On August 2, the capital's Nisa Stadium will host the Turkmenistan Super Cup football match. The prestigious trophy will be contested by “Arkadag” from the state city of the same name and “Ahal,” the team representing the Main Directorate “Turkmennebitonumleri.”
Established by the Turkmenistan Football Federation, the Super Cup has been contested between the national champion and the winner of the Turkmenistan Cup since 2005.
To date, “Altyn Asyr” has won the trophy eight times, “Balkan” and ITTU have each claimed it three times, “Arkadag” has won it twice, while “Ashgabat,” “Merv,” and “Ahal” have each lifted the Super Cup once.
The club from Arkadag earned the right to compete for the season's third most prestigious trophy thanks to its successful performance last year. Under the guidance of Vladimir Bayramov, the team completed a domestic "golden double" for the third consecutive time by winning both the Turkmenistan Championship and the Turkmenistan Cup.
As “Arkadag” won both national competitions, “Ahal,” which reached the final of the Turkmenistan Cup last season, became the second participant in the Super Cup match.
This year, the team of the Main Directorate “Turkmennebitonumleri” is playing under the leadership of its new head coach, Eziz Annamuhammedov. After the first half of the Turkmenistan Championship, “Ahal” occupies second place in the standings with 30 points. “Altyn Asyr” from Ashgabat is one point behind with 29 points, while league leaders “Arkadag” comfortably top the table with 42 points.
The Super Cup match will serve as an important test for both teams ahead of the start of their international campaigns. This year, both clubs will represent Turkmenistan in competitions organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). “Ahal” will begin its campaign in the autumn from the group stage of the AFC Challenge League, the continent's third-tier club competition. Meanwhile, on August 12, “Arkadag” will host India's “Goa” in a qualifying match for a place in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two, Asia's second most prestigious club tournament.
