From historic individual breakthroughs to title-winning runs at home and abroad and from global milestones to scandals that shook the foundations of football, Turkish sport packed 2025 with defining moments that revealed both its rising power and its deepest vulnerabilities.
The year unfolded as a study in contrast. Athletes delivered world titles, Olympic-level performances and long-awaited breakthroughs, while administrators and federations grappled with credibility crises that spilled far beyond the field of play, culminating in a reckoning for Turkish football’s governance.
January set the tone with milestones and controversy arriving side by side.
NBA center Alperen Şengün became only the second Turkish player after Mehmet Okur to be selected for an NBA All-Star Game, earning coaches’ votes after emerging as the cornerstone of the Houston Rockets with averages of 19.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and five assists.
His selection marked a coming-of-age moment for Turkish basketball on the global stage.
Football, however, entered turbulent waters early.
Amid mounting criticism over officiating standards and perceived inconsistency, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced it would deploy foreign VAR referees for the Süper Lig’s second half, a temporary fix that signaled eroding trust in domestic systems and foreshadowed deeper problems to come.
February delivered momentum across disciplines, particularly for para sports.
Archer Öznur Cüre Girdi and coach Yusuf Göktuğ Ergin received World Archery honors, while the Women’s National Goalball Team and para swimmer Umut Ünlü were named Europe’s best by the European Paralympic Committee.
Domestic football drama escalated when Adana Demirspor walked off the pitch during a match at Galatasaray, igniting disciplinary proceedings and fierce debate over governance, fairness and accountability.
The incident intensified scrutiny of the federation at a time when confidence in match integrity was already fragile.
Basketball provided balance. The women’s national team completed EuroBasket qualifiers unbeaten and Fenerbahçe Beko lifted the Turkish Cup with a commanding victory over Beşiktaş.
March became a medal rush.
At the European Airgun Championships, Türkiye topped the table with eight medals, led by Şevval Ilayda Tarhan, who became the first Turkish woman to win five medals at a single European event.
Turkish women wrestlers claimed three golds at the U-23 European Championships, while boxer Busenaz Sürmeneli captured another world title as Türkiye finished the Women’s World Boxing Championships with six medals.
Administrative change followed, with Ahmet Gülüm elected president of the Turkish National Olympic Committee, signaling renewal at a time when governance would soon dominate headlines elsewhere.
April belonged to club dominance.
Ziraat Bankkart completed a rare double by winning both the Efeler Ligi and the CEV Cup.
VakıfBank reclaimed the Sultanlar Ligi crown and Fenerbahçe Opet swept the Women’s Basketball League playoffs.
Internationally, Greco-Roman wrestler Kerem Kamal and a trio of Turkish weightlifters delivered European golds, reinforcing Türkiye’s strength in Olympic disciplines.
May brought silverware on every front.
Fenerbahçe Beko captured the EuroLeague title with a final victory over Monaco, while Galatasaray completed a domestic double by lifting both the Süper Lig and Turkish Cup.
Individual brilliance followed, with gymnast Adem Asil winning two European golds and teenage weightlifter Fatmagül Çevik claiming junior world gold.
June closed the first half with strong finishes.
The National Women’s Basketball Team secured its place in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, while Alves Kablo underlined Türkiye’s dominance in amputee football by winning the Champions League final in emphatic fashion.
Summer of extremes
The summer months amplified the contrasts.
June opened with Alves Kablo’s 6-1 demolition of Wisla Krakow in the Amputee Football Champions League final.
The men’s national football team split results on its U.S. tour, while Fenerbahçe confirmed Acun Ilıcalı’s departure from the board.
In basketball, the women’s national team finished seventh at EuroBasket, earning a World Cup qualifying spot after a demanding campaign.
Tradition took center stage when Cutha, ridden by Ahmet Çelik, won the 99th Gazi Race.
July delivered history.
Zeynep Sönmez became the first Turkish player in 75 years to reach the third round of a Grand Slam singles draw, rewriting national tennis history at Wimbledon.
Swimmer Kuzey Tunçelli claimed his third straight European junior 1500m freestyle title, while Orhan Okulu secured his third Kırkpınar oil wrestling crown.
Off the pitch, Galatasaray shattered transfer records by signing Victor Osimhen from Napoli for 75 million euros ($88 million), the most expensive move in Turkish football history, a deal that symbolized ambition even as institutional confidence wavered.
August turned volatile.
Jose Mourinho departed Fenerbahçe after one season, Beşiktaş welcomed back Sergen Yalçın and European qualifiers delivered both dramatic comebacks and painful exits.
The month was also marked by loss, with legendary broadcaster Ümit Aktan dying at 76.
Autumn reckoning
September belonged to national teams.
The men’s basketball team surged to EuroBasket silver, while the women’s volleyball team reached a World Championship final for the first time, claiming historic silver after a narrow loss to Italy.
Para swimmer Defne Kurt stunned the world with five gold medals at the World Para Swimming Championships and teenage chess player Ediz Gürel shocked reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju.
October became the year’s most defining month.
Motorcycle star Toprak Razgatlıoğlu clinched his third World Superbike title, confirming his status as one of Türkiye’s greatest-ever athletes.
Fenerbahçe Medicana won the Women’s Champions Cup, becoming the competition’s most successful club.
Scandalous TFF
Yet football faced its deepest crisis. The TFF disclosed that 371 of 571 referees assigned to professional leagues held betting accounts, with 152 found to be actively wagering.
The revelation by the TFF President Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu triggered mass disciplinary action, led to suspensions across lower divisions and shattered public trust.
The fallout widened when more than 1,000 players were referred to disciplinary boards, forcing clubs, fans and sponsors to confront the scale of the integrity breach.
What began months earlier as officiating disputes and VAR controversies had now evolved into a full-blown institutional scandal, exposing systemic failures in oversight and enforcement.
November offered rare on-field relief amid the turbulence.
The men’s national football team moved a step closer to ending a 24-year World Cup absence by defeating Bulgaria 2-0 in Bursa, clinching at least second place in Group E and guaranteeing a spot in UEFA’s 2026 World Cup playoffs.
Captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s first-half penalty set the tone before a late own goal sealed a controlled performance in front of more than 42,000 fans.
The victory lifted Türkiye to 12 points from five matches and secured their place in the European playoff system, where Montella’s side entered as a top-seeded team, positioned for a home semifinal in March 2026.
While direct qualification remained unlikely due to goal difference, the result restored belief at a moment when confidence in Turkish football had been badly shaken off the pitch.
Narcotics shocker
The year almost closed with another shock.
Fenerbahçe President Sadettin Saran came under intensified legal scrutiny after prosecutors confirmed a hair sample tested positive for cocaine during an ongoing narcotics investigation.
While blood, urine and nail samples were negative, the forensic findings escalated pressure on one of Turkish sport’s most powerful figures despite him dismissing the allegations as a smear campaign.
Saran was released under judicial supervision, with the investigation ongoing and no final ruling announced.
However, December was not all doom and gloom, with flashes of promise and pride patching the dents.
Fourteen-year-old chess prodigy Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş announced himself on the world stage by finishing a remarkable 15th at the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship in Doha, producing a performance rating of 2728 and earning rare praise from Magnus Carlsen, who called him "the best 14-year-old the world has ever seen.”
Strength athlete Burak Yazgı added another global milestone by reclaiming the Guinness World Record for the heaviest single-repetition Turkish Get-Up, lifting 116.8 kilograms to restore a title he has now held twice and underline Türkiye’s growing presence beyond traditional sporting arenas.