Tajikistan’s youth national football team achieved its main goal in the qualifying tournament for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2027, securing victory over Jordan with a score of 1:0 and advancing to the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2027.
Before the final round, the situation for the Tajik team was challenging. After a loss to Bahrain 2:3 and a convincing victory over Afghanistan 4:1, the national team needed to secure a result in the decisive match against Jordan.
Moreover, it was Jordan that entered the final round as leaders: two wins in two matches and six points. Tajikistan had three points, so a loss would have effectively left the team in a difficult fight for a spot among the best second-place finishers. But the youth team decided the matter on their own—they defeated the leaders and took first place.
In the first 20 minutes, the teams created virtually no clear-cut chances. Jordan controlled the ball slightly more, but Tajikistan looked sharper in attack at times. Before halftime, Furkon Rahimzoda, Asadbek Makhtumov, and Akhmadjon Shoev failed to capitalize on their opportunities. Right after the break, it was Tajikistan’s turn to get lucky.
In the 46th minute, Abdel Rahman Alzagaibeh had an excellent opportunity to put Jordan ahead. After a pass from Mustafa Ali Mahmoud and with goalkeeper Salem Al-Shallul out of position, the goal was essentially wide open, but the Jordanian player’s shot was inaccurate.
Then in the 55th minute came the decisive moment of the match. Furkon Rahimzoda delivered a corner kick, and Muhammad Isaakov was in the right place and redirected the ball into the undefended goal—1:0. For the defender, this goal was, without exaggeration, one of the most important of his career: it was this goal that ultimately took Tajikistan’s youth national team to the final stage of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup. The remaining time, Rustam Khodzhaev’s team held on. Jordan could not equalize, and the final score was 1:0.
What makes this particularly valuable is how Tajikistan’s entire path in Bahrain unfolded. The start was unsuccessful. In the first round, the Tajik youth team lost to the hosts of the qualification 2:3. All three of Bahrain’s goals were scored by Ali Mahran. Meanwhile, Jordan defeated Afghanistan 1:0.
After the first match day, Tajikistan’s position looked worrying. But in the second round, Khodzhaev’s team responded convincingly—4:1 against Afghanistan. Tajikistan had already scored three goals by halftime, and the victory brought the team back into contention for first place.
Meanwhile, Jordan defeated Bahrain 2:1 thanks to a goal from Saud Abu Zaid in stoppage time and entered the final round with a perfect record. It turned out that Tajikistan had to beat a team that had not dropped a single point up to that point. And the Tajik footballers succeeded.
After Tajikistan’s victory, it remained to wait for the result of the second match of the final round. And there was a surprise. Afghanistan, having lost the first two matches, defeated the hosts of the qualification 3:1.
In the end, Bahrain, which started the qualification with a victory over Tajikistan, lost the next two matches and was eliminated from the final stage. Afghanistan also earned three points and finished ahead of the hosts on goal difference. Most importantly for us—Tajikistan finished the tournament in first place.
The new qualification format provided for eight groups. The winners of each group automatically advanced to the final stage, with seven more spots going to the best teams that finished in second place. Together with hosts China, they formed a field of 16 participants. Therefore, first place was of crucial importance.
The AFC has officially included Tajikistan among the eight winners of the qualifying groups along with South Korea, Uzbekistan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Japan, and Indonesia. Thus, Rustam Khodzhaev’s team has accomplished the main objective of the qualification.
Four pots have now been formed for the draw. Tajikistan is in the third pot together with Indonesia, Thailand, and Oman. The first pot includes hosts China, South Korea, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. The second pot contains Uzbekistan, Iraq, Iran, and Jordan. The fourth pot includes India, North Korea, Malaysia, and Lebanon.
This means that Tajikistan will not be able to be drawn in the same group as Indonesia, Thailand, and Oman, but will receive one opponent each from the first, second, and fourth pots.
