Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu took a walk through the streets of Bordeaux after arriving in France with the national team delegation ahead of Sunday’s UEFA Nations League meeting with the hosts.
Türkiye will face France at Stade Matmut-Atlantique at 8:45 p.m. local time (10:45 p.m. Türkiye time) in the final match of the 2026-27 Nations League League A Group A1 campaign.
Hacıosmanoğlu accompanied the squad on its journey from Izmir to Bordeaux following Türkiye’s previous group-stage fixture against Belgium.
The delegation arrived at Bordeaux-Merignac Airport after an approximately four-hour flight, where it was welcomed by local officials, including Gironde Deputy Prefect Bachir Bakhti and Türkiye’s Consul General in Bordeaux, Mehmet Özgür Çakar.
The officials presented flowers to Hacıosmanoğlu and head coach Sergen Yalçın before the delegation boarded its team bus and headed to the hotel.
Following the arrival, Hacıosmanoğlu was seen walking through Bordeaux, taking in the French city’s streets as the national team settled in for its final preparations.
The TFF president has remained close to the squad throughout a difficult Nations League campaign.
Ahead of Sunday’s encounter, he voiced his support for the players while acknowledging the team’s defensive shortcomings, particularly its tendency to concede avoidable goals.
He also expressed hope that Türkiye could end its losing run.
The meeting will be the second between the two sides in the group. France claimed a 1-0 victory in their previous encounter in Kocaeli on Sept. 25, with Kylian Mbappe scoring the decisive goal in the second half.
France enter the final round with 10 points from five matches, level with Italy and one point ahead of Belgium. The hosts are seeking a strong finish to secure a top-two position and advance to the quarterfinals after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Italy in their previous outing.
Türkiye, meanwhile, are bottom of the group without a point after five consecutive defeats.
Having already been mathematically relegated, the visitors will be looking to restore some confidence and finish their campaign with a positive performance against one of Europe’s leading national teams.
The match also represents another opportunity for Yalçın to assess his squad since taking charge following Vincenzo Montella’s departure.
