Why Turkey changed its name after World Cup match leads to confusion
Topics: World Cup, World News
Jen Thomas
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image
Topics: World Cup, World News
Turkey celebrated victory after beating the USA in the World Cup, but viewers were left scratching their heads for a different reason.
They claimed a 3-2 victory over the hosts of the football tournament earlier today (26 June), but viewers noticed something that had passed them by before, with a name change to Türkiye.
Bamboozled viewers took to social media to try to figure out what they'd missed and when.
"From Turkey to Turkiye since when?" quizzed one, as another shared a confused meme, adding: "Since when did Turkey change its name to turkiye"
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And this fan demanded: "When did Turkey change the country name to Turkiye???"
Türkiye is part of Group D with the United States, as well as Paraguay and Australia for the tournament - but why is the country's name being spelt differently than how we've always known it?
The 'new' name, Türkiye, is actually what it has always been called and what people who live there refer to it as since 1923.
'Turkey' is actually the anglicised version.
Reverting to the traditional name is seen as rejecting the Western-defined identity, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spearheaded the move.
He has been attempting to update the country's image on the world stage, and the name rebrand is just part of that.
The brand references on item and exports have also been updated, with 'Made in Turkey' being phased out and replaced with 'Made in Türkiye'.
It's also said the name change was in part to distance itself from the bird of the same name, and any negative connotations or being regarded as 'silly'.
The Government announced in 2021 that 'Türkiye' was the 'most authentic' representation of their 'cultural, civilizational, and traditional values.'
The following year, in the summer of 2022, the United Nations accepted the rebrand.
President Erdoğan later demanded that the new name of Türkiye should be used. An official letter was sent from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres last year, requesting the use of Türkiye instead of Turkey for all affairs.
They then ran a state media campaign called 'Hello, Türkiye' to reintroduce themselves to the world.
It seems the update might have missed a few people, judging by the social media reaction.
Group F: Tunisia vs Netherlands, 3-1
Group F: Japan vs Sweden, 1-1
Group D: Türkiye vs USA, 3-2
Group D: Paraguay vs Australia, 0-0
Group A: South Africa vs South Korea, 1-0
Group A: Mexico vs Czech Republic, 3-0
Group E: Curacao vs Ivory Coast, 2-0
Group E: Germany vs Ecuador, 2-1
Group C: Brazil vs Scotland, 3-0
Group C: Morocco vs Haiti, 4-2
Group B: Qatar vs Bosnia-Herzegovnia, 3-1
Group B: Switzerland vs Canada, 2-1
Group L: Panama vs Croatia, 1-0
Group L: Colombia vs DR Congo, 1-0
Group I: Norway vs Senegal, 3-2
Group J: Algeria vs Jordan, 2-1
Group K: Portugal vs Uzbekistan, 5-0
Group L: England vs Ghana, 0-0
Group G: New Zealand vs Egypt, 1-3
Group J: Argentina vs Austria, 2-0
Group I: France vs Iraq, 3-0
Group E: Ecuador vs Curaçao, 0-0
Group F: Tunisia vs Japan, 0-4
Group G: Belgium vs Iran, 0-0
Group H: Spain vs Saudi Arabia, 4-0
Group H: Uruguay vs Cape Verde, 2-2
Group C: Brazil vs Haiti, 3-0
Group D: Turkey vs Paraguay, 0-1
Group E: Germany vs Ivory Coast, 2-1
Group F: Netherlands vs Sweden, 5-1
Group A: Mexico vs South Korea, 1-0
Group C: Scotland vs Morocco, 0-1
Group D: USA vs Australia, 2-0
Group L: Ghana vs Panama, 1-0
Group K: Uzbekistan vs Colombia, 1-3
Group A: Czech Republic vs South Africa, 1-1
Group B: Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, 4-1
Group B: Canada vs Qatar, 6-0
Group K: Portugal vs DR Congo, 1-1
Group L: England vs Croatia, 4-2
Group J: Argentina vs Algeria, 3-0
Group J: Austria vs Jordan, 3-1
Group G: Iran vs New Zealand, 2-2
Group I: France vs Senegal, 3-1
Group I: Iraq vs Norway, 1-4
Group E: Ivory Coast vs Ecuador, 1-0
Group F: Sweden vs Tunisia, 5-1
Group C: Haiti vs Scotland, 0-1
Group D: Australia vs Turkey, 2-0
Group E: Germany vs Curaçao, 7-1
Group F: Netherlands vs Japan, 2-2
Group D: USA vs Paraguay, 4-1
Group B: Qatar vs Switzerland, 1-1
Group C: Brazil vs Morocco, 1-1
Group A: South Korea vs Czech Republic, 2-1
Group B: Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, 1-1
Group A: Mexico vs South Africa, 2-0