Turkey Breaks 22-Year World Cup Jinx, Joins NATO Drill on Same Week

Turkey Breaks 22-Year World Cup Jinx, Joins NATO Drill on Same Week Turkey’s national football team ended a 22-year drought by qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 1-0 away win against Kosovo [117338]. The victory comes in the same week that Turkish troops landed in Germany for NATO’s biggest 2024 drill, Steadfast Defender 24, where around 2,000 Turkish personnel are participating [70222]. On the diplomatic front, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended the 11th Three Seas Initiative summit in Dubrovnik, Croatia, signaling Ankara’s interest in deepening cooperation on infrastructure, energy, and transport links across Central and Eastern Europe [135369]. Turkey also assumed command of NATO’s Amphibious Task Force for a one-year rotation starting July 1, and is deploying homegrown defense technologies in the alliance’s Steadfast Dart 2026 exercises in Germany [54453] [80228]. Additionally, Turkey joined an international task force led by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to destroy Syria’s last chemical weapons, leveraging its border proximity and regional expertise [106495]. On the economic front, Ankara enacted three major international agreements in one day—an investment pact with Hong Kong, a trade deal with the Asian hub, and ratification of the UN High Seas Treaty for ocean conservation [36056]. Meanwhile, Turkish golfer Sapmaz became the first woman from Turkey to join the Ladies European Tour, marking a breakthrough for Turkish golf [134450]. Türkiye joins Three Seas summit in Croatia First Turkish Woman Joins Ladies European Tour Turkey Assumes Command of Key NATO Naval Strike Force Turkish Forces Deploy Homegrown Tech in Major NATO Drill Turkey Joins Mission to Destroy Syria's Last Chemical Weapons Turkey Ends 22-Year Drought, Qualifies for 2026 FIFA World Cup NATO's Biggest 2024 Drill Begins with Turkish Troops Landing in Germany Turkey Seals Key Deals with Hong Kong and UN in Single Day