“Arkadag” FC has arrived in Dubai to prepare for the AFC Challenge League
The two-time champion of Turkmenistan, "Arkadag" Football Club, has begun preparations for the debut international tournament - the AFC Challenge League for the season 2024/25.
On Friday, 18 October, the team led by Vladimir Bayramov arrived in Dubai, UAE, where they commenced their training camp.
On the same day, “Arkadag” held its first training session in a light, recovery format.
As part of the preparatory training camp in Dubai, which will last until 21 October, “Arkadag” FC has scheduled a friendly match against “Al-Hamriyah” Club, playing in the UAE First Division. This match, set for 20 October, will be an important step in the team's preparation for the start of the group stage of the AFC Challenge League.
After the completion of the training camp in Dubai “Arkadag” FC will go to Kuwait City, the capital of Kuwait, to begin their participation in the AFC Challenge League.
As a reminder, following the draw, "Arkadag" was placed in Group “B” of the Western Zone, where its opponents will be Kuwaiti club “Al-Arabi”, Maldivian club “Maziya Sports and Recreation”, and Kyrgyz club “Abdysh-Ata”. The group stage matches will take place in a centralized format in Kuwait from 26 October to 2 November.
The tournament features 18 teams divided into two zones - West and East. Eight teams will qualify for the quarter-finals: the three group winners and the best team among the second places in the Western Zone, as well as the best two from each group of the Eastern Zone.
The play-offs will take place in a two-match format (home and away). The quarter-finals are scheduled from 5 to 13 March, 2025, the semi-finals from 9 to 17 April and the final is set for 10 May, 2025.
Bayram ARTYKOV
