Belgium vs Turkey UEFA Nations League 2026-27: Match Preview and Analysis

Belgium will take on Turkey at Gursel Aksel Stadium in Izmir on Thursday, knowing that a win could improve their chances of reaching the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.

Belgium are third in League A Group 1 with six points from four games. They are just one point behind Italy and four behind group leaders France. Turkey, meanwhile, are at the bottom of the table without a point after losing all four of their matches.

In this article, we will take a quick overview of this game, so that you can understand how both sides are preparing to get a lead in the contest. Let’s first take a look at the squads of both teams below.

Belgium Squad for UEFA Nations League 2026-27

Goalkeepers: Jari De Busser (AZ Alkmaar), Senne Lammens (Manchester United), Mike Penders (Chelsea), Maarten Vandervoordt (RB Leipzig)

Defenders: Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Maxime De Cuyper (Brighton), Zeno Debast (Sporting), Koni De Winter (Milan), Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge), Nathan Ngoy (LOSC), Kyriani Sabbe (Club Brugge), Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge), Arthur Theate (Bologna)

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli), Mandela Keita (Parma), Romeo Lavia (Chelsea), Nicolas Raskin (Rangers), Youri Tielemans (Manchester United), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge)

Forwards: Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Malick Fofana (Sunderland), Matias Fernandez-Pardo (Newcastle United), Mika Godts (PSG), Romelu Lukaku (Fenerbahce), Dodi Lukebakio (Benfica), Diego Moreira (Milan), Lois Openda (Lyon), Leandro Trossard (Bestikas)

Turkey Squad for UEFA Nations League 2026-27

Goalkeepers: Altay Bayındır (Celta Vigo), Muhammed Şengezer (Istanbul Basaksehir), Kocuk (Samsunspor), Uğurcan Çakır (Galatasaray)

Defenders: Abdülkerim Bardakcı (Galatasaray), Adil Demirbağ (Konyaspor), Emirhan Topçu (Beşiktaş), Eren Elmalı (Galatasaray), Ferdi Kadıoğlu (Brighton & Hove Albion), Merih Demiral (Al-Ahli), Ozan Kabak (Hoffenheim), Samet Akaydin (Trabzonspor), Zeki Çelik (Juventus)

Midfielders: Batuhan Yılmaz (Fenerbahçe), Demir Ege Tıknaz (Sporting Braga), İsmail Yüksek (Fenerbahçe), Melih Kabasakal (Trabzonspor), Orkun Kökçü (Beşiktaş), Salih Özcan (Beşiktaş)

Forwards: Aral Şimşir (Trabzonspor), Arda Güler (Real Madrid), Barış Alper Yılmaz (Galatasaray), Can Uzun (Eintracht Frankfurt), Deniz Gül (Galatasaray), İlhan Faki (Beşiktaş), İrfan Can Kahveci (Fenerbahçe), Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Fenerbahçe), Oğuz Aydın (Fenerbahçe), Yunus Akgün (Galatasaray)

Belgium vs Turkey UEFA Nations League Match Preview

Belgium are facing the possibility of another disappointing Nations League campaign after finishing third behind France and Italy in the 2024-25 edition. They have also made a mixed start this time, winning two and losing two of their first four matches in League A.

Belgium are currently third, one point behind Italy and four behind France. A defeat against Turkey, combined with an Italy win over France, would end their chances of finishing in the top two. However, a victory on Thursday would keep their hopes alive and leave the group to be decided on the final matchday.

Turkey, meanwhile, have no chance of reaching the quarter-finals but can still fight to avoid direct relegation from League A. They need points from their final two games to have a chance of finishing among the two best fourth-placed teams across the four groups, which would help them avoid dropping down alongside Serbia and Czechia.

The hosts must beat Belgium by at least four goals on Thursday to move above them on the head-to-head record and avoid finishing last in the group. They would then need to defeat France in their final game and hope Belgium fail to beat Italy on the last matchday.

Venue Details of Belgium vs Turkey UEFA Nations League Match

• Venue: Gursel Aksel Stadium, Izmir, Turkey
• Competition: UEFA Nations League 2026-27

Final Words

Turkey will hope that new manager Yalcin can make an immediate difference as they look to avoid relegation from League A. However, Belgium have good reason to be confident after beating Turkey by three goals in their meeting last month.

With several important players back in the squad, Belgium have enough attacking strength to trouble a Turkish defence that has struggled in recent Nations League matches. Considering this, the visitors are expected to come away with all three points, although they will need to maintain a strong performance throughout the 90 minutes.