Football club “Arkadag” has written another remarkable chapter in the history of national football by recording its 100th consecutive victory in matches of the Turkmenistan Championship. In a rescheduled match of the 20th round of the top division, Vladimir Bayramov’s side convincingly defeated “Ashgabat” 3–0 at the capital’s Nisa Stadium.
The match was played with a clear advantage for the reigning champions. Altymyrat Annadurdyyev provided a solid foundation for the victory in the 19th minute, opening the scoring. In the second half, the hosts put the outcome beyond doubt: the team’s leading goalscorer Didar Durdyyev found the net in the 63rd minute, and four minutes later Velmurat Ballakov scored to make it 3–0, which proved to be the final score.
The victory was significant not only because of its landmark number. Since its foundation in 2023, “Arkadag” has achieved phenomenal results on the domestic stage. The club has completed three consecutive championships with an unblemished winning record, recording 24 victories in its debut season, 30 in its second season, and 28 last season. In the current 2026 season, the club has continued its impressive run, winning 18 matches so far. Following this latest success, “Arkadag” has accumulated 54 points and comfortably leads the standings, significantly ahead of its nearest pursuer, “Ahal” (36 points), and third-placed “Altyn Asyr” (35 points).
Alongside the team’s success in the league, “Arkadag” forward Didar Durdyyev is strengthening his position at the top of the national championship’s goalscoring chart. The striker has already scored 18 goals, three of them from the penalty spot. He is followed among the league’s leading scorers by Suleyman Mirzoyev of “Ahal” with 9 goals (2 from penalties), as well as Rovshengeldi Halmamedov of “Altyn Asyr” with 8 goals and Arslan Saparov of “Kopetdag” with 8 goals (1 from a penalty).
The match against “Ashgabat” had been rescheduled from its originally planned date of 12 September. The postponement was due to “Arkadag’s” preparations for the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two, which begins in mid-September. As the three-time champion of Turkmenistan, “Arkadag” will represent the country on the international stage. Following the draw, the Turkmen club was placed in Group B, where its opponents will be “Al Jazira” of the United Arab Emirates, “Gol Gohar Sirjan” of Iran, and “Al Muharraq” of Bahrain.
A total of 32 teams will compete in Asia’s second-tier club competition, divided into eight groups of four across the West and East zones. The top two clubs from each group will advance to the knockout stage. The first group-stage matches will be played from 15 to 17 September, while the decisive final of the international campaign is scheduled for 15 May 2027.
