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Football is only part of Türkiye's sporting appeal. Basketball has a strong following, and several Turkish clubs have established themselves among Europe's leading teams. This guide introduces the domestic game, European competitions, major clubs and the practicalities of watching a match. It...

A match can bring a completely different dimension to a holiday in Türkiye. This guide takes you from choosing a city and fixture to getting back to your hotel after the final whistle. 1️⃣ Why Include Sport in a Trip to Türkiye? Clubs such as Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor...

Türkiye's national football team, the Türkiye Millî Takımı, represents the country's game in Europe and around the world. Following its qualifying campaigns and major tournaments offers a wider view of Turkish football beyond the clubs. This guide introduces the team's history, the players...

Istanbul’s derbies bring together history, politics, neighbourhood loyalties, identity and an extraordinary passion for football. They are much more than an ordinary fixture in the city’s sporting calendar. This guide introduces visitors and residents to the leading rivalries and explains how...

The Süper Lig is the heart of club football in Türkiye. It attracts viewers abroad, including many supporters in the Arab world, as well as visitors planning to watch a match in Istanbul, Trabzon or Ankara. This guide explains the league, its leading clubs, ways to follow it and the...

On 11 December 2025, Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman met under the facilitation of UN envoy María Angela Holguín to discuss confidence-building measures intended to support renewed progress in the long-running Cyprus peace process, in which...

In 2025, Türkiye’s nuclear programme was approaching important milestones. Earlier plans envisaged trial production at the country’s first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, during that year, alongside an ambition for 5,000 megawatts of small modular reactor capacity by 2050. The timetable needs...

In 2025, practical issues involving visas and the customs union offered a route for progress in Türkiye–EU relations, while accession negotiations remained stalled. Two developments attracted attention: - more favourable rules for some Turkish applicants for Schengen visas; - further work on...

1️⃣ Context and verification limits This December 2025 article discussed reports of increased Turkish military activity in northern Syria, particularly around Afrin, Tell Rifaat, Manbij and Ras al-Ayn. Those accounts prompted speculation about a possible operation against the Syrian Democratic...

1️⃣ What did the official report record? Earthquakes remind residents and visitors that Türkiye is seismically active. On 8 December 2025, AFAD’s official earthquake-monitoring account announced a magnitude 4.9 (Mw) earthquake in Serik, Antalya province, at 13:21:35 Turkish time and a depth of...

1️⃣ The December 2025 investigation The article discussed a wide-ranging investigation into alleged unlawful betting and related football offences involving players, officials and referees. Criminal suspicion and investigation must be distinguished from disciplinary referrals, provisional...

1️⃣ The December 2025 negotiations Discussions over Türkiye’s 2026 minimum wage began in December 2025 amid higher prices and lost purchasing power. This article records the opening context and separates the subsequent decision from it; the earlier scenarios are not presented as still awaiting...

1️⃣ A dated account and disputed positions In early December 2025, the article discussed an Istanbul protest against child deaths during workplace training and the subsequent remand decisions. Contemporary accounts reported the detention of 17 young Workers’ Party of Türkiye (TİP) members and...

One of Türkiye’s cultural milestones in December 2025 was the inscription of Antep İşi, the drawn-thread embroidery of Gaziantep, on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Contemporary exhibitions and film events offered another perspective on the country’s...

On 15 December 2025, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented the AK Party’s Turkic World Vision document at an event in Ankara. It set out an agenda for closer cooperation between Türkiye and the wider Turkic world, including Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, alongside partners...

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty visited Türkiye from 1 to 5 December 2025. His statement, published on 9 December, called for stronger implementation of the standards protecting freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. 1️⃣ 📋 What did the...

At the Doha Forum on 6–7 December 2025, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan set out Türkiye’s position on the Gaza ceasefire and the proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF). His comments at the forum and in an interview with Reuters addressed both the security arrangements and the political...

The year-end 2025 news coverage highlighted the season’s results for one of Türkiye’s major cultural projects: the Türkiye Culture Route Festival. Its programme had linked 20 cities through months of performances, exhibitions and heritage events. The season itself had already concluded: the...

Allegations of sexual harassment involving school-age interns in the kitchens and restaurant of Türkiye’s Parliament prompted a criminal investigation and widespread concern in December 2025. The case quickly became a wider social and political debate about protecting students on placements and...

December 2025 brought renewed movement in defence relations between Türkiye and the United States. The US ambassador in Ankara confirmed that the two countries were discussing Türkiye’s wish to return to the F-35 fighter programme, years after its exclusion over the acquisition of Russia’s S-400...