Opponents of the Turkmenistan national team in Quartet “E” - the teams of Hong Kong and Bhutan - played the first match of the first round of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The meeting took place at the stadium in Hong Kong and ended with a confident victory in favor of the hosts with a score of 4:0. The return match will take place on October 17 in Bhutan.

Let us remind you that on July 27 in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) the draw for the second round of the combined qualifying stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup took place in the “Asia” zone.

Based on the results of the draw, 9 groups of 4 teams each were formed.

The national team of Turkmenistan was included in group “E” together with the teams of Iran, Uzbekistan, as well as the winner of the first round of qualifying pair Hong Kong - Bhutan.

Based on the results of the second round, the two best teams from each group will advance to the third round of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, and will also secure participation in the final stage of the 2027 Asian Cup.

The matches of the first round of the second round of the qualifying stage will take place on November 16, 2023, and the second round of qualification will end on June 1, 2024.

The Turkmenistan national team will play at home against Uzbekistan in the first round on November 16.