Football club "Arkadag" has defended its title as the champion of Turkmenistan. The team, representing the city of state significance with the same name, achieved this success ahead of schedule, five rounds before the end of the national championship, by defeating Balkanabat's "Nebitchi" 5-1 in a rescheduled match of the 28th round.
The match, held in Babarap gengeshlik of Gokdepe etrap, was dominated by "Arkadag," with goals from Arslanmyrat Amanov (8th minute), Mirza Beknazarov (23rd), Nazar Tovakelov (35th), Mekan Saparov (59th), and Enver Annaev (83rd). The guests scored a consolation goal through Bayramgeldi Nurlyyev (37th) when the score was 3-0. The hosts finished the game with ten players due to Arslanmyrat Amanov's dismissal in the 76th minute, but this did not prevent "Arkadag" from securing a convincing victory. With 75 points from 25 games, the team became unreachable for other competitors.
FC Arkadag, forming the core of Turkmenistan's national team, was established in 2023 and achieved a double in its debut year by winning both the championship and the national cup. Remarkably, since its inception, the team has not lost a single point in official national championship matches and has become Turkmenistan's champion for the second time. This success was led by 44-year-old Vladimir Bayramov, a former prominent striker of Turkmenistan's national team and winner of Cup of Russia 2003/04 with Grozny's "Terek" and AFC President's Cup 2013 with "Balkan."
"Altyn Asyr" and "Ahal," tied for second and third places with 52 points after 23 games, are competing for silver medals. Notably, in their first-round match, "Altyn Asyr" won 2-0. In the second round, they drew 2-2, while in the third round, "Ahal" took revenge with a 2-0 victory. The outcome of silver and bronze medals will likely be decided in their final head-to-head battle of the fourth round-robin stage on December 17.
As for "Arkadag," this month they face a serious test in the inaugural AFC Challenge League season 2024/25—the third most prestigious club tournament in Asia—featuring 18 teams divided geographically into Western and Eastern zones.
In the draw, FC Arkadag was placed in Group B alongside "Maziya Sports and Recreation" from Maldives, "Abdysh-Ata" from Kyrgyzstan, and "Al-Arabi" from Kuwait. All matches will take place in Kuwait. Arkadag will play its first match on October 26 against FC Maziya, followed by a game against "Abdysh-Ata" on October 29, concluding the group stage on November 1 against "Al-Arabi."
From the group stage, eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals: three group winners and the best runner-up from the Western zone, along with two best teams from each group in the Eastern zone.
The AFC Challenge League aims to promote clubs from developing Asian leagues and showcase their talents. Each participating team receives $100,000 for taking part in the group stage.
