Back-to-back invincible seasons with a flawless 100% win rate. A debut Asian campaign marked by improbable home triumphs. A domestic champion “deliberately” placed in Asia’s third-tier club competition. And behind it all, a dictator’s dream of footballing glory. The story of FK Arkadag—the so-called “best football team in the world”—is set to enter a new chapter after securing their place in the 2024/25 AFC Challenge League final.
Founded in 2023 at the behest of former Turkmenistan dictator Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow—nicknamed Arkadag, or “The Protector”—FK Arkadag is based in the newly constructed city of the same name. The club was formally inaugurated by Gurbanguly’s son, current Turkmenistan president Serdar Berdimuhamedow, and its crest features a rampant Akhal-Teke horse, a nod to Gurbanguly’s favorite animal. A futuristic satellite city of Ashgabat, Arkadag was developed as the new capital of Ahal Province, with the club playing its home matches at the 10,000-seat Arkadag Stadium.
The club was fast-tracked into the Turkmen top flight, with the domestic transfer window conveniently expanded to allow Arkadag to poach top talent from rivals such as Altyn Asyr FK, Ahal FK, and FC Ashgabat—much to the dismay of fans across the country. By April 2025, a significant portion of the Turkmenistan national team hailed from Arkadag, including star striker Didar Durdyýew, veteran defender Mekan Saparow, and midfield anchor Ahmet Ataýew, who previously played for Indonesia’s Arema FC and Persela Lamongan, as well as Sabah FA in Malaysia.
As expected from a squad built with the best talent Turkmenistan had to offer, Arkadag dominated the 2023 Ýokary Liga, winning all 24 matches, scoring 83 goals, and conceding just 17. Their flawless campaign secured qualification for Asian competition the following season. Curiously, however, it was runners-up Altyn Asyr—not Arkadag—who were awarded a spot in the 2024/25 AFC Champions League Two, a place typically reserved for league champions. Arkadag, instead, were placed in the 2024/25 AFC Challenge League.
The official explanation was that Arkadag failed to obtain the necessary licensing for ACL2 participation. However, with widespread accusations that the Turkmen football authorities are favoring the club—unsurprising, given its ties to the ruling Berdimuhamedow family—many suspect this was a calculated move. Placing Arkadag in the ACGL, which features less-established opponents compared to ACL2’s powerhouses from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Japan, South Korea, and Australia, could give them a clearer path to continental success.
These same accusations also played a role in Arkadag being denied official recognition as the “best football team in the world.” Their staggering 61-match winning streak—which spanned the 2023 Ýokary Liga and parts of the 2024 season, their victorious 2023 Turkmenistan Cup run (yes, they completed the double in their debut year), and several matches in the 2024/25 AFC Challenge League—was not acknowledged by the Guinness World Records. The organization cited concerns over the governance and integrity of the Ýokary Liga as the reason for Arkadag’s omission. Instead, Guinness recognized Saudi powerhouse Al-Hilal’s 34-game winning streak around the same period as football’s official longest winning streak.
Arkadag once again steamrolled through the 2024 Ýokary Liga season, winning all 30 matches while racking up a staggering 147 goals and conceding only 20. They also clinched that year’s Turkmenistan Cup, completing another domestic double. However, things have proven far less straightforward on the continental stage, where officials are considerably less lenient than their counterparts back home.
Drawn into Group B alongside hosts Al-Arabi of Kuwait, Abydsh-Ata Kant of Kyrgyzstan, and Maldivian champions Maziya, Arkadag began their maiden continental campaign with high expectations. Their opener came against a Maziya side bolstered by several Southeast Asian imports, but it was the Turkmens who entered as clear favorites.
Despite falling behind to a strike from former PSIS Semarang fan-favorite Jonathan Cantillana, Arkadag rallied in the second half. Goals from Didar Durdyýew and Altymyrat Annadurdyýew turned the tide, sealing a 2–1 comeback win—though the performance was less dominant than the scoreline might suggest.
Their second outing, against Abydsh-Ata, proved more straightforward. On paper, the teams appeared evenly matched, but Arkadag were in control throughout. Şamämmet Hydyrow and Abdy Bäşimow each found the net in a comfortable 2–0 win.
Then came the shock. In their final group match, Arkadag suffered their first-ever competitive defeat, falling 3–2 to hosts Al-Arabi in a pulsating affair. The loss ended their astonishing 61-game winning streak, a run stretching back to the club’s founding. Still, Arkadag topped Group B thanks to their earlier wins, with Al-Arabi advancing alongside them as runners-up.
It was in the knockouts, however, that things began to take a more controversial turn.
In the quarterfinals, Arkadag faced Indian giants East Bengal, starting with a tight first leg in Kolkata. A solitary goal was enough for the visitors—hardly surprising, given East Bengal had already slipped into the AFC Challenge League after losing at home to Altyn Asyr in the ACL2 qualifiers.
The second leg in Arkadag, however, drew plenty of raised eyebrows.
Raphael Messi Bouli silenced the home crowd by scoring almost immediately, leveling the aggregate at 1–1 and giving East Bengal a lifeline. As the match dragged on with no further goals, extra time seemed inevitable—until the 89th minute, when controversy erupted. A soft foul by Bouli on Şanazar Tirkişow resulted in a highly questionable penalty. Annadurdyýew stepped up and calmly slotted it home, giving Arkadag the lead. Then, in the dying seconds, he struck again to complete his brace, sealing a dramatic 2–1 aggregate win. To add to East Bengal’s woes, they were reduced to 10 men as early as the 33rd minute after Lalchungnunga received a second yellow card.
The semifinal offered Arkadag a chance at revenge against Al-Arabi—the only team to ever defeat them.
The first leg in Kuwait ended 2–0 in favor of the hosts, who broke down Arkadag’s stubborn defense with two late goals. It was just the second competitive defeat in Arkadag’s short but dominant history.
But once again, the return leg at Arkadag Stadium proved eventful.
Tirkişow struck early in the 7th minute to halve the deficit, before Annadurdyýew equalized the aggregate with a goal in the 58th. With the tie balanced at 2–2 and extra time looming, Arkadag delivered yet another dramatic finish. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Tirkişow popped up again to score the decisive goal, sealing a 3–0 win on the night and a 3–2 aggregate triumph. Another comeback. Another last-gasp miracle. Another round of raised eyebrows.
Whether or not the Berdimuhamedow family managed to exert their influence over referees on the continental stage—as they’re widely believed to have done in the Ýokary Liga—remains unclear. But one thing is certain: Arkadag, the so-called “best football team in the world,” have reached the final of the 2024/25 AFC Challenge League in their very first Asian campaign. Standing between them and the trophy are Cambodian heavyweights Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng, who booked their spot in the showpiece with a thrilling semifinal triumph over Indonesia’s Madura United.
Set to take place at Phnom Penh’s Morodok Techo National Stadium—a fortress where both Madura United and Shan United fell during Svay Rieng’s impressive run—the final promises to be a clash of contrasting narratives. Will Arkadag conjure yet another late-game escape act, or will Svay Rieng become just the second team ever to hand the Turkmen titans a taste of defeat?
From their controversial inception to their domestic dominance and now a dramatic run to the AFC Challenge League final, FK Arkadag have quickly become one of the most talked-about clubs in Asian football—whether for their performances on the pitch or the political machinery behind them. In just two years, they’ve steamrolled the Ýokary Liga, assembled a national team core, and shaken up the regional hierarchy. Love them or loathe them, Arkadag have announced themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Now, with one match left in their continental debut season, the question remains: is this the beginning of a genuine footballing dynasty—or simply the latest chapter in a carefully crafted Turkmenistan fairytale?