Galatasaray will begin their Süper Lig title defense Friday night in Gaziantep, kicking off the 2025–26 season in a fixture that heavily tilts in favor of the Istanbul giants – both on paper and in memory.
The season curtain-raiser pits the reigning champions against Gaziantep at Kalyon Stadium, where history suggests the visitors will hold the upper hand.
The two teams have clashed 12 times in the league, and Galatasaray have won 10 of those meetings – including one by default.
Gaziantep secured only one victory, while a single match ended in a draw.
In terms of goals, the Lions have roared with authority, netting 27 times and conceding just 11.
Even when on the road, Galatasaray have shown little vulnerability.
In six previous visits to Gaziantep in league play, they’ve walked away with five victories – again, one awarded by forfeit and suffered just one loss.
During those games, the visitors scored 12 goals and allowed only four. That advantage will weigh heavily over a Gaziantep side desperate to avoid a familiar fate.
While opening-week matches can be unpredictable, Galatasaray tend to thrive under the spotlight.
Over the course of 67 previous Süper Lig seasons, they have played 67 first-week matches and emerged victorious in 46 of them.
Twelve ended in defeat, while nine were draws. Their away record in season openers is also formidable, with 15 wins in 28 such matches, alongside seven losses and six draws.
This isn’t the first time Galatasaray will kick off a season in Gaziantep.
In the 2001-02 campaign, they drew 1-1 with the now-defunct Gaziantepspor, and in 2009-10 they edged the same opponent 3-2.
The only other time they opened the season against Gaziantep was in the 2020-21 season, when they secured a 3-1 victory in Istanbul.
Their offensive efficiency in first-week matches is also notable.
Galatasaray have failed to score in only 10 of their opening-week fixtures since the league began in 1959.
At home, that silence has been even rarer – they’ve been kept off the scoresheet only three times, against Kasımpaşa in 1963-64, Denizlispor in 1984-85 and Trabzonspor in 1986-87.
They’ve kicked off seasons in emphatic style before.
The team’s biggest opening-week wins came by 4-0 margins over Feriköy in 1964-65, Karagümrük in 1983–84, and Rizespor in 2007-08.
Their most significant opening-week losses came in a 3-1 defeat to Göztepe in 1979-80 and two 2-0 losses, first to İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor in 2011-12 and again to Denizlispor in 2019-20.
New era looms
As Galatasaray prepares for another season atop Turkish football, the Süper Lig itself enters a new era.
For the first time since the 2018-19 season, the league reverts to an 18-team format.
The previous five seasons featured expanded lineups: 21 teams in 2020-21, 20 in 2021-22 and 2023-24 and 19 in both 2022-23 and 2024-25.
This season, 18 clubs from 11 provinces will battle across a 283-day stretch for domestic supremacy.
Seven of those teams come from Istanbul: Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, Başakşehir, Kasımpaşa, Karagümrük, and newly promoted Eyüpspor.
The rest of the lineup includes Gaziantep, Antalyaspor, Alanyaspor, Konyaspor, Gençlerbirliği, Trabzonspor, Kayserispor, Göztepe, Kocaelispor, Samsunspor, and Rizespor.
The format shift comes with increased stakes.
At the end of the season, the teams finishing in 16th, 17th, and 18th place will be relegated to the TFF First League, raising the pressure on clubs fighting for survival from day one.
High-profile matches are scattered throughout the schedule, but the first marquee clash arrives in Week 5 when Fenerbahçe hosts Trabzonspor.
Istanbul’s first major derby – Galatasaray vs. Beşiktaş – takes place in Week 8. Week 11 will feature two massive matchups: Beşiktaş against Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray facing Trabzonspor. Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray will clash again in Week 14, while Beşiktaş meets Trabzonspor in Week 16, in what promises to be a derby-laden campaign.
Several administrative and regulatory changes also shape the new season.
Clubs may now name up to 12 foreign players in their matchday squad with no restrictions.
Beyond that, two additional foreign players born on or after Jan. 1, 2002, may also be included, offering youth development incentives.
Each team is allowed to register a maximum of 28 players for its senior squad.
The summer transfer window, which opened on June 30, will close on Sept. 12.
The winter window will open on Jan. 5, 2026 and shut on Feb. 10, giving teams limited but critical time to reshape their rosters during the campaign.
The season officially kicks off on Aug. 8 with the Gaziantep-Galatasaray clash.
The rest of the weekend slate includes Samsunspor hosting Gençlerbirliği and Antalyaspor facing Kasımpaşa.
Fenerbahçe’s opener against Alanyaspor, as well as the Kayserispor–Beşiktaş and Karagümrük–Başakşehir matches, have been postponed.
The first round will wrap up on Monday, Aug. 11, when Trabzonspor hosts newly promoted Kocaelispor.
The first half of the season will conclude on Dec. 22, followed by a brief winter break. Action resumes on Jan. 16 and will continue uninterrupted until the season wraps up on May 17, 2026.
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