Georgia vs Turkey: who will kick off World Cup qualification with a win?
The national teams of Georgia and Turkey will face off in the opening round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The match will take place on Thursday, September 4, kicking off at 18:00 CET. Here’s my betting preview for this clash.
Georgia vs Turkey: match preview
Georgia has shown remarkable progress in recent years, steadily improving their results. The team managed to qualify for Euro 2024, marking their historic debut at a major tournament. At the Euros, Georgia lost their opener to Turkey 1-3, drew 1-1 with Czechia, and rounded off the group stage by defeating Portugal 2-0. Thanks to this, Georgia advanced to the playoffs, where they fell to eventual champions Spain 1-4.
In the Nations League, Georgia was on the brink of relegation from League B but pulled off a stunning escape, thrashing Armenia 9-1 on aggregate in the playoffs. Now, Georgia embarks on their World Cup qualification campaign with a historic chance to reach the finals, but their group features Turkey, Bulgaria, and Spain—a formidable challenge ahead.
Turkey faces an equally tough road to the 2026 World Cup. Their group is no walk in the park, though they've shown solid performances in recent years. At Euro 2024, Turkey beat Georgia 3-1, then fell to Portugal 0-3, before edging Czechia 2-1 to book a spot in the Round of 16. In the playoffs, Turkey overcame Austria 2-1 in the first round but then faced the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
After taking the lead, Turkey couldn't hold on—conceding twice in six second-half minutes and bowing out of the tournament. In the UEFA Nations League, Turkey played in League A, where they also fought for survival and crushed Hungary 6-1 on aggregate in the playoffs, retaining their top-flight status.
Match facts and head-to-head statistics
- Georgia is unbeaten in four consecutive matches: three wins and a draw.
- Georgia has found the net in six straight games.
- Turkey has lost just one of their last four matches, winning three.
- In their most recent head-to-head, Turkey defeated Georgia 3-1.
- The teams have met six times in total: Turkey has four wins, Georgia one.
Probable lineups
- Georgia: Mamardashvili; Azarov, Kashia, Goglichidze, Lochoshvili; Kocharashvili, Mekvabishvili; Lominadze, Kiteishvili, Kvaratskhelia; Mikautadze.
- Turkey: Cakir; Muldur, Akaydin, Bardakci, Yilmaz; Yuksek, Calhanoglu, Aydin, Guler, Yildiz; Akturkoglu.
Prediction
Both teams are solid and will be desperate to get off to a winning start, especially with points against Spain likely to be hard to come by. Georgia and Turkey will both be pushing for victory. My recommendation: back both teams to score. The odds for this outcome are 1.65.
