Turkmenistan made a winning start to their campaign in the qualifying tournament for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027™. In their opening Group F match, with the games being played in the Thai city of Chonburi, the Turkmen players defeated Iraq 2–1, The Golden age electronic newspaper reports.

The score was opened in the 15th minute through the successful conversion of a penalty. A handball by Iraqi defender Karrar Al Saeedi inside his own penalty area gave Yakupmuhammet Gowshudov the opportunity to beat goalkeeper Ammar Al Hlaichi from the spot. In the second half, Iraq managed to restore parity. In the 59th minute, following a long throw-in by Sajjad Hussein Jasim Al Saeed, Moamel Malik Sabah Alshawi struck a powerful and accurate shot into the near corner of the goal.

However, the Turkmen players showed character and quickly regained the lead. In the 77th minute, following another dangerous effort by Yakupmuhammet Gowshudov, the Iraqi goalkeeper could only parry the ball back into play, and Veysgeldi Orazdurdyyev was first to react to the rebound, sending the winning goal into the net.

In the other Group F match, tournament hosts Thailand defeated the United Arab Emirates 1–0.

The race for places in the final stage of the Asian Cup promises to be intense. A total of 31 national teams are taking part in the qualifying round, divided into eight groups.

At stake are 15 berths at next year’s Finals, with the eight group winners and the seven best second-placed teams advancing to join hosts China PR at the 43rd edition of the AFC U20 Asian Cup™. The final stage of the AFC U20 Asian Cup will be held in Hangzhou, China, from March 24 to April 10, 2027.