43-year-old football specialist Dovletmyrat Annayev has been appointed as head coach to prepare Turkmenistan U-20 national team for the 2025 Asian Cup qualifying matches. The Football Federation of Turkmenistan made this decision.

Turkmen footballers will face youth teams of Japan, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar in Group I in the 2025 Asian Cup qualification tournament, to be held from September 25 to 29 in Bishkek.

45 teams divided into 10 groups will participate in the U-20 Asian Cup qualification. Group winners and the five best second-placed teams will advance to the finals in China from February 6-23, 2025.

As preparation for the 2025 Asian Cup qualifying matches, Dovletmyrat Annayev's team will compete in the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) U-20 Championship from July 5-12 in Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan.

In the first stage of this tournament, Turkmen footballers will play in Group B against Iran and Uzbekistan. On July 5, they will face Uzbekistan, and on July 7, they will play against Iran.

Group A will feature youth teams from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan.

The group winners will advance to the final. Teams finishing second in their groups will compete for bronze medals. A consolation match for fifth and sixth places will also be held.

Dovletmyrat Annayev has extensive coaching experience. In 2019, he won the first league with Kopetdag, then assisted Tofik Shukurov with this team in the top league, served as head coach of FC Ashgabat, and led Turkmenistan U17 national team in the Asian Championship qualifying tournament in Jordan.

Prior to his appointment as head coach of Turkmenistan U20 national team, Annayev coached «Akhal» since the second round of the national football championship, with considerable success. Under his leadership, the «Turkmennebitonumleri» Main Department team won 6 out of 8 matches in the Turkmenistan championship, drew 2-2 with «Altyn Asyr», and lost only one match 0-4 to the reigning national champion «Arkadag».