Turkmenistan’s “Ahal” will face Syria’s “Al-Ittihad” in the second round of the AFC Challenge League group stage. The match will take place at the “Changlimithang” stadium in Thimphu, with kickoff scheduled for 20:00 Ashgabat time.

The match will be broadcast live on the official YouTube channel of the “Paro” club, which is hosting the centralized tournament for group “A”.

In the first round, “Ahal” played to a 2–2 draw against Bhutan’s “Paro”. The Turkmen runners-up held a comfortable 2–0 lead but let the win slip away, conceding a second goal in the 90th minute.

In their opening match, “Al-Ittihad” lost 0–2 to Lebanon’s “Al-Ansar”. Following the first day of play, “Al-Ansar” has emerged as the sole leader of group “A” with three points. “Ahal” and “Paro” have each earned one point and are currently tied for second place, while “Al-Ittihad” remains without any points.

All group-stage matches will be held in Thimphu, played in a single round-robin format. Eight teams will advance to the quarter-finals: from the West Zone, the three group winners and the best runner-up; from the East Zone, the top two teams from each group. The quarter-finals are scheduled for March, the semi-finals for April, and the final for May 8, 2027.