France choose Izmit over Istanbul to face Turkey

The Nations League match between Turkey and France will be played this Friday at 20:45 at the Kocaeli Stadium in Izmit, a venue with 35 000 seats, far from Istanbul and its stadiums with more than 50 000 seats for the French.

The Kocaeli Stadium, built in 2018, offers 35 000 seats. The organizers announce a sold‑out venue and a noisy atmosphere. By comparison, Istanbul’s stadiums such as Şükrü Saracoğlu or Rams Park each have around 50 000 seats.

Izmit is located an hour and forty minutes’ drive east of the Istanbul metropolis, which has fifteen million inhabitants. The city is part of the Kocaeli region and hosts the Kocaelispor club. This venue has previously hosted the Turkish national team.

Local authorities and fear of unrest

According to L’Équipe, local authorities feared that Turkish supporters would protest violently against France. They therefore opted for a more modest venue to limit the risks. The choice of the Izmit stadium thus reflects security considerations.

Proximity to the training centre and Montella’s view

Vincenzo Montella explained that the stadium’s proximity to the national team’s training centre in Riva was decisive. “We want to play in every stadium,” he said, adding that Kocaeli is close to their facilities. He also stated that the pitch posed no problem.

However, the pitch appeared to be in poor condition during the training the day before. Montella described the turf as very greasy and overall bad. “When we arrived last week, the pitch was not in very good shape, but we were told it would be ready for the match,” he added.

The Turkish national team has just endured a disappointing campaign in the last World Cup. After twenty‑four years of waiting, the hopes placed in Arda Güler, Kenan Yildiz and Hakan Çalhanoglu evaporated with defeats to Australia (2‑0) and Paraguay (1‑0). The 3‑2 victory over the United States did not change the elimination.

This match will mark Zinedine Zidane’s debut as manager of the French national team. He will take charge of the French at 20:45 this Friday, as part of the Nations League.

The contrast between Istanbul’s monumental stadiums and the modest Kocaeli Stadium shows that logistics, security and proximity to facilities have outweighed capacity. The French will therefore have to adapt to an uncertain pitch while facing a Turkey seeking redemption.