It’s official: turkey will continue to be a central feature at Thanksgiving, but no longer at the FIFA World Cup. Türkiye will instead be the USMNT’s third opponent in the group stage of the 2026 tournament.

The Turkey-to-Türkiye change has taken some getting used to for many English speakers, whether sports fans or journalists, holidaymakers or travel writers.

Why did Turkey become Türkiye?

After a failed attempt in the 1980s, in December 2021 the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, president of Turkey, sorry, Türkiye, since 2014, ordered the use of Türkiye (the Turkish word for the country pronounced “toor-key-YAY”) in international documentation. He claimed it would represent the “culture, civilization and values of the Turkish nation in the best way.”

That statement came with a presidential election on the horizon, with critics suggesting the move was simply a stunt by Erdoğan to strengthen support among nationalist voters.

Either way, plenty within the country felt the change was a positive one.

“Eliminate the association with the bird”

“The main reason Turkey is changing its name is to eliminate the association with the bird,” claimed Sinan Ülgen, chairman of the Istanbul-based think tank EDAM. “But also, the term is used in colloquial language to denote failure.”

A quick Google search for “turkey” is likely to turn up as many images of the bird as a map of the country, which spans Southeast Europe and West Asia.

According to former Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the switch to Türkiye will “increase our country’s brand value” in the long term. But has it caught on?

Since December 2021, exported products have carried the label “Made in Türkiye,” while the new name has also been used in official English-language and international documentation.

The following year, the Turkish government launched its “Hello Türkiye” promotional campaign. Soon afterward, the United Nations approved the name change, with FIFA and UEFA following suit.

Will the name be used at the 2026 World Cup?

At the 2026 World Cup, Türkiye will hope to prove it is not, in fact, a turkey and challenge the USMNT for a place in the round of 32.

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