Opponents of the Turkmenistan U-20 national team for the Asian Cup qualifiers revealed
The national teams of Iraq, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates have become the opponents of the Turkmenistan youth national team (U-20) in the qualifiers for the 2027 AFC U-20 Asian Cup. These are the results of the draw held at the Asian Football Confederation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The qualifying round will be held in a centralized format from August 25 to September 6, 2026.
The current 43rd Asian Cup for players under 20 will be the first tournament held under the new format approved by the Asian Football Confederation as part of the reform of youth competitions. The new system provides for a two-tier format with a promotion and relegation mechanism for teams.
A total of 32 teams will participate in the qualifying tournament, divided into eight groups of four teams each. Turkmenistan formed Group "F" with its opponents, and the matches for this group will be held in a single round in Thailand.
The winners of the groups, as well as the seven best runners-up, will advance to the final stage of the tournament. The teams that finish in last place will move to the Promotion Division of the next tournament. Under the new format, 12 national teams will compete in the Promotion Division, divided into three groups ("I", "J", "K"). The winners and runners-up of these groups will qualify for the qualifying stage of the next tournament.
The final stage of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup will be held in China from March 24 to April 10, 2027.
The Turkmenistan U-20 national team is being prepared for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers by a coaching staff led by 45-year-old Didar Hajiyev, a former famous footballer who currently also coaches the "Arkadag-2" team competing in the domestic championship. He is assisted by Dayanch Garajayev and goalkeeper coach Saparmyrat Owezow. Under their guidance, the Turkmenistan youth national team finished fourth out of five teams at the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Championship held in Tajikistan last month.
