The Arkadag footballers started the Turkmenistan Championship among the clubs of the Higher League with a major victory over the Turkmenbashi Shagadam (4:0), the Turkmenistan: Golden Age publication reports.

The game took place in the "smart" city of Arkadag as part of the 4th round. The current two-time champion of Turkmenistan missed the previous three rounds due to participation in the AFC Challenge League.

The goals for the winners were scored by Ikhlas Saparmamedov (1st minute), Arzuvguli Saparguliyev (15), Didar Durdyev (47) and Begench Akmamedov (60).

Despite the first defeat, Shagadam remained at the top of the tournament table with 7 points, having played 4 matches.

The vice-champion Ahal also suffered its first defeat in the championship, losing to the bronze medalist of last year's national championship Altyn Asyr at the Ashgabat stadium - 0:1. The winning goal for the team of the agency Turkmenaragatnashyk was scored in the 83rd minute by Ruslan Tadzhiev.

After this victory, Altyn Asyr with 6 points rose to second place, ahead of Ahal, which dropped to third place due to the advantage in the personal meeting. Both teams have played 3 matches.

The most productive match in the 4th round was the one held in the Babarap gengeshlik of the Geoktepe etrap of the Ahal velayat between two capital teams Kopetdag and Ashgabat. The opponents scored 5 goals between them. At the same time, three goals flew into the gates of Kopetdag, which, thanks to the efforts of Didar Didarov (32nd minute) and Mezhnun Durdyev (71st), twice came back, but still could not avoid the third defeat in the championship. For Ashgabat, which won its first victory in the current national championship, the following scored: Byashim Gurbanberdyev (25th), Begmurad Pirkuliyev (66th) and Meilis Gayliyev (86th).

Another match of the 4th round in Balkanabat between Nebitchi and Mary Merv was not finished. In the 64th minute, with the score 2:0 in favor of the hosts, the visiting team left the field, and now, in all likelihood, it will be counted as a technical defeat with a result of 0:3.

The 5th round of the 2025 Turkmenistan Football Championship will start on April 2 with the matches Merv vs. Arkadag and Ashgabat vs. Nebitchi, and will end on April 3 with the matches Altyn Asyr vs. Kopetdag and Shagadam vs. Ahal.

The Football Federation of Turkmenistan (FFT) has announced the start of recruitment for coaching courses that will be held in Ashgabat from April to May 2025. Successful completion of the program will allow participants to obtain a category "C" coaching license, the organization reports.

To participate in the courses, it is necessary to submit an application by April 1, 2025, by sending a package of documents in PDF format via the electronic link indicated on the FFT website. After reviewing the applications, candidates will be invited to an interview with representatives of the FFT coaching education department.

It is important to note that all costs associated with participation in the courses, including travel, accommodation and meals, are paid by the sending organization or the participants themselves.

For additional information and consultation on participation, please call: +993 65 90 6195.

On March 25, the Turkmenistan national team defeated the Chinese Taipei national team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

The group “D” match took place in Kaohsiung and ended with a score of 2:1 in favor of the guests. Ange Samuel scored for the hosts (63rd minute). Elman Tagayev (48) and Yazgylych Gurbanov (83) scored for the Turkmen team.

For two players of the Turkmenistan national team, this match was their debut for the national team – they included “Ahal” forwards Dayanch Meredov and Mahtymberdy Berenov.

Meredov came out in the starting lineup, played 64 minutes, giving way to Altymurat Annadurdyyev. Berenov came on as a substitute in the 60th minute instead of Shanazar Tirkishov.

In the next round, the Turkmenistan team will host the Thailand team on June 10, and the Taipei team will play away against the Sri Lanka team on the same day.

From March 24 to April 17, Turkmenistan will host a series of friendly hockey games dedicated to two significant events: the International Year of Peace and Trust and the 30th anniversary of the country's neutrality.

Seven teams will take part in the tournament, including the ten-time national champion "Galkan" and such teams as "Oguzhan", "Şir", "Nesil", "Watançy", "Merdana" and "Bürgüt", the newspaper "Neutral Turkmenistan" reports.

The competitions will be held on three ice rinks in the capital:

- Winter Sports Center "Galkan"

- Winter Sports Complex

- National Olympic Sports Palace

The Turkmenistan national football team defeated the Chinese Taipei team in an away match of the first round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying round.

The Group D match ended with a score of 2:1. The winners were scored by Ahal forward Elman Tagayev (48th minute) and Arkadag midfielder Yazgylych Gurbanov (83). The hosts' only goal was scored by Samuel Kouame.

In the next round, Turkmenistan will host Thailand on June 10, and the Chinese Taipei team will play away against Sri Lanka.

The winners of six qualifying groups will advance to the final tournament of the 2027 Asian Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia for the first time.

Earlier, 18 teams have already secured the right to participate in the final stage of the 2027 Asian Cup. These are the participants of the 3rd round of the 2026 World Cup qualification: Australia, Bahrain, Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Qatar, China, the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Palestine, Uzbekistan, Japan and Saudi Arabia (as the organizer).

Turkmen football players have participated in the final stages of the Asian Cup twice. The first time was in 2004, when the tournament was held in China, and the second time was in 2019 in the United Arab Emirates. In the previous draw, the Turkmenistan national team took 3rd place in the qualifying group "E" and did not make it to the final tournament of the Asian Cup, which took place in 2023 in Qatar.

The Asian Cup is held every four years. Its first draw took place in 1956. Since 2007, the tournament has been held in odd years. The current Asian champions are Qatar, who have won the continental trophy twice in 2019 and 2023.

On one of the most significant and beloved holidays of the East — International Day of Novruz — the first stage of the new chess tournament of the Turkmenistan Grand Prix ended in the capital's Chess and Checkers School.
This tournament is a series of six stages covering all five velayats of Turkmenistan, and its final with knockout games will also be held in Ashgabat. The first stage, which started on March 17, brought together 130 participants: 86 in the open category and 44 in the women's category. At the moment, the players are gaining important points for the overall standings.

Surprises in the Women's Category
The women's category of the tournament was won by Enesh Arazmedova (FIDE rating - 1811), gold medalist of the 2024 World Chess Olympiad in Budapest in category "C". Despite the fact that Enesh started the competition as the sixth seed, she managed to get ahead of more experienced rivals and win first place with 7.5 points, which allowed her to increase her rating by 96 points. She trains under the guidance of Honored Coach of Turkmenistan Serdar Annaberdiev.

The second place with 7 points was taken by Gulmira Seyilkhanova (rating 1926), an 11th-grader of Secondary School No. 41 in Turkmenabat. 
Third place was shared by four chess players with 6.5 points, but the bronze medal for additional indicators was received by Byagul Ezizova (rating 1939), a candidate for FIDE master, who is currently also training with Serdar Annaberdiev.

The young chess players competed with dignity with their older rivals. Among the cadets, Aya Bayramova (6th place, 6.5 points), Nurana Soyunova (7th place, 6 points), and Dilber Khupbyeva (9th place, 6 points) distinguished themselves. 
Nurana Soyunova's rating improvement was especially impressive, adding 126 points. The head coach of the women's team of Turkmenistan, Shakhrukh Turaev, pins his hopes on the future performances of these girls in international tournaments.

Tournament Innovations: Real-Time Online Broadcast
One of the tournament's striking innovations is the introduction of real-time online broadcasting of games, which has become a real step forward for chess in Turkmenistan. In the test mode, 7 boards were presented in the open category and 3 boards in the women's category.

This was made possible thanks to cooperation with the Dutch company DGT, a manufacturer of specialized chess equipment, and the leading Turkmen IT company "Imdat Elektronika".
Open category: Khommadov dominates
In the open category of the tournament, gold was won by Amanmukhammet Khommadov (rating 2251), a student of the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Education and Sports. The protégé of Serdar Annaberdiev scored 8 points out of 9 possible, without losing a single time – 7 wins and 2 draws.

The fight for silver and bronze in this category was tense, as four players scored 7 points each, and the fate of the medals was decided by coefficients.
Silver went to Lale Shokhradova (rating 2137), a student of the International University of Oil and Gas.

Bronze was won by Serdar Bayramov (rating 1998), a student of Secondary School No. 31 in Turkmenabad.
Jahan Rejepova, the champion of the 2025 Major League in the women's category, scored 6.5 points and took 7th place among 86 participants.

The next stage of the Grand Prix of Turkmenistan is planned for May this year in Balkan velayat, the Chess Federation reported.

Last weekend, in the Karakum Desert of the Baherden Etrap of the Ahal Velayat of Turkmenistan, exciting rally-raid competitions were held, timed to coincide with the celebration of the National Spring Holiday, asmannews.ru reports.

Athletes competed for the Turkmenistan Cup on a difficult track with a total length of 143 kilometers.

Sports cars presented by the Automobile Sports Federation of Turkmenistan, the Police Departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Turkmenavtoulaglary Agency took part in the tournament.

The race was divided into two stages: the first was 33 kilometers, and the second, more difficult – 110 kilometers. The participants had to demonstrate extraordinary driving skills in the harsh desert conditions.

According to the results of the competition, Maksat Danatarov, who competed in a Nissan Patrol from the Automobile Sports Federation of Turkmenistan, became the winner of the Turkmenistan Cup.

His teammate Meylis Abdullaev, also in a Nissan Patrol, took second place. Yolaman Abayev (Automobile Sports Federation of Turkmenistan) in a Mitsubishi L200 rounded out the top three.

From February 24 to 28, 2025, the Turkmenistan Blind Checkers Federation held the open Ashgabat City Championship among men at the Turkmenistan Chess and Checkers School. The competition was intense and exciting, giving the audience many unexpected results.

According to the press secretary of the federation, in the adult category, Shirmammet Bayramalyev won first place, Chary Byashimov took second place, and Arslan Meredov took third place with dignity.

In the youth category, Mekan Babamyradov became the winner, Ilmurat Bayramalyev received a silver medal, and Melek Mommadova became the bronze medalist.

The tournament was held at a high organizational level.

The third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying round in the Asia zone saw the seventh round matches. Japan became the first team to secure a direct ticket to the World Cup.

In Group A, Iran continues to lead with 19 points after beating the UAE (2:0). Uzbekistan moved into second place with 16 points after beating Kyrgyzstan (1:0) in a tense match. The Kyrgyzstan team played with ten men from the 24th minute after Said Datsiev was sent off, and in the 40th minute, their goalkeeper Erzhan Tokotayev saved Eldor Shomurodov's penalty. The UAE and Qatar share third place with 10 points (Qatar defeated North Korea 5:1). Kyrgyzstan has 3 points left, and North Korea is at the bottom of the group with 2 points.

In Group B, the Republic of Korea leads with 15 points after a 1-1 draw with Oman. Jordan and Iraq share second place with 12 points each. Oman has 7 points, Kuwait has 5, and Palestine has 3 points.

In Group C, Japan secured a place at the 2026 World Cup with 19 points after beating Bahrain 2-0. Daichi Kamada (66th minute) and Takefusa Kubo (87th) scored. Australia is second with 10 points after a 5-1 rout of Indonesia. Saudi Arabia is third with 9 points after beating China 1-0. Indonesia, Bahrain, and China share fourth place with 6 points each.

Recall that according to the qualifying format, the top two teams from each group directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The third and fourth-placed teams will play in the fourth round, where they will compete for two more direct tickets and a place in the intercontinental playoffs. The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 15 to July 13 with 48 teams participating.

The national football team of Turkmenistan will begin its fight in the qualifying tournament of the Asian Cup-2027 with an away game against Chinese Taipei. The match will take place on March 25 in Kaohsiung and will start at 15:30 Ashgabat time.

According to the results of the draw, the national team of Turkmenistan got into group "D", where the teams of Thailand and Sri Lanka will also compete.

Mergen Orazov's team will play six matches as part of the selection process: five in 2025 and one game in March 2026. The winners of the six qualifying groups will receive tickets to the final part of the Asian Cup 2027, which will be held in Saudi Arabia.

Turkmen weightlifters will compete at the World Youth Championships, which will be held from April 30 to May 5 in Lima (Peru).

The preliminary application, published on the website of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), included 15 Turkmen athletes – 7 boys, 8 girls.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board has recommended the inclusion of boxing in the program the XXXIV summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028, scheduled to take place from July 14 to 30. This decision follows the recognition of the new international governing body, World Boxing, established in 2023.

IOC President Thomas Bach expressed his confidence that this recommendation will be endorsed at the upcoming 144th Session of the sport’s governing body, to be held this week in Costa Navarino, Greece.

At the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the boxing competitions were conducted under the authority of a special IOC task force. This arrangement ensured the opportunity for athletes to participate in the tournament.