On February 11, Turkmenistan's “Arkadag” will host Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi Arabian “Al-Nassr” in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16. This article contains all the official news, some rumors, and an overview of the upcoming match. The match kicks off at 6:45 PM local time and is expected to take place at the Olympic Stadium in Ashgabat. The return leg will take place on February 18 in Saudi Arabia.

Match venue

The Olympic Stadium in Ashgabat seats 45 thousand spectators and is the largest stadium by capacity in Turkmenistan and all of Central Asia. The arena was built specifically for the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, which took place in the capital of Turkmenistan in 2017. Since the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, the stadium has not hosted any official competitions. The match against “Al-Nasr” will be the first football match at this arena.

The Asian Football Confederation has not yet officially approved the Olympic Stadium as the venue for the Turkmen team's home match. AFC documents still list “Arkadag's” home stadium, which has a capacity of 10 thousand. However, all indications are that the match will be held at the Olympic Stadium. “Arkadag” has returned from vacation early and begun preparations for the new season at the Olympic Stadium, where the team will hold several training sessions before departing for training camp abroad, presumably in Türkiye.

Official ticket sales for the match have not yet begun.

Team standings

Saudi Arabia's “Al-Nassr” won group D in the previous round of the AFC Champions League with a flawless record: six wins in six matches with an impressive 22-2 goal difference. “Arkadag”, with one win, four draws, and one loss, finished second in group B, scoring five goals and conceding six in six matches.

The football season in Turkmenistan has now concluded. “Arkadag” won another championship, as well as the national Cup and Super Cup. In Saudi Arabia, the season is in full swing, and “Al-Nasr” is second in the table, one point behind leaders “Al-Hilal”.

The winner of the two-legged tie between these teams will play the winner of the match between “Al-Zawraa” (Iraq) and “Al-Wasl” (UAE) in the quarterfinals. The other Western Zone quarterfinal will feature the winners of the matches between “Foolad Mobarek Sepahan” (Iran) and “Al-Ahli” (Qatar) and “Esteghlal” (Iran) and “Al-Hussein” (Jordan).

“Arkadag” has already earned 430 thousand USD in the current AFC Champions League: 300 thousand USD for participating in the group stage, 80 thousand USD for reaching the round of 16, and 50 thousand USD for their only group win. “Al-Nasr”, with six group stage wins, earned 680 thousand USD.

The winner of the quarterfinals will receive 160 thousand USD, while the semifinalists will receive 240 thousand USD. The tournament finalist will earn 1 million USD, while the champion will earn 2,5 million USD.

“Al-Nassr's” star-studded lineup

Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest footballers of his generation, will play for “Al-Nassr” since 2023. He will be 41 years old by the time of the match against “Arkadag”. The Portuguese is a five-time UEFA Champions League winner, the 2016 European Champion, and the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League winner with the Portugal national team. Ronaldo's biography includes numerous records and trophies. He holds five Ballon d'Or and four Golden Boots, holds the record for goals for his national team and in European competitions, and is the only player to have won the English, Spanish, and Italian championships. In 2024, he became the first player in history to score more than 900 goals in official matches.

Besides Ronaldo, “Al Nasr” also boasts other world football stars, including Portugal's João Félix, Senegal's Sadio Mané, France's Kingsley Coman, and Croatia's Marcelo Brozović. The Saudi Arabian club is coached by 71-year-old Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus.

According to Transfermarkt, “Al-Nassr's” value is 138,13 million euros.

“Arkadag” transfers

Football club “Arkadag” announced the signing of contracts with three players from the Turkmenistan national team ahead of the AFC Champions League Round of 16 matches.

25-year-old Turkmenistan national team midfielder Meylis Diniev has officially signed for the club. Last season, Diniev played for “Kyrgyzaltyn” Karabalta in Kyrgyzstan, where he made 12 appearances and scored two goals. According to Transfermarkt, his market value is 150 thousand euros.

The team's newcomers also included 22-year-old “Kopetdag” forward Dayanch Meredov and 24-year-old “Altyn Asyr” forward Rahman Myratberdiev.

Following the transfers, the value of “Arkadag” Football Club increased from 2,88 million euros to 3,15 million euros.

Roster status

Judging by photos from the training session, one of the club's key defenders, Abdy Bashimov, has returned to the “Arkadag” team. However, forwards Altymurad Annadurdyyev and Shanazar Tirkishov are still missing, continuing their recovery.

Coaching Changes

Rovshan Mukhadov has left the “Arkadag” football club due to the expiration of his contract. The coach told the online publication Turkmenportal this. According to the coach, the two sides thanked each other for their cooperation and wished each other success in their future endeavors.

According to Turkmenportal, Mergen Orazov may be brought in as a consultant to work with the team. This is indicated by photos and videos released by “Arkadag's” press service from a training session at the Olympic Stadium.

Mergen Orazov began his coaching career as an assistant at “Altyn Asyr”. He later managed “Kopetdag” and “Ahal”, the latter of which won the national championship and the Cup and Super Cup under his guidance. In 2023, he coached the Turkmenistan national team. He interned at the “Villarreal” academy and the Portuguese national team. In 2025, he worked at the Lithuanian club “Dainava”.

History of head-to-head matches

“Arkadag” and “Al-Nasr” have never met before. However, clubs from Turkmenistan have experience facing Saudi Arabian teams. For example, Turkmenistan's “Ahal” recently beat Saudi Arabia's “Al-Faiha” 1-0 at home in the first round of the 2023/24 AFC Champions League, but lost the return leg away 3-1.

Comments

Former chairman of FC “Arkadag” and current chairman of the Football Federation of Turkmenistan, Guvanchmuhamed Ovekov, stated that the three-time defending national champions will try to beat “Al-Nasr”.

"We're glad that “Al-Nasr” is coming to us. But we'll try to win," Ovekov noted.