Sport
Turkmen FIFA referees appointed for U-23 Asian Cup qualifying tournament
01.09.2025On 1 September, two representatives of the Turkmenistan Football Federation's refereeing corps flew to Vietnam to work at the qualifying tournament for the U-23 Asian Youth Championship. Turkmenistan will be represented at this prestigious competition by FIFA referees: head referee Resul Mammedov and assistant referee Ahmet Begnazarov. This was reported by IIC. The referees from Turkmenistan will officiate Group C matches, which will be held from 3 to 9 September in the Vietnamese city of Viet Tri. The Turkmenistan youth team will compete in the Asian Championship qualifying tournament in Group A - the matches will be held in the Jordanian capital Amman. The Turkmen team's opponents will be the national teams of Jordan, Chinese Taipei and Bhutan. The Turkmen footballers are currently in Amman, where they are preparing for the upcoming games.
The Turkmenistan national team drew with the Kyrgyzstan team at the CAFA Nations Cup
01.09.2025Turkmen footballers played their first match in the 2025 Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup, which ended in a 1-1 draw against the Kyrgyzstan national team. This was reported by the online publication ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’. The tournament is being hosted by Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Group A, in which Turkmenistan is competing, also includes Kyrgyzstan, Oman and Uzbekistan. The first half at the ‘Zhar’ Stadium in Tashkent ended in a draw between Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. In the 44th minute, Vepa Jumayev headed in a corner kick, opening the scoring and scoring his first goal for the national team. However, just a minute later, Joel Kojo equalised with a goal from the penalty area. In the second half, the Turkmenistan team created several dangerous moments in front of their opponents' goal, but failed to change the score. In another Group A match, Uzbekistan and Oman also played 1-1. Thus, all four teams have one point each. Turkmenistan considers the CAFA tournament an important stage in its preparations for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Sri Lanka and Chinese Taipei, which will be held in the autumn.
The Turkmen national team begins its quest for the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 with a match against Kyrgyzstan
31.08.2025On 30 August, the Turkmenistan national football team competed for the main trophy of the CAFA-2025 Nations Cup. In the first round, the players faced the team from Kyrgyzstan. The match began at 16:50 Ashgabat time. This was reported by IIC. The CAFA tournament is being held for the second time - this year it brought together eight national teams from Central Asia, along with invited teams from Oman and India. Turkmenistan is in Group A, whose matches will be held in Uzbekistan. In addition to the Kyrgyz team, Turkmenistan's opponents will be the teams from Uzbekistan and Oman. The next games will be held on 2 and 5 September against Uzbekistan and Oman, respectively. The winners of each group will advance to the final, while the teams that finish second will compete for the bronze medals. The current champion of the tournament is the Iranian national team. This tournament is of particular importance for the Turkmen national team as a stage of preparation for upcoming international competitions. The team intends to demonstrate a decent game and show high results.
Turkmen footballers won ‘Friendship Cup’ in Tashkent
30.08.2025An international children's football tournament, the ‘Friendship Cup’, was held in Tashkent for teams of children under 11 years of age, timed to coincide with the centenary of football in Tashkent. Teams from five Central Asian countries participated in the competition: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. This was reported by IIC. The team ‘Gokje’ from Ashgabat Sports School No. 11 became the absolute champion of the tournament. The Turkmen footballers demonstrated impressive play, not suffering a single defeat throughout the tournament. In the semi-final match, the young talents from Turkmenistan won a confident victory over the team of the academy of the famous Uzbek footballer Odil Ahmedov with a crushing score of 6:1. In the decisive match, they faced the pupils of the famous Uzbek club ‘Bunyodkor’, whom they defeated with a clean sheet score of 4:0.
Young chess player from Turkmenistan wins silver at international festival in Abu Dhabi
28.08.2025The 31st International Chess Festival, one of the biggest chess events of the year, has come to an end in Abu Dhabi. More than 3,000 chess players from 83 countries took part in the 31st tournament. This was reported by IIC. Eight-year-old chess player Kerim Babayev from Turkmenistan took second place in the category for boys under 8 in the Juniors Under 16 tournament. The young athlete scored 5.5 points out of a possible 9, demonstrating confident play under the guidance of coach Aynur Isayeva. Kerim Babayev's success continued the brilliant achievements of Turkmen chess players on the international stage. Over the past four years, athletes from Turkmenistan have been increasingly active in world chess competitions, inspiring a new generation to achieve high results. The festival was held at the legendary Radisson Blu Hotel in Abu Dhabi, where the strongest chess players from around the world gathered.
‘Ahal’ to host AFC Champions League home matches in Ashgabat
28.08.2025The Turkmen football club ‘Ahal’ will play its home matches in the group stage of the AFC Champions League 2025-2026 season at the ‘Kopetdag’ Stadium in Ashgabat. This was reported by the news website Asmannews. The team's opponents will be India's ‘Mohun Bagan’, Jordan's ‘Al-Hussein’ and Iran's ‘Sepahan’. The group stage matches are scheduled to take place from 16 September to 24 December. Each team will play three home and three away matches, with the top two clubs from each group advancing to the playoffs.
Turkmen referee participates in FIFA seminar in Malaysia
28.08.2025Turkmen FIFA referee Timur Ramazanov took part in a training seminar for referees, which was held in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) from 18 to 23 August. The event was organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), according to IIC. The seminar was attended by 56 referees and leading international experts from the AFC and FIFA. Over the course of five days, participants combined theoretical classes with practical training. First, the referees successfully passed a physical test consisting of three parts: running with short and long strides, as well as sideways movements. The theoretical programme focused on discussing the new futsal rules introduced by FIFA and analysing complex game situations. The event served as an important platform for sharing experiences at the international level and improving the professional qualifications of referees.
The coach of the Turkmenistan national football team has announced the squad for CAFA 2025
26.08.2025The Head coach of the Turkmenistan national team, Rovshen Meredov, has announced the squad for the CAFA Nations Cup matches. The national team will play three matches: on 30 August against Kyrgyzstan, on 2 September against Uzbekistan and on 5 September against Oman. This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal. The squad includes: Goalkeepers – Rasul Charyev, Rustem Ahallyev (both ‘Arkadag’), Muhammet Ovezov (‘Shagadam’). Defenders – Vepa Jumayev (‘Vitebsk’, Belarus), Bagtiyar Gurgenov (‘Ahal’), Abdy Byashimov, Ibrahim Mammedov, Berdimyrat Rejebov, Ihlas Toyjanov, Guychmyrat Annagulyev (all ‘Arkadag’). Midfielders – Rahman Myratberdiyev (‘Altyn Asyr’), Gurban Annayev (‘Ahal’), Yazgylych Gurbanov, Arzuvguly Sapargulyev, Mirza Beknazarov, Velmyrat Ballakov, Ahmet Atayev, Ihlas Saparmammedov (all ‘Arkadag’). Forwards – Mihail Titov (‘Uzgen’, Kyrgyzstan), Begench Akmammedov, Altymyrat Annadurdyev, Shamammet Hydyrov, Didar Durdyev, Shanazar Tirkishov (all ‘Arkadag’).
The AFC Challenge Cup was displayed at ‘Kids Expo’ in Ashgabat
24.08.2025At the ‘Kids Expo: Everything for Children’ exhibition in Ashgabat, the Turkmenistan Football Federation presented the AFC Challenge Cup, won by ‘Arkadag’ FC in the 2024–2025 season. This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal. The trophy was the centrepiece of the federation's stand, where young football fans could see it up close and take photos. Representatives of the federation emphasised that displaying the cup at a children's exhibition helps to popularise football among children and showcases the successes of Turkmen teams on the international stage. The ‘Kids Expo’ exhibition traditionally brings families together and introduces them to educational programmes, sports clubs and children's products.
Karate fighters from Turkmenistan won 24 medals at the Central Asian Cup in Tashkent
22.08.2025From 18 to 20 August, Tashkent hosted the Central Asian Kyokushinkai Karate Cup, which was attended by about 550 athletes from eight countries. The Turkmen team won 24 medals, including 6 gold, 4 silver and 14 bronze. This was reported by IIC. Meylis Pashakuliev won the category for athletes over 18 years old weighing 80 kilograms. Medine Danatarova won among participants aged 14-15 in the weight category up to 60 kilograms. Gulshirin Orazmuradova took first place in the over-18 category weighing 65 kilograms. Ayymjan Sultanova won in the category for athletes over 18 years old weighing up to 65 kilograms. Suleyman Agamedov was the best among participants aged 16-17 in the weight category up to 60 kilograms. Seyran Potarov won in the age group over 45 years old with a weight of up to 85 kilograms. These achievements made a significant contribution to the overall success of the Turkmenistan team at the tournament. Silver medals were awarded to Kumush Genjeeva, Shahzada Menglieva, Aynur Nurjanova and Alimerden Iskanderov. The Turkmen team was represented by athletes from Ashgabat, Ahal, Mary and Dashoguz velayats, as well as students from universities across the country. The success of the Turkmen karatekas confirmed the high level of development of this sport in Turkmenistan.
A new women's football club, ‘Kerwen’, has been founded in Ashgabat
22.08.2025A new women's football club, ‘Kerwen’, has been established in Ashgabat, which will include both players from the Turkmenistan national team and promising young athletes. This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal. Maria Ponomareva has been appointed head coach, assisted by Evgenia Spirina and Kristina Naumenko. Technical support for the club is provided by the distributor of the Spanish brand ‘Joma’ in Turkmenistan. According to the management, the team's goal is to develop women's football and reach the international level.
‘Ahal’ and ‘Altyn Asyr’ played to a draw in the final match of the 18th round of the Turkmenistan Championship
22.08.2025In the final match of the 18th round of the Turkmenistan Premier League football championship, the football clubs ‘Ahal’ and ‘Altyn Asyr’ played to a goalless draw. The match took place in Ashgabat at the ‘Nusay’ Stadium and was the third between these teams this season. ‘Altyn Asyr’ had previously won two matches: 1-0 away and 3-1 at home. This was reported by the online publication ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’. Before the match, ‘Ahal’ was in second place in the standings, while ‘Altyn Asyr’ was in third place. A victory would have allowed the capital club to overtake its rival, but the game ended in a draw. As a result, both teams received one point each. ‘Ahal’, with 32 points after 16 matches, remained in second place, while ‘Altyn Asyr’, with 30 points after 18 games, remained in third place. ‘Arkadag’ remains the championship leader with 57 points in 19 matches and a perfect record.
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