The 34th Turkmenistan Football Championship among top league clubs kicked off with two matches held in Ashgabat and Turkmenbashi.
In the capital, “Ahal” faced “Kopetdag” at the central arena of the multi-purpose Ashgabat Stadium, while in the coastal city of Turkmenbashi, “Shagadam” and “Nebitchi” clashed in a Balkan derby.
By tradition, before the start of these matches, the national anthem of Turkmenistan was played at the stadiums to mark the beginning of the new national championship.
The first goal of the 2026 Turkmenistan championship was scored in Ashgabat. It came in the 33rd minute from “Ahal” forward Suleyman Mirzoyev. Receiving the ball in the opponent’s penalty area, he beat a defender with a feint and struck accurately with his right foot from 14 meters, sending the ball low into the far left corner.
Four minutes later, Oraz Orazov doubled the lead for the team representing the Main Directorate “Turkmennebitonumleri.” Then, in the 45th minute, Islam Annamyradov scored another goal against “Kopetdag”, and the teams went into halftime with “Ahal” leading 3–0.
In the second half, the team coached by Eziz Annamuhammedov did not sit back to defend their lead and extended their advantage. In the 56th minute, Hakmuhammet Byashimov made it 4–0, after which Mekan Amanniyazov pulled one back in the 76th minute.
Later, “Ahal” defender Ruslan Priyev received two yellow cards in the 78th and 86th minutes. However, even with ten men, “Ahal” managed to score again: in the 89th minute, Yakubmuhammet Byashimov added another goal, sealing a 5–1 victory for his team.
In the other match, held in Turkmenbashi, last season’s neighbors in the standings met: “Shagadam”, who finished fourth, and “Nebitchi”, who placed fifth.
Before the new season, the Balkanabat team significantly strengthened its squad with experienced players from Ahal—Elman Tagayev, Alibek Abdurakhmanov, Gurban Annayev, and Begench Mamiyev. However, this did not prevent them from losing their opening match. The outcome was decided by a penalty awarded in the second half by FIFA referee Resul Mamedov for a foul on Yagshysakhet Dovletgeldiyev in “Nebitchi’s” penalty area. Serdar Guliyev converted the penalty in the 59th minute, sending the ball into the right corner.
As a result, “Shagadam” began their 2026 Turkmenistan championship campaign with a victory under new head coach Maksat Shamyradov, who replaced Honored Coach of Turkmenistan Ali Gurbani.
It is worth noting that the referee issued ten yellow cards in this match—four to the home side and six to the visitors.
The first round will conclude with the matches: “Arkadag” vs “Merv” and “Altyn Asyr” vs “Ashgabat”.
Recall that eight teams are competing for the national championship medals, playing each other in four rounds. Three clubs—“Altyn Asyr”, “Ashgabat”, and “Kopetdag”—represent the capital. “Nebitchi” from Balkanabat and “Shagadam” from Turkmenbashi represent the Balkan velayat, “Ahal” represents the Ahal velayat, “Merv” represents the Mary velayat, and the reigning champion “Arkadag” represents the city of the same name with special administrative status.
