This research focuses on the representation of the Balkan Cup in the Turkish press between 1929 and 1939 and examines how sports functioned as a diplomatic tool during the early Republican period. The research aims to is to reveal how football was constructed not only as a sporting activity but also as a diplomatic practice that strengthened Turkiye international image, reinforced national identity, and supported regional peace. A qualitative research method was adopted; news articles related to the subject published in the Aksam, Cumhuriyet, Milliyet, Vakit, Son Posta, Tan, Kurun, Haber, Yeni Asir and Ulusal Birlik newspapers were examined using document analysis and thematic analysis. Five thematic headings emerged within the framework of the study's problem. These headings are: sports diplomacy and regional politics, the institutionalization process of sports, discipline and physical education, the language of the press in the formation of national identity, and international image and modernization. The findings show that the press presented the Balkan Cup not only as a football tournament but also as a tool of sports diplomacy that increased Turkey's diplomatic visibility, strengthened rapprochement with Balkan countries, and supported the Republic's peaceful foreign policy. While the Cumhuriyet and Son Posta newspapers emphasized friendship receptions and diplomatic contacts, the Aksam and Vakit newspapers focused on national prestige and discipline. On the other hand, in the Tan and Kurun newspapers, the discourse of modernization was linked to the ideal of national development through sports. Consequently, the Balkan Cup news stories demonstrate that sports in early Republican Turkey served as a soft power practice that bridged diplomacy, identity, and modernization.