The first semifinalist has been determined at the ongoing Football Federation Cup of Turkmenistan 2026 tournament in Ashgabat. It is FC “Arkadag”. The team coached by Vladimir Bayramov achieved this success ahead of schedule after securing two consecutive victories.

After defeating FC “Ashgabat” 4–0 in the first round, FC “Arkadag” beat the Turkmenistan U20 national team 2–0, thereby securing a place in the semifinals with 6 points in Group B. The goals for the three-time champions of Turkmenistan were scored by Meylis Diniyev (70th minute) and Shamamet Hydyrov (77th minute).

In the other match of the group, FC “Ashgabat” defeated FC “Merv” 2–0 thanks to accurate strikes from Orazaly Begnazarov (7th minute) and Didar Didarov (19th minute). With 3 points, “Ashgabat” moved up to second place. FC “Merv” and the Turkmenistan U20 national team, each with 1 point, occupy the third and fourth positions respectively.

In Group A, during the second round, FC “Shagadam” from Turkmenbashi won the principled Balkan derby against FC “Nebitchi” from Balkanabat with a score of 2–1, while FC “Ahal” proved stronger than FC “Kopetdag”, winning 2–0. Thanks to these victories, FC “Shagadam” and FC “Ahal” each collected 4 points and moved to the top of the standings. FC “Kopetdag”, with 3 points, holds third place. FC “Nebitchi”, having failed to earn any points in the matches played, is in fourth position.

In the final round of Group A, FC “Ahal” will play against FC “Nebitchi”, while FC “Shagadam” will face FC “Kopetdag”. In Group B, the matches FC “Arkadag” vs FC “Merv” and Turkmenistan U20 national team vs FC “Ashgabat” will take place.

It should be recalled that the two best teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. The winners will compete for the main trophy in the final, while the losing teams will determine the bronze medalist in a match for third place.

The tournament will conclude on March 12.