Today, August 19, the youth team of Turkmenistan will play its second match at the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) championship among teams under 17 years old in Dushanbe. The opponent of the Turkmen football players will be the Iranian team. The game will start at 21:30 Ashgabat time and will be broadcast live on the CAFA YouTube channel.

The tournament, taking place in the capital of Tajikistan, is an important stage in the preparation of the Turkmen team for the qualifying round of the 2025 Asian Cup. In the first match of the CAFA championship, the team of Turkmenistan lost to their peers from Uzbekistan with a score of 0:1.

The youth team of Turkmenistan this year was headed by 40 years old Ahmed Allaberdiyev, who previously successfully worked with young players in the "Altyn tach" club. The coaching staff also included Ahmed Agamuradov, Dayanchklych Urazov, Alexander Sidorov and goalkeeper coach Nariman Garajayev.

The format of the CAFA U-17 tournament includes a group stage, where teams will play in a round-robin format. The group winners will advance to the finals, and the second-place teams will compete for bronze medals. A match for fifth and sixth places is also planned.

After the completion of the CAFA Championship, the Turkmen team will continue preparing for the qualifying round of the 2025 Asian Cup, which will be held from October 23 to 27 in Thailand. In group D, Turkmen football players will meet the teams of Thailand, India and Brunei.