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Türkiye’s 2026 Promotion and Relegation: Erzurumspor, Amed and Çorum Reach the Top FlightMay 2026 brought a clear change to the Turkish football landscape: Erzurumspor, Amed and Çorum were promoted to the Süper Lig, while Antalyaspor, Kayserispor and Fatih Karagümrük left the top flight. The outcome of the 2025–2026 season combined two automatic promotion places from the league table with a third decided through the playoffs.
The promotion race deserves attention beyond Istanbul’s biggest clubs. It reveals which teams finished at the top, which needed extra matches and which dropped a division. The 1. Lig discussed here is the second tier of Turkish football, immediately below the Süper Lig.
A football on the grass. Illustrative archive photograph.
Erzurumspor and Amed: Promotion through the League TableErzurumspor finished first in the 1. Lig with 81 points from 38 matches, while Amed took second with 74. The Turkish Football Federation ratified their automatic promotion on 25 May 2026, confirming the first two top-flight places through the regular-season standings.
Erzurumspor’s record shows the strength of their campaign: 23 wins, 12 draws and three defeats, with 82 goals scored and 27 conceded. Amed recorded 21 wins, 11 draws and six defeats, scoring 81 and conceding 42. The champions finished seven points ahead of the runners-up, while only one goal separated their attacking totals.
Esenler Erokspor also collected 74 points but placed third in the ratified final table, with Çorum fourth on 71. Equal points alone therefore do not identify the second-placed team: the final standings gave Amed automatic promotion and left Erokspor and Çorum on the playoff route.
Who Went Up and Who Went Down?| Club | Previous division | New division | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erzurumspor | 1. Lig | Süper Lig | 1st: 81 points |
| Amed | 1. Lig | Süper Lig | 2nd: 74 points |
| Çorum | 1. Lig | Süper Lig | Won the playoff final 2–0 |
| Antalyaspor | Süper Lig | 1. Lig | 16th: 32 points |
| Kayserispor | Süper Lig | 1. Lig | 17th: 30 points |
| Fatih Karagümrük | Süper Lig | 1. Lig | 18th: 30 points |
Çorum: Four Matches to Secure the Third PlaceÇorum opened their playoff campaign with a 1–0 win over Ankara Keçiörengücü on 7 May. In the next round, they lost the first leg 0–1 to Bodrum on 11 May, then won the return 2–0 after extra time on 15 May. The second leg had ended 1–0 after normal time, leaving the aggregate score at 1–1 before the tie was settled in extra time.
In the final on 24 May, Çorum defeated Esenler Erokspor 2–0 to complete the list of promoted clubs. Promotion was formally ratified the following day. They had needed four matches against three opponents to turn a fourth-place regular-season finish into a top-flight place.
Their playoff campaign illustrates the difference between winning one match and negotiating an entire route: Çorum passed a decisive opening game, overturned a first-leg defeat and then won the final. Erokspor, despite their 74 points and third-place finish, missed out on the Süper Lig after losing the last match.
Galatasaray’s stadium in Istanbul. Illustrative archive photograph from 2015.
Three Clubs Leave the Süper LigOn 19 May, the federation ratified the relegation of Antalyaspor, Kayserispor and Fatih Karagümrük to the 1. Lig after the three clubs occupied the bottom positions. Antalyaspor were 16th with 32 points, Kayserispor 17th with 30, and Karagümrük 18th with 30, each having played 34 matches.
Only one point separated Antalyaspor from 15th-placed Eyüpspor, who finished with 33. That small gap shows how close Antalyaspor were to safety in points terms, but it does not change the ratified outcome: they ended the season among the relegated teams.
For supporters, these results underline the importance of checking the season when reading club news. A team appearing in the 2025–2026 Süper Lig list does not necessarily remain in the 2026–2027 lineup. Relegation does not end a club’s story; it moves its fixtures into a different competition.
Changes within the 1. LigThe 1. Lig also changed its membership. Serikspor, Sakaryaspor, Hatayspor and Adana Demirspor were relegated to the 2. Lig under the decision of 25 May. In the opposite direction, the decision of 19 May ratified automatic promotion to the 1. Lig for Batman Petrolspor and Bursaspor from the two 2. Lig groups, alongside playoff winners Mardin 1969 and Muğlaspor.
Clubs therefore moved across three levels: teams promoted to the Süper Lig, teams relegated from it, and teams arriving in the 1. Lig from the division below. Bringing those movements together explains why participant lists differ from season to season.
The football pitch at Selçuk University in Konya. Illustrative archive photograph.
Match Dates and Formal RatificationThree dates define the May outcome: the decision on Süper Lig relegation and 2. Lig promotion on 19 May, Çorum’s playoff final win on 24 May, and the ratification of the 1. Lig results and promotion and relegation lists on 25 May.
Distinguishing the date of a match from the formal ratification of a season is useful when reading sporting archives. The final-match report describes the result on the pitch; the following day’s decision confirms the competition’s official outcome. The dates are compatible, each marking a different step in the end-of-season sequence.
What Does This Mean for Following the New Season?The May results provide a clear starting point for following Erzurumspor, Amed and Çorum in the Süper Lig: two qualified through first and second place, while the third came through the playoffs. Their performances in the higher division can later be compared with their promotion campaigns, allowing for different opponents and squads.
Judging their ability to stay up or challenge higher in the table requires actual results from the new season. Promotion alone guarantees no particular finishing position, but it confirms that all three clubs have moved up a level. Çorum’s playoff route, Erzurumspor’s consistency over the league season and Amed’s second-place finish offer three different perspectives on the same outcome. Which promotion story stood out most to you?
Related reading on TurkiyeAtlas•
Turkish Süper Lig 2026–2027: Clubs, Competition Format and Season Dates•
Turkish Süper Lig Clubs 2026–2027: Cities, Stadiums and Planning a Visit•
Süper Lig after Six Rounds: Standings, Top Scorers and September 2026 Review• Complete Guide to the Turkish Süper Lig Clubs, 2025–2026
• Antalyaspor: Mediterranean Football and a Matchday in Antalya
• Fatih Karagümrük: Istanbul Neighbourhood Roots and a Distinctive Football Identity
• Football Stadiums in Türkiye: A Visitor’s Guide to Matchday Venues
• The Turkish Süper Lig: A Guide for Visitors and Residents