Turkey and Romania face off in a huge UEFA play-off semi-final, with a place at the 2026 World Cup on the line.
The winner of this intriguing match will play either Slovakia or Kosovo next Thursday in the Path C finale.
Turkey last played at the World Cup in 2002 when they famously reached the semi-finals, while you have to go back to 1998 for Romania’s previous showing on football’s biggest stage.
It is all on the line in Istanbul on Thursday evening, and here is our full Turkey vs Romania match preview, with sports betting online tips featuring the latest football odds.
Turkey vs Romania Preview
Turkey finished second in UEFA Group E, behind European champions Spain.
Vincenzo Montella’s men drew 2-2 with La Roja in their final qualifier, which followed three consecutive wins over Bulgaria (1-6), Georgia (4-1) and Bulgaria again (2-0).
Turkey suffered only one defeat in their qualifying campaign, though that was a 6-0 thrashing by Spain on home soil – a result which came as a shock to the vast majority of football fans.
But Montella will point out that the home humbling looks more like an anomaly these days, and with an exciting young core at the manager’s disposal, it is easy to see why his team are highly fancied to reach the World Cup.
Romania are only part of the play-off rounds due to their performances in the Nations League.
Mircea Lucescu’s side finished third in UEFA Group H behind Bosnia & Herzegovina and Austria, losing three of their eight matches.
However, the Romanians did win two of the last three qualifiers, a huge 1-0 triumph over Austria and a 7-1 demolition job on minnows San Marino.
But their previous away match was a 3-1 defeat against Bosnia & Herzegovina, and they have failed to win any of the last three on the road since a 5-1 success at San Marino back in March 2025.
Turkey vs Romania Odds
*All odds are subject to change
Turkey are the big favourites to progress in the play-offs, priced as low as 1.40 to claim the win here. A victory for Romania is at long odds of 7.25, while the draw after 90 minutes is 5.00.
Turkey vs Romania Betting Tips
Anytime goalscorer – Kenan Yildiz @ 2.48
Yildiz has quickly evolved into one of the best young footballers in Europe at Juventus. He has 10 goals and six assists from 29 Serie A appearances this season, and three goals in his last three games in a Turkey shirt. Arda Guler and Kerem Akturkoglu also caught our eye in this market, but we are backing Yildiz to deliver the goods.
Total goals – Over 2.5 @ 1.64
Turkey’s last six matches have certainly been goal-filled affairs. In fact, five of the previous six saw over 3.5 goals scored, with the 2-0 win over Bulgaria back in November the only game not to feature over 2.5! This over 2.5 selection also landed in five of Romania’s last six games, so it looks a great leg to include in a combo bet – or Bet Builder!
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