The Turkish national soccer team is in UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations. UEFA is the governing confederation for football across Europe, and Turkey has been a UEFA member since 1962.
Turkey’s location makes its football identity especially interesting. Most of the country lies in Anatolia in Asia, while a smaller area, Eastern Thrace, lies in Europe. Despite this transcontinental geography, the Turkish Football Federation competes within UEFA, so Turkey enters the UEFA European Championship and UEFA Nations League rather than Asian Football Confederation competitions.
The team has been a regular presence in major European tournaments. Turkey reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2008, its best European Championship result, and finished third at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. A common mix-up is assuming that a country’s continental confederation is determined strictly by geography; football organizations sometimes reflect sporting history, administration, and long-standing membership as well.