The Turkish Football Federation has ended Vincenzo Montella’s tenure as Türkiye head coach after a board meeting on Friday. His side lost all four of their UEFA Nations League matches and went out of the World Cup at the group stage. No successor has been named.
Istanbul, Türkiye: Just over three years after he took the job, Vincenzo Montella’s time in charge of Türkiye ended in a boardroom rather than on a touchline. The federation announced on Friday evening, after its executive board met in Istanbul, that it had decided not to continue with the Italian, and it gave no further reasons.
From Euro 2024 quarter-finals to a winless autumn
Montella took the job in September 2023 and steered Türkiye to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. The 2026 World Cup then went wrong. Türkiye finished bottom of Group D with three points, their only consolation a 3-2 win over the United States in the last match, after elimination had already been settled.
The Nations League made grim reading. Türkiye opened with a 1-0 home defeat to France on 25 September, lost 4-1 to Italy three days later, went down 3-0 away to Belgium on 2 October and then lost 3-1 in Bologna to Italy on 5 October. Italy’s win at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara was the fourth straight loss. Across the four games Türkiye scored twice and conceded 11, and they sit last in Group A1 without a point, in a section where France have beaten Belgium 4-1 and lead the table.
A federation in flux
The decision did not arrive in isolation. The same board meeting dealt with changes to the federation’s own leadership, following resignations among board members and the departure of secretary-general Abdullah Ayaz, and the board said it would stay in office until the next ordinary elective general assembly. The federation must now pick a new coach while reshuffling its own ranks.
The clock before November
Whoever takes over has little time. Türkiye host Belgium on 12 November and travel to France three days later, the final two matches of their league phase. The federation has not named a successor or confirmed any candidate.
Announcement: Friday, 9 October 2026, after a Turkish Football Federation executive board meeting; Vincenzo Montella will not continue as national team head coach
Montella’s tenure: Appointed September 2023; Euro 2024 quarter-finalist; 2026 World Cup group-stage exit; four defeats in four Nations League matches in Group A1
