The Turkmenistan national team defeated Sri Lanka 2-1 in the third round of qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia for the first time, according to the news agency ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’.

The match was held at the 10,000-seat stadium in Arkadag, where the Turkmenistan national team played its first official game. Elman Tagayev (52nd minute) and Mekan Saparov (57th minute) scored the winning goals, while the visitors narrowed the gap in the 65th minute after a ricochet from Guychmyrat Annagulyev.

After four rounds, the Turkmen national team is among the leaders of Group D with 9 points, which also includes Thailand, Sri Lanka and Chinese Taipei.

Turkmenistan will play its next match on 18 November 2025 at home against Chinese Taipei, and will conclude the qualifiers on 31 March 2026 with an away match against Thailand.