Ferdi ready to embrace the pressure

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Albion defender relishes being part of Turkiye's first World Cup for 24 years.

2026-06-12T22:30+01:00

Ferdi Kadioglu's goal against Romania was pivotal in helping Türkiye progress to the World Cup finals.

Ferdi Kadioglu is no stranger to the relentless pressure of the Premier League, but as he prepares for his first World Cup he carries a different kind of burden.

It is the weight of an entire football-obsessed nation, one that has been starved of the ultimate global spectacle for nearly a quarter of a century.

Not since 2002 has Türkiye graced the finals. Back then, they defied the odds to secure a historic third-place finish in South Korea and Japan. The significance of that 24-year wait is not lost on the current generation, even if their own memories of that golden era are naturally hazy.

“When Türkiye reached the semi-finals in 2002, I was three-years-old! So I don’t remember much," Kadioglu laughed, noting that his earliest footballing memory was watching the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Yet, the legacy of that historic run serves as both an inspiration and a benchmark for the current squad. “The last World Cup, we have a good memory because we got to the semi-final - it was a big success. Hopefully we can also go really far in the tournament.”

The road to the 2026 finals was fraught with tension, requiring Türkiye to navigate a perilous knockout phase. It began against a stubborn Romanian side determined to frustrate their attacking ambitions in the opening play-off.

“The first one against Romania, it was a very important match against a tough team,” Kadioglu recalls of the tight encounter. “They played with a defensive style which wasn’t easy to get through. It was 0-0 at half-time and we spoke with each other about what we can do better and we spoke exactly about how we scored the goal.”

That decisive breakthrough was a testament to the squad's tactical communication, individual brilliance - and a fine finish by Ferdi. “Arda [Guler] got it on his left foot and I told him I would make the run, I told him to look for me and he made an amazing pass. I showed good control and scored a good goal," he says modestly.

Ferdi's superb season with Albion was reflected with the Men's Player of the Season award.

If the Romania fixture was a tactical chess match, the play-off final against Kosovo was a battle of attrition. Played in punishing, wet conditions in Pristina, the fixture pushed the squad to their limits to secure a 1-0 victory.

"The circumstances weren’t great – the weather was bad, the pitch was not perfect, it was a small stadium and windy. Everything was against us, but in the end we managed to go through. It was really emotional because it has been a really long time for Türkiye to qualify again. Everyone is very excited and can’t wait for America.”

Now, the focus shifts to the tournament itself. As they analyse their opponents in the group stage, Türkiye knows that navigating the opening phase will require the same resilience they showed in the play-offs.

But Kadioglu remains confident about their prospects as they prepare to face their group stage opponents Australia (13 June), Paraguay (19th) and United States (25th), and firmly believing in the quality of the dressing room.

“We have a good generation and a good team," he added. "It’s realistic to think we can go through top of the group, but it’s not going to be easy. We will do everything we can to finish as high as possible.”

For Kadioglu, the contrast between the Premier League and the sporadic but intense pressure of international duty is stark. Representing a nation of passionate supporters brings its own challenges too.

“I think it's a different kind of pressure. For the Turkish national team, you don’t play a game every week. I play for Brighton every week. I think there are 85 million people in Türkiye, so to play for them is amazing. There is a lot of support, everyone is so fanatical and to represent the country on the pitch is really special.”

That fanaticism was on full display during the 2024 European Championship, an experience that has galvanised the squad. “I remember the feeling of the first game in the Euros when we played against Georgia, when you see all those Turkish fans, it gives you goosebumps – a special feeling.”

“In the Super Lig there are great teams, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, Trabzonspor, Besiktas – big clubs with huge fan bases," he points out. "Everywhere they go, there are Turkish people supporting them."

With that immense support comes a burden of expectation. "You don’t want to let the country down, everyone was expecting us to go to the World Cup, there was big pressure," he admits. “It’s not easy. When everything is going well it’s fantastic, but there will also be moments when everything is maybe going bad, so you have to be strong mentally.”

"But we have a really good atmosphere in the team – a family atmosphere," Ferdi says of their ambitions in America. "Everyone has a hunger to prove themselves as a country because we already showed what we can do at the Euros.

“We have a great team with great players, and loads of players are playing in Europe now – hopefully we can make it a nice tournament.”

Despite the presence of global superstars on the world's biggest stage, the defender remains entirely unfazed. When asked if he will be starstruck, his response is resolute.

“I don’t think so. This season we have played against most of the best players in the world in the Premier League. When you are on the pitch you are totally concentrated and you don’t think about it anymore. I experienced in the Euros playing against amazing players and in the Premier League every week you play against the best players.

“When you are young, your dream is always to be a professional football player and it’s a dream come true to go to the World Cup. That’s the biggest stage and now I am going there.”