Turkmenistan’s FC Ahal has concluded its run in the 2026/27 AFC Challenge League, failing to advance past the group stage. The Turkmen runners-up earned four points in three matches, finishing third in group “A” of the West Zone.

The Turkmen club began the tournament with a draw against Bhutan’s Paro (2–2). In the second round, Eziz Annamuhammedov’s side suffered a heavy defeat to Syria’s Al-Ittihad (1–5), but in their final match, they beat Lebanon’s Al-Ansar (2–1), handing the group leaders their first defeat. Begench Mamiyev and Yakupmuhammet Govshudov scored the goals in the winning match. After three rounds, Al-Ansar and Al-Ittihad have six points each, while Paro has one point. Since the three group winners and the best runner-up from the West Zone advance to the quarterfinals, Ahal’s third-place finish meant they could not continue in the competition.

In addition to Ahal, four other clubs from Central Asia took part in the tournament, but none of them reached the quarter-finals. The Kyrgyz sides Dordoi and Muras United were eliminated during the qualification stage: Dordoi lost to Syria’s Homs Al-Fida on penalties, while Muras United were defeated by Bangladesh’s Fortis (0–1). Tajik clubs Istiklol and Regar-TadAZ finished the group stage with three points each: Istiklol lost to Homs Al-Fida (0–2), while Regar-TadAZ were defeated by Fortis (1–3). Consequently, Ahal emerged as the highest-scoring club from the region.

The AFC Challenge League is Asia’s third-tier club competition, ranking below the AFC Champions League Elite and the AFC Champions League Two. It is designed for clubs from developing football associations. The inaugural edition of the tournament in the 2024/25 season was won by Turkmenistan’s Arkadag, who defeated Cambodia’s Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng 2–1 after extra time in the final in Phnom Penh. In the 2025/26 season, the trophy was claimed by Kuwait’s Al-Kuwait. The final for the current edition is scheduled for May 8, 2027.