For the 2025-26 European season, the Turkish Super Lig entered five teams. Champions Galatasaray went straight into the Champions League league phase. Fenerbahce reached the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Samsunspor and Besiktas had opportunities to qualify for the Europa League, while Basaksehir featured in the Conference League qualifiers.
Turkish Super Lig’s Big Spending Meets Early European Struggles
All five clubs have already suffered significant defeats — a reputational blow for a league that spent a record-breaking €421 million in the summer transfer window, ranking eighth worldwide. While global headlines have focused on Saudi Arabia’s heavy spending, Turkey’s traditional “big four” — Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Besiktas, and Trabzonspor — have also splashed the cash, using European football as a lure for high-profile signings.
Despite the country’s economic challenges, stadiums remain packed and atmospheres world-class. The Super Lig has attracted global names, not just fading stars, but continental success continues to lag behind. The Turkish national team, absent from the World Cup since their 2002 third place run, still leans on both domestic and European-based talent like Orkun Kokcu from Fenerbahce and Baris Alper Yilmaz from Galatasaray.
Besiktas Turmoil After European Exits
For Besiktas, European humiliation hit hard. First, they were crushed 6-2 on aggregate by Shakhtar Donetsk, a club that lacks a permanent home due to the war in Ukraine. Then came disaster in the Conference League playoffs, where a red card to Felix Uduokhai doomed their home leg against unheralded Swiss side Lausanne. In the aftermath, the club sacked former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Now under returning coach Sergen Yalcin, Besiktas did sign notable players — Tammy Abraham from Roma, Orkun Kokcu from Benfica, and Wilfred Ndidi — but early league results remain poor.
Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce Failure
The biggest early headline came from Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, who fell 1-0 on aggregate in the Champions League playoffs to Benfica, failing to score in Istanbul. Mourinho was swiftly dismissed, only for Benfica to appoint him as their manager days later.
Fenerbahce now compete in the Europa League league phase, with notable fixtures against Aston Villa and Nice. New manager Domenico Tedesco, the former Belgium boss, inherits a squad stacked with incoming talent this transfer window:
- Jhon Duran (loan, ex-Aston Villa and Saudi League transfer from Al-Nassr)
- Ederson (ex-Manchester City goalkeeper)
- Kerem Akturkoglu (Turkish international striker, ex-Benfica)
- Marco Asensio and Milan Skriniar (ex-PSG)
- Sofyan Amrabat (ex-Fiorentina)
- Edson Alvarez (loan, West Ham and Mexico international)
This talented roster just defeated Andre Onana’s Trabzonspor, but fan patience is thin after Mourinho’s failure to close the gap with Galatasaray despite bold claims by club leadership. The last three matches h2h with Galatasaray saw Fenerbahce turn in poor, bland performances, and their European performances under Mourinho were just as bad.
Galatasaray’s Transfer Star Power
Galatasaray, Turkey’s most successful European club, carry the league’s hopes again. Historically, they remain the only Turkish side to win a European trophy — the 2000 UEFA Cup and Super Cup — and their 2012-13 Champions League semifinal run with Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder is still celebrated.
Having lost only three league matches in the past two seasons, Galatasaray doubled down on glory in the 2025 window. Their biggest coup was signing striker Victor Osimhen permanently from Napoli, after his 26 goals on loan in 2024-25. Other additions after their 148 million in spending include:
- Wilfried Singo (Monaco)
- Ismail Jakobs (Monaco, loan made permanent)
- Ugurcan Cakir (Trabzonspor goalkeeper)
- Przemyslaw Frankowski (Lens, Polish defender)
- Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich, German international)
- Ilkay Gundogan (ex-Man City and Barcelona, German international with Turkish heritage)
They had already brought in Roland Sallai, Carlos Cuesta, and Gabriel Sara from Norwich last window, building both prime-age talent and veteran depth. The club has built around Osimhen, Nigeria’s biggest star, and a player who was embraced by Turkish fans.
Domestically, Galatasaray started 5-0-0, but their European opener was a disaster: a 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt despite an opening goal that was assisted by Leroy Sane. Adding insult to injury, the go ahead goalscorer for Frankfurt was Turkish international Can Uzun, a teenager. Galatasaray Manager Okan Buruk now faces scrutiny, especially with Osimhen sidelined due to injury. Veteran Gundogan insisted the loss came down to mental mistakes, not talent. The next big test is against Liverpool in Istanbul at Rams Park on September 30. The English champions also spent big on the transfer market and brought in global superstars, as they were unwilling to rest on their laurels. The fan reception for that match will be compelling, and Galatasaray must perform well at home, if they are to survive the Champions League, league phase.
Samsunspor and the Rest
Elsewhere, Basaksehir fell 5-2 on aggregate in the Conference League playoffs to Universitatea Craiova, leaders of Romania’s league. Their European dream ended before it began.
Samsunspor were eliminated from Europa League qualifying by Greek side Panathinaikos, losing 2-1 on aggregate after failing to score at home. They now drop into the Conference League alongside Mainz and AEK Athens. Samsunspor have a side of mostly European players under 30, and have recruited heavily outside of Turkey including Denmark’s Carlo Holse.
With five Brazilian starters, Göztepe are second in the league and chasing Europe.
Turkish football is again facing a familiar story: domestic hype, marquee transfers, global recruitment, and passionate atmospheres — but limited progress on the continental stage.
Make-or-Break Season for Turkish Football
With more global eyes on the Super Lig than ever, in part due to BeIN Sports’ broadcast deal and the host of international names in the league the pressure is immense. If the “big four” deliver, Turkey can justify its record transfer spending. If not, fans will be left with déjà vu: a league rich in drama but short on European success, and endless arguments about refereeing. club politics, government interference, and match-fixing.
Main Photo Credit: Imago Images
