Turkish Super Lig Weekly returns ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, with a preview of what is sure to be another action-packed, star-studded, and surely bonkers season of football. From another high-tension title race to the battle at the bottom, there is so much to look forward to.
Galatasaray look to fend off Fenerbahce and Mourinho
Three-time defending champions Galatasaray stormed to a record-extending 25th Super Lig title in the last few months of the 2024/25 season, and they will be looking to get off to a rapid start on Friday, when they get proceedings underway against Gaziantep.
And they have bolstered their squad in style as they look to create a team that can also be competitive in the Champions League. After the excellent signing of 29-year-old former Bayern Munich and Manchester City man Leroy Sane on a free, they followed that up with the historic signing of Victor Osimhen for 75 million euros.
Coming off the back of a stunning loan spell at the Turkish giants last season, scoring 37 goals in all competitions - a record number by an overseas striker - Osimhen decided he wanted to stay in Istanbul. As a result, Galatasaray obliterated the Super Lig transfer record by around 55 million euros to sign him permanently.
They will unquestionably be the big favourites to win a fourth-straight title, but Fenerbahce and Jose Mourinho will be desperate to end their dominance and get their hands on the trophy for the first time since 2014.
Despite some noise around his future, the Portuguese manager is staying in Turkey after a controversial season that saw him steal many of the headlines with some, frankly, pretty childish behaviour.
He will get a second bite of the cherry, though, and he has already bolstered his squad with the loan signing of Jhon Duran from Al Nassr - a fabulous acquisition to lead the line. Additionally, they have brought in Archie Brown and Nelson Semedo, as well as permanently signing Milan Skriniar.
If they want to overcome their fierce rivals, they will need to focus on doing their talking on the pitch this time around.
Both teams do still have some holes in their squad, so expect more activity in the transfer market over the coming weeks. Galatasaray desperately need a new goalkeeper after Fernando Muslera left the club, while Fenerbahce are lacking some attacking firepower to replace Dusan Tadic and Edin Dzeko.
Duran in action for Fenerbahce during pre-seasonČTK / imago sportfotodienst / Maciej Rogowski
Don't bet on Besiktas joining them in the title race, though. After finishing fourth and a whopping 33 points off top spot last season, they spent big money on AC Milan striker Tammy Abraham and Benfica's Turkish midfielder Orkun Kokcu. However, their best player over the last few seasons, Gedson Fernandes, departed for Spartak Moscow, which does seem a strange decision.
The balance of the team looks all wrong, and a pretty pathetic 6-2 aggregate defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in Europa League qualifying could be a worrying sign of things to come. Pressure is already mounting on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
European chasers
One of Turkey's biggest teams, Trabzonspor, endured a poor 2024/25 season, which saw them languish in the lower half of the table for a large portion of it. But a late burst saw them climb up into seventh place, salvaging some pride.
Their improved form came with the appointment of highly-rated manager Fatih Tekke at the start of March. During his 11 games in charge, Trabzonspor were the third-best team in the league, accumulating just four fewer points than Fenerbahce.
This is a side that should be a lot higher up the table, and they will be hoping to continue that momentum into the new season. They also re-signed Paul Onuachu from Southampton after an impressive stint two seasons ago. However, he will miss the next couple of weeks with an injury.
Onuachu is back at TrabzonsporHilmi Tunahan Karakaya / ANADOLU / Anadolu via AFP / Profimedia
Samsunspor were one of the stories of 2024/25, finishing in third place under the impressive German coach Thomas Reis. Should they succeed in getting through their European qualification campaign, they will be battling on several fronts, meaning it'll be difficult for them to replicate what they achieved in the Super Lig last term.
But they have made a few signings, and Reis has proven himself to be one of the best managers in the league, so expect them to do well again.
After finishing in the Europa Conference League spots last season, Istanbul Basaksehir have been busy in the transfer window, signing Uzbekistan's Abbosbek Fayzullaev for a club-record €7.5 million, as well as Kasimpasa striker Nuno Da Costa. The Cape Verdean forward has scored 27 league goals in his last two seasons in Turkey, so he is proven at this level.
Istanbul Basaksehir's record-signing Abbosbek FayzullaevAA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
In their first-ever season in the Super Lig, Eyupspor defied all expectations to finish in sixth place and just about missed out on a spot in Europe. The key man behind that was coach Arda Turan, but he is no longer at the club after making the move to Shakhtar Donetsk. It is hard to see how they even come close to exceeding expectations again, and instead, could find their second season far more challenging.
Newly-promoted sides
Kocaelispor will be back in the Super Lig for the first time since 2009, after they were crowned champions of the TFF 1. Lig. After their promotion, they appointed former Galatasaray player and heavyweight name Selcuk Inan as coach, following his unfair dismissal at Gaziantep last season - a smart appointment.
Genclerbirligi also secured automatic qualification to the top division just behind Kocaelispor, and they make their return after four years away. Karagumruk joined them after spending just one season away from the Super Lig, beating Bandirmaspor in a promotion playoff.
Follow the new Turkish Super Lig season live with Flashscore!
The opening fixtures of the uper Lig seasonFlashscore