Turkmenistan's FC Ahal has discovered its group stage rivals for the 2026/2027 AFC Challenge League campaign. Following the official draw conducted at the Asian Football Confederation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, the club was placed in Group A of the West Zone alongside Lebanon's Al-Ansar, Syria's Al-Ittihad, and host club Paro FC from Bhutan.

Group fixtures will be played in a centralized single round-robin format in Bhutan between October 17 and October 23, 2026. All 20 participating teams across the tournament's group stage are guaranteed a participation grant of $100,000.

The top teams from the three West Zone groups, alongside the best second-placed finisher, will qualify for the quarterfinals. The knockout stage is scheduled to commence with the quarterfinals in March 2027, followed by the semifinals in April, culminating in the final match on May 8, 2027.