Orkun Kökçü: “We Played for Our Pride”
Turkey’s 3-2 victory over the United States in their final Group D match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup brought a bittersweet end to the tournament for Vincenzo Montella’s team. Despite the win at Los Angeles Stadium, the national side was already eliminated after the second group game, leaving the players devastated and reflective. Speaking after the match, 25‑year‑old midfielder Orkun Kökçü underlined that the real motivation against the USA was not qualification, but honor.
Kökçü admitted that the dressing room atmosphere after the final whistle was anything but celebratory. The win did little to soften the blow of an early exit from a World Cup they had approached with much higher expectations.
“We’re extremely disappointed to be out,” he explained in the mixed zone. “We want to apologize to everyone back home. Our people didn’t deserve this kind of ending. We came here dreaming of going much further and achieving something special, but we couldn’t deliver. Right now it’s hard to find the right words. After a game emotions are high, and if you speak too fast you can say things you don’t really mean. Everyone will now go on holiday, look in the mirror and make their own self‑criticism. I truly believe that through that process we can come back stronger and make the country proud at future tournaments. I hope we qualify for the next World Cup and show a very different Turkey there.”
Pride salvaged, but no celebration
Even a dramatic 3-2 victory over a strong US side – sealed deep into stoppage time – could not erase the sense of failure. According to Kökçü, the players were acutely aware that the result did not change their fate.
“Honestly, no one imagined this scenario before the tournament,” he said. “All of us were thinking about reaching the knockouts, maybe even going beyond. That’s why the mood is low despite the win. Still, with this result we feel we managed to restore a small part of our pride, and that matters. As I said, we must use this as a starting point to be more successful in the next tournaments.”
The midfielder described the third group game as a match played almost entirely on emotion. After being officially knocked out following the second fixture, the squad struggled to find meaning in the final 90 minutes – but ultimately decided they owed one thing to themselves and to their fans: to fight.
“After the second match, when we were eliminated, everyone’s morale dropped sharply,” Kökçü admitted. “We all felt empty. From a sporting point of view, this last game didn’t change anything – even if we won, it had no impact on qualification. So we decided we would play for our honor. That was our main motivation today. Even with low spirits, our desire to compete was still high, and that’s what you saw on the pitch.”
A win that doesn’t feel like success
Kökçü repeatedly stressed that the victory over the United States did not bring genuine joy, only a slight sense of relief.
“This match was crucial in one sense: we wanted to protect our name,” he said. “We know we have a very talented group, and we wanted to show the world that we are better than the results suggest. For many of us this was our first World Cup, so everything was new. It’s an experience, but one that comes with painful lessons. We have to study those lessons carefully and work incredibly hard. For the next World Cup, we want more, because our people truly deserve more.”
He underlined the permanent support of Turkish fans as one of the biggest motivations – and one of the main reasons the players felt a deep sense of regret.
“Wherever we go, our supporters are there for us,” Kökçü continued. “They follow us around the world, they fill the stands, they push us forward. That’s why we feel so sorry that we couldn’t make them happy this time. We hope they will keep believing in this team and keep backing us, because with them behind us we can reach bigger achievements.”
Painful experience, necessary lessons
For Kökçü, the World Cup exit is not just a disappointment, but a turning point. He believes that the entire squad and technical staff must treat this failure as a wake‑up call.
“To become more successful, everyone has to be honest with themselves,” he said. “Each player, each member of staff needs to make a tough self‑assessment. We must draw the right conclusions from this World Cup. The calendar ahead is very demanding. We’ve been promoted to League A in the UEFA Nations League, where the level of opponents is extremely high. We need to prepare at the maximum and use this experience as a powerful lesson. If we do that, I’m convinced we can make our country proud again.”
The psychological burden of early elimination
From a psychological perspective, Turkey’s situation was particularly heavy. Knowing they were out before the final group match changes the entire mental framework for players who have dreamed of this stage for years. Kökçü hinted that the emotional drop after the second game was clear in training and in the hotel.
“In a normal group situation, the last match has a clear objective – you fight for qualification or for first place,” he noted. “In our case, we had to reset our mindset overnight. We had to create a new target – protecting our image, respecting the jersey, showing character. That’s not easy when you’ve just seen your main dream disappear. But in moments like this, you see who can stand up, who can still give everything for the shirt. I think today we showed that we are not a team that gives up.”
Tactical lessons for the future
Although Kökçü focused mainly on emotions and responsibility, the tournament also exposed footballing issues that Turkey will need to address. The team showed phases of dynamic attacking play, but also suffered from defensive lapses, inconsistency between lines and difficulty managing critical moments.
“In terms of football, there is a lot to improve,” he admitted. “We have quality, that’s clear, but quality alone is not enough at a World Cup. You need concentration from the first minute to the last, you need discipline, you need to handle pressure. The small details – losing a second ball, switching off on a set piece, miscommunicating in transition – can decide matches at this level. We’ve felt that first‑hand, and we can’t repeat the same mistakes in the Nations League and the next qualifying campaigns.”
Kökçü also pointed out that the squad contains many young players still at the beginning of their international careers, which makes this experience, however painful, an important step in their development.
“For many of us, this was our introduction to the biggest stage,” he said. “You learn what it really means to face top national teams every three or four days, how fast the game is, how unforgiving it can be. If we take this seriously, it can accelerate our growth individually and as a team.”
Responsibility and leadership in a young generation
As one of the players who has already experienced high‑pressure club football in Europe, Kökçü sees leadership not only as the job of the captain or the oldest member of the squad. He believes a new generation must gradually assume responsibility on and off the pitch.
“Leadership today is shared,” he explained. “Yes, we have experienced figures who guide us, but each of us has to bring something. Communication, energy, personality – all of that matters. What we went through at this World Cup should push us to speak more with each other, to stay united in bad moments, to demand more from ourselves. If we want to take Turkey further, we cannot hide behind excuses.”
Looking ahead: Nations League and qualification campaigns
Promotion to UEFA Nations League A means Turkey will regularly face some of Europe’s strongest sides in the coming cycles. For Kökçü, this is not something to fear, but an opportunity to adapt to the level they want to reach permanently.
“Playing against top‑level national teams several times a year will help us,” he said. “We’ll see where we really stand, what exactly we’re missing. It won’t be easy – there will be tough nights – but that’s the only way to grow. If we embrace these challenges, we’ll arrive at the next major tournament more prepared, more mature, and more ready to compete.”
He underlined that the path to the next World Cup starts immediately, not in the final months of qualifying.
“For me, preparation doesn’t begin a year before the tournament,” he added. “It starts now – with how we train, how we play in the Nations League, how seriously we treat every friendly. Everything we do from this moment will shape what kind of Turkey the world sees next time.”
A pledge to the fans
In closing, Kökçü returned again to the bond between the national team and its supporters, both in Turkey and in the diaspora communities that followed the team across North America during the tournament.
“Our fans were incredible from the first day to the last,” he said. “Even when results weren’t going our way, they were behind us, singing, pushing, believing. We know we’ve caused them disappointment, and that hurts us a lot. All I can say is that we’ve heard them, we’ve felt them, and we carry that responsibility on our shoulders. We promise to work harder, to learn from this, and to come back stronger. They deserve to see a Turkey that fights to the very end in every tournament, not just for pride, but for real success.”
Despite the early exit, Orkun Kökçü’s words drew a clear line for the future: accept the criticism, absorb the pain, and turn a bruising World Cup campaign into the foundation for a more resilient, more mature Turkish national team. In Los Angeles, Turkey’s journey ended, but for Kökçü and his teammates, the real work is only just beginning.