In the third round of the AFC Challenge League group stage, Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr lost 1–3 to Oman’s Al-Shabab. Zafer Babadzhanov scored the only goal for Altyn Asyr in the 29th minute. Al-Shabab’s Hatim Al-Rushadi scored twice (53rd and 90+2nd minutes), while Hanaan Markne added another goal in the 45th minute.

The victory secured Al-Shabab’s spot in the quarterfinals, while Altyn Asyr retained second place in the group and a chance to advance to the playoffs. To qualify as the best second-placed team from the Western zone, Altyn Asyr needs either a draw in the match between Al-Sib (Oman) and Al-Ansar (Lebanon) or for Al-Kuwait to drop points against Bangladesh’s Bashundhara Kings.

Earlier in the group stage, Altyn Asyr had two wins: 1–0 against Kyrgyzstan’s Abdysh-Ata and 3–1 against Bhutan’s Paro.

The 2025/26 AFC Challenge League features 20 clubs divided into Western and Eastern zones. Matches are held in a centralized format, with each team facing opponents once. Each participating club receives $100,000.

Eight teams advance to the quarterfinals: three group winners and the best runner-up from the Western zone, along with the two best teams from each Eastern group. Quarterfinals will take place in March, semifinals in April 2026, and the final on May 9, 2026.

The previous edition was won by Turkmenistan’s reigning champion, Arkadag FC.