"Arkadag" and "Akhal" recognized opponents in the AFC Champions League

Turkmen soccer clubs Arkadag and Akhal have determined their opponents in the group stage of the AFC Champions League-2 season 2025-26 after the draw, which was held yesterday at the Asian Football Confederation House in Kuala Lumpur. Arzuw.news reports with reference to Turkmenistan: Golden Age.

Two-time Turkmenistan champion Arkadag, seeded in the third basket, was placed in Group B along with Qatar's Al-Ahli, Uzbekistan's Andijan and Bahrain's Al-Khaldiya. The team will make its debut in the tournament as the winner of the AFC Challenge League.

Vice-champion Akhal, placed in the fourth basket, will play in Group C against Iran's Sepahan, Jordan's Al-Hussein and India's Mohun Bagan. The club qualified for the group stage through the preliminary round of qualification by beating Tajikistan's Regar-TadAZ 2-1.

The Turkmen teams managed to avoid a meeting with Saudi Arabia's Al-Nasr, which features Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo.

"Akhal" has experience in Asia's premier club tournament - the team has already played twice in the AFC Champions League in 2022 and 2023, becoming the first Turkmen club in the history of the tournament.

The tournament will feature 32 teams from 22 countries, divided into Western and Eastern zones with four groups in each. Group round matches will be played from September 16 to December 24, 2025, with the final to be held on May 16, 2026. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the playoffs.