Football in Turkmenistan

Football is the most popular sport in Turkmenistan, a country that gained independence in 1991. The national association regularly takes part in competitions organised by FIFA and the AFC at senior and youth level. Valeri Nepomniachi is probably the most famous name in Turkmen football. He was the coach who led Cameroon to the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. The Africans surprised many with their 1-0 win over defending champions Argentina in the opening match and finally bowed out in the quarter-finals. There are 40 clubs, 820 players, and 30 referees in the country. The major stadiums are: Köpetdag Stadium, Nabitchi (Nebitdag, 15,000 seats), and The Builder (Ashgabat, 11,000 seats).

Football in Turkmenistan started to develop in the 1920s, however the sport became more organised when in 1937 the first championship of the Turkmen SSR was held. From 1937 until 1991, the most successful clubs were Neftyanik Kvasnovodsk and Pogranichnik Ashkhabad having won each six Turkmen SSR Championship Titles.

Even though no team from the Turkmen SSR ever played in the Soviet Top League, several footballers did, of whom most notably are Valeri Broshin, Kurban Berdyev, Sergey Agashkov, Ravshan Muhadov,Dmitri Khomukha, Charyar Mukhadov and Vitaliy Kafanov.