FC “Arkadag” once again claimed the Turkmenistan Super Cup. The team representing the eponymous state-level “smart” city secured this achievement by defeating “Ahal” 3–0 in the decisive match.
Established by the Turkmenistan Football Federation, the Super Cup has been contested between the league champions and the national Cup winners since 2005. Last year, “Arkadag” won both the Turkmenistan Championship and the Turkmenistan Cup, while “Ahal” earned the right to compete in the Super Cup match as the runner-up of the national cup.
The decisive match for the country's third most prestigious domestic trophy took place at Nisa Stadium in Ashgabat.
Rahman Myratberdiyev opened the scoring in the 19th minute. In the second half, the three-time Turkmenistan champions extended their advantage with goals from Begench Akmammedov in the 57th minute and Shanazar Tirkishov in the 79th minute.
FC “Arkadag,” which forms the core of the Turkmenistan national team, was founded in 2023 and, in its debut season, achieved a domestic double by winning both the national championship and the Turkmenistan Cup. Remarkably, since its establishment, the team has not dropped a single point in official national league matches. Over the past two seasons, Arkadag completed a domestic treble by adding the Turkmenistan Cup and the Super Cup to its league title. Now, the club has won the country's third most prestigious domestic trophy for the third consecutive year.
FC “Arkadag” was led to this success by head coach Vladimir Bayramov, a former striker of the Turkmenistan national team, winner of the 2003/04 Russian Cup with Grozny’s “Terek” and the 2013 AFC President's Cup with “Balkan.” Coincidentally. Vladimir Bayramov celebrated his 46th birthday on the day of the Super Cup match.
In May last year, “Arkadag” won Asia's third-tier club trophy, the 2024/25 AFC Challenge League title, defeating Cambodian club “Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng” 2–1 in the final. In September, the team made its debut in Asia's second-tier club competition, the 2025/26 AFC Champions League Two, where it advanced to the knockout stage before losing 0–1 in both Round of 16 matches to Saudi Arabian club “Al-Nassr.”
For “Arkadag,” the Turkmenistan Super Cup match served as valuable preparation for the upcoming home preliminary-round match of the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Two against Indian Super Cup winners “Goa” on 12 August. Victory in that encounter will allow Vladimir Bayramov's side to qualify once again for the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two, while defeat will see the team continue its international campaign in Asia's third-tier club competition, the AFC Challenge League.
