Turkiye to host France in opening UEFA Nations League 2026-27 match at Yildiz Entegre Kocaeli Stadyumu
Turkiye will play France in the opening match of the UEFA Nations League 2026-27 at Yildiz Entegre Kocaeli Stadyumu in Kocaeli, Türkiye, with the scheduled kick-off listed as 12:15 a.m. IST on Saturday, September 26. The fixture represents Turkiye’s first game of their Nations League campaign and pits Vincenzo Montella’s side against France under new manager Zinedine Zidane.
Turkiye arrive having failed to progress beyond the group stage at the FIFA World Cup 2026, where they lost their first two matches and required other results to affect qualification. The Crescent-Stars will host the Nations League opener and have been drawn in a group that includes France, Italy and Belgium. The source describes Turkiye’s World Cup showing as an underwhelming campaign by their standards and says they will be looking to bounce back.
France have appointed Zinedine Zidane as head coach and the report notes players appeared pleased with the new manager during recent training sessions. Les Bleus finished fourth at the World Cup and the article adds they have not looked very comfortable in Europe in recent years. The piece also states France retain a roster of top-level players that the report regards as an advantage.
The match timing is listed across multiple time zones: 12:15 a.m. IST on Saturday, September 26; the source also gives Friday, September 25 at 06:45 pm GMT, 02:45 am ET and 11:45 am PT. The Yildiz Entegre Kocaeli Stadyumu is reported as set to host the clash on September 25 (BST) in the article’s scheduling notes.
Broadcast details in the source indicate viewers in India can watch live on Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV, with the piece stating Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV can be used to view all matches live. United Kingdom coverage is listed as Prime Video UK and S4C, while Nigerian viewers can follow the game on SuperSport Premier League Nigeria via DStv or stream via the DStv Stream app. United States coverage is named as FOX Sports, FuboTV and ViX.
For ongoing updates, the article directs readers to follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and to download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App; it also invites readers to join the Khel Now community on Telegram. These channels are listed as sources for further information about the match and related coverage.
