere to watch Turkey vs France: TV channel, live online streamKick-off on Friday is at 19:45 BST (14:45 ET / 11:45 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Amazon Prime PPV, which charges �2.49 for the game.For coverage around the world, visit UEFAs Nations League international broadcaster list.Turkey vs France Nations League statsThis will be Turkeys 655th match of all time across a record spanning 260 wins and 243 defeats, including a 4-1 victory over Georgia in World Cup qualifying last year in their only previous game at the Kocaeli StadyumuThey have played in the city of Kocaeli before, beating Chile 10 in a friendly in 2008 courtesy of Halil Altntops second-half goalTurkeys only win over France came in their sole competitive home game in the fixture, winning 2-0 in EURO qualifying in June 2019 courtesy of goals from Cengiz Under and Kaan AyhanWith two goals each, defender Ayhan and France forwards Robert Pires and Sylvain Wiltord are the joint scorers in the history of the fixtureIncluding friendlies, Vincenzo Montellas side have lost one of their last nine matches in Turkey (W7 D1), the exception being a 6-0 defeat to current world champions Spain in World Cup qualifying last SeptemberFrance have won four of the previous six meetings between these teams, with Turkey winning once and the teams sharing their only draw in their most recent meeting in 2019, scoring a goal apiece in EURO qualifying at the Stade de FranceThis will be Frances 944th match since 1904, amassing 480 wins, 195 draws and 268 defeats while scoring 1,711 goal and conceding 1,272Kylian Mbappe is Frances all-time top scorer with 66 goals and their ninth most-capped player, needing one more to level with Patrick Vieira and two to match Zidanes totalEach of Frances last nine goals have come after the 47th minute, with four scored by Mbappe and two by Ousmane Dembele, who scored each of his after the 65th minuteThey have scored at least twice in five of their last six Nations League matches outside of France, failing to do so in a 2-0 defeat to Croatia in Split in March 2025, although they won the return match 2-0 and advanced to the semi-finals on penalties Topics Bradley Barcola France National Football Team Kylian Mbappe Ousmane Dembele Turkey National Football Team Zinedine Zidane Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Tip of the Day: Zidane to get off the mark and Mancini to make losing return Nicholas McGee 25th September, 2026 Turkey v France: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch Nicholas McGee 24th September, 2026 Lamine Yamal explains why goals should not decide the Ballon dOr Mitch Fretton 23rd September, 2026 Kylian Mbappe reveals his mother fell in love with Liverpool during transfer talks Mitch Fretton 22nd September, 2026 Jose Mourinho rants about referees again after Real Madrid defeat Ben Miller 21st September, 2026 Atletico 2-1 Real Madrid: Report, result, goals as hosts go second in La Liga Ben Miller 20th September, 2026
