The football national team of Turkmenistan left for Malaysia, where on the 23^rd of March it will play a friendly match with the team of this country in preparation for the qualifying tournament of the 2026 World Cup.

This will be the first game for Turkmen football players under the leadership of the new head coach Mergen Orazov. By decision of the Executive Committee of the Football Federation of Turkmenistan, this 34-year-old specialist replaced Yazguly Hojageldiyev as the head coach of the national team, under whose leadership the Turkmen football players could not overcome the qualifying stage for participation in the final tournament of the Asian Cup-2023.

Mergen Orazov accepted the main national team of the country this year after successful work in FC «Ahal». Remind that last season, under the guidance of this specialist, «Ahal» won three national trophies - for the first time he became the champion of Turkmenistan, for the fourth time he won the Cup of the country and for the second time - the Cup of the Football Federation of Turkmenistan, and the mentor of the champions himself was recognized as the best coach of Turkmenistan in 2022.

According to the Football Federation of Turkmenistan, under the leadership of the new coach, the national team held the first training camp in Ashgabat from the 12^th to 19^th of March, to which 27 players were called up. According to its results, by the decision of the coaching staff, the following 24 players were included in the final application of the team for the match with the Malaysian national team: goalkeepers - Resul Charyyev («Altyn Asyr»), Gurbanmyrat Garayev («Shagadam») and field players - Shohrat Soyunov, Abdy Bashimov, Ata Geldiyev , Ibrahim Mammedov, Ilya Tamurkin, Resul Hojayev, Arzuvguly Sapargulyyev, Shanazar Tirkishov, Arslanmyrat Amanov, Elman Tagayev, Meylis Diniyev and Altymyrat Annadurdyyev (all - «Ahal»), Mekan Saparov, Hoshgeldi Hojovov, Ahmed Atayev, Yhlas Saparmammedov, Myrat Annayev, Didar Durdyyev (all - «Altyn Asyr»), Yakub Maksadov, Begench Akmammedov (both - «Kopetdag»), Mirza Beknazarov («Narva Trans») and Ruslan Mingazov («Kitchi», Hong Kong).

Turkmen football players have already arrived in Malaysia, where they held a pre-match training session today.

The upcoming friendly match between Malaysia and Turkmenistan on the 23^rd of March, which will be held at the 35,000-seat Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in the state of Johor, will be the second in the history of meetings between these teams. On the 8^th of June in 2022, the rivals met among themselves as part of the selection for the Asian Cup-2023. Then the Malaysian team won with a score of 3: 1.

After the match with the Malaysians, the national team of Turkmenistan will go to a training camp in Abu Dhabi (UAE), where until the 30^th of March it will continue preparing for the qualifying tournament of the 2026 World Cup.

The rivals of the Turkmen national team in the qualifying tournament of the 2026 World Cup will become known following the results of the draw, which will be held this spring. And the matches of the first stage of qualification will be held in the autumn of 2023.