Kyrgyzstan national football team

Kyrgyzstan
Nickname(s)	Ак шумкарлар; (The White Falcons)
Association	Kyrgyz Football Union
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	CAFA (Central Asia)
Head coach	Aleksandr Krestinin
Captain	Valery Kichin
Most caps	Vadim Kharchenko (53)
Top scorer	Mirlan Murzaev (14)
Home stadium	Dolen Omurzakov Stadium
FIFA code	KGZ
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	96 (23 December 2021)
Highest	75 (April-May 2018)
Lowest	201 (March 2013)
First international
	Uzbekistan 3–0 Kyrgyzstan ; (Tashkent, Uzbekistan; 23 August 1992)
Biggest win
	Kyrgyzstan 7–0 Myanmar ; (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; 10 October 2019); Myanmar 1–8 Kyrgyzstan ; (Osaka, Japan; 11 June 2021)
Biggest defeat
	Iran 7–0 Kyrgyzstan ; (Damascus, Syria; 4 June 1997)
Asian Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2019)
Best result	Round of 16 (2019)
WAFF Championship
Appearances	1 (first in 2000)
Best result	Group stage (2000)
AFC Challenge Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 2006)
Best result	Third place (2006)

The Kyrgyzstan national football team (Kyrgyz: Кыргыз Республикасынын улуттук курама командасы (Qyrğyz Respublikasynyn uluttuq qurama komandasy); Russian: Сборная Кыргызской Республики по футболу (Sbornaya Kirgizskoi Respubliki po Futbolu)), officially recognised by FIFA and AFC as Kyrgyz Republic, represents Kyrgyzstan in international football and is controlled by the Kyrgyz Football Union, a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Central Asian Football Association.

History[]

1992 to 2010: Rough unfolding[]

After the breakup of the Soviet Union and declaration of its independence, Kyrgyzstan became a fully recognized FIFA and AFC member. They played their first match away in Tashkent, against Uzbekistan on 23 August 1992 in the , losing 3–0.

In June 1993, Kyrgyz Republic travelled to Tehran, Iran for the 1993 ECO Cup. They lost 3–2 on 6 June to Azerbaijan and then drew 1–1 two days later against Tajikistan.

In April 1994, Kyrgyzstan played other Central Asian teams in a tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. On 13 April they lost 5–1 to Turkmenistan, then on 15 April 1–0 to Tajikistan. On 17 April they drew 0–0 against Kazakhstan before losing 3–0 to the hosts two days later.^[2]

Kyrgyzstan continues to struggle, due to little interest in developing football in the Republic. In a span of 20 years, the national team had got no more than 38 matches, with a win rate 26,3%. Lack of basic developments when comparing to its Central Asian neighbors made Kyrgyzstan remain backward behind Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Despite this, Kyrgyzstan still managed to achieve some significant results, such as winning bronze in the 2006 AFC Challenge Cup.

Since 2010s: The dawn[]

With the arrival of Sergey Dvoryankov, the team had witnessed a surge. Dvoryankov made change calling and naturalizing a number of foreign players into the national team of Kyrgyzstan such as Ghana's David Tetteh, Elijah Ari and Daniel Tagoe; Cameroon's Claude Maka Kum; Germany's Viktor Maier, Vitalij Lux, Viktor Kelm and Edgar Bernhardt; as well as calling more Kyrgyz-born Russian and German players to play for the team. As for the result, Kyrgyzstan's football dramatically improved. The White Falcons had made up significantly good result during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, when Kyrgyzstan managed to defeat its long time neighbor-rival, Tajikistan, or defeating Jordan, which team had also beaten Australia before, as well as managed to play well against Asian champions Australia despite losing both matches.

Under another Russian manager, Aleksandr Krestinin, Kyrgyzstan is heading to qualify for its first ever AFC Asian Cup since independence, when they placed themselves against India, Myanmar and Macau. On 22 March 2018, after thrashing Myanmar 5–1, Kyrgyzstan had finally qualified for their first ever AFC Asian Cup in the history.

2019 AFC Asian Cup[]

Kyrgyzstan was grouped with South Korea, China and the Philippines, all have better head-to-head records against theirs. The underdog's performance: losing to China and South Korea both by just one goal margin, before cruising against the Philippines 3–1 to progress as one of the best third-place team in their maiden debut. In the knockout stage, despite facing the host UAE, Kyrgyzstan played with full fighting spirit only to lose 2–3 after 120'.

Rivalries[]

The principal rival of the Kyrgyzstan national football team is the culturally, as well as the northern geographical neighbor of Kyrgyzstan — Kazakhstan national football team. The matches between these two teams are of great importance for the fans of both teams, and the matches with the participation of these teams turn into a full house among the fans. Also, the matches with the Tajikistan national football team — with the southern neighbor of Kyrgyzstan, as well as with other Central Asian teams (national teams of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) have some principle.

Results and fixtures[]

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2021[]

7 June 2021 (2021-06-07) 2022 FWCQ R2	Kyrgyzstan	0–1	Mongolia	Osaka, Japan
13:00 UTC+6		Report	Mijiddorj 34'	Stadium: Yanmar Stadium Nagai Referee: Yu Ming Hsun (Chinese Taipei)

11 June 2021 (2021-06-11) 2022 FWCQ R2	Myanmar	1–8	Kyrgyzstan	Osaka, Japan
16:00 UTC+9	Hlaing Bo Bo 69'	Report	Rustamov 22' Alykulov 29' Musabekov 34' Shukurov 45' Murzaev 45+2', 61', 78' Bokoleyev 63'	Stadium: Yanmar Stadium Nagai Referee: Hussein Abou Yehya (Lebanon)

15 June 2021 (2021-06-15) 2022 FWCQ R2	Japan	5–1	Kyrgyzstan	Suita, Japan
19:25 UTC+9	Onaiwu 27' (pen.), 31', 33' Sasaki 72' Asano 77'	Report	Murzaev 45+2' (pen.)	Stadium: Panasonic Stadium Referee: Omar Al-Yaqoubi (Oman)

2 September 2021 (2021-09-02) Three Nations Cup	Kyrgyzstan	1–0	Palestine	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
20:30 UTC+6	Azarov 26'	Report	Darwish	Stadium: Dolen Omurzakov Stadium Attendance: 14,500 Referee: Akhrol Riskullaev (Uzbekistan)

7 September 2021 (2021-09-07) Three Nations Cup	Kyrgyzstan	4–1	Bangladesh	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
20:30 UTC+6	Moldozhunusov 10' Shukurov 39' Rustamov 46' Duyshobekov 89'	Report	Sufil 53'	Stadium: Dolen Omurzakov Stadium Attendance: 14,000 Referee: Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan)

11 November 2021 (2021-11-11) Friendly	Kyrgyzstan	2–1	Singapore	Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
20:00	Akmatov 3' Batyrkanov 9'	Report	Sulaiman 21'	Stadium: Al Hamriya Sports Club Stadium

16 November Friendly	Bahrain	4–2	Kyrgyzstan	Riffa, Bahrain
19:00 UTC+3	Madan 23' Marhoon 45+1', 50' Al Aswad 71'	Report	Kichin 16' (pen.) Abdurakhmanov 24'	Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium

Coaching staff[]

As of 10 January 2019^[4]

Head coach	Aleksandr Krestinin
Assistant coach	Nikolai Yuzhanin Vladimir Salo Igor Kudrenko Talant Samsaliev
Goalkeeping coach	Zakir Jalilov
Fitness coach	Dmitry Gureev
Executive director	Yevgeniy Frolov
Administrator	Azamat Alykulov
Medical	Nurbek Ismailov

Coaching history[]

Manager	From	To	Record
Manager	From	To	G	W	D	L	Win %
Meklis Koshaliyev	August 1992	February 1996	15	1	3	11	006.67
Yevgeniy Novikov	June 1997	February 2001	19	4	1	14	021.05
Nematjan Zakirov	March 2003	March 2006	12	4	2	6	033.33
Boris Podkorytov	March 2006	December 2006	6	3	0	3	050.00
Nematjan Zakirov	January 2007	December 2008	12	4	0	8	033.33
Anarbek Ormonbekov	January 2009	May 2011	13	3	3	7	023.08
Murat Jumakeev	May 2011	September 2012	3	0	0	3	000.00
Sergey Dvoryankov	September 2012	May 2014	6	3	1	2	050.00
Mirlan Eshenov (Caretaker)	May 2014	October 2014	3	0	0	3	000.00
Aleksandr Krestinin	October 2014	Present^a	41	16	7	18	039.02
Total			110	32	14	64	029.09
^a Accurate up to and including 6 December 2017.

Players[]

Current squad[]

The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Singapore and Bahrain on 11 and 16 November 2021 respectively. ^[5]
Caps and goals correct as of 11 November 2021 after the match against Singapore.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Erzhan Tokotaev	(2000-07-17) 17 July 2000 (age 21)	3	0	Alga Bishkek
13	1GK	Kutman Kadyrbekov	(1997-06-13) 13 June 1997 (age 24)	5	0	Dordoi Bishkek
16	1GK		(1992-11-16) 16 November 1992 (age 29)	0	0	Abdysh-Ata Kant

2	2DF	Valery Kichin	(1992-10-12) 12 October 1992 (age 29)	34	2	Yenisey Krasnoyarsk
3	2DF	Tamirlan Kozubayev	(1994-07-01) 1 July 1994 (age 27)	31	2	Turan
4	2DF	Kayrat Izakov	(1997-06-08) 8 June 1997 (age 24)	3	0	Abdysh-Ata Kant
5	2DF	Aizar Akmatov	(1998-08-24) 24 August 1998 (age 23)	10	1	Sheikh Russel KC
11	2DF	Aleksandr Mishchenko	(1997-07-30) 30 July 1997 (age 24)	7	0	Dordoi Bishkek
18	2DF	Kairat Zhyrgalbek Uulu	(1993-06-13) 13 June 1993 (age 28)	46	2	Dordoi Bishkek
	2DF		(1995-10-15) 15 October 1995 (age 26)	0	0	Abdysh-Ata Kant
	2DF	Bekzhan Sagynbaev	(1994-09-11) 11 September 1994 (age 27)	19	4	Dordoi Bishkek

7	3MF	Tursunali Rustamov	(1990-01-31) 31 January 1990 (age 31)	24	6	Dordoi Bishkek
8	3MF	Azim Azarov	(1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 (age 25)	3	1	Alga Bishkek
10	3MF	Temirbolot Tapaev	(1999-08-01) 1 August 1999 (age 22)	3	0	Alga Bishkek
12	3MF	Odiljon Abdurakhmanov	(1996-03-18) 18 March 1996 (age 25)	17	0	Bunyodkor
20	3MF		(1994-02-07) 7 February 1994 (age 27)	1	0	Abdysh-Ata Kant
21	3MF	Farhat Musabekov	(1994-01-03) 3 January 1994 (age 27)	40	2	Turan
22	3MF	Alimardon Shukurov	(1999-09-28) 28 September 1999 (age 22)	13	4	Neman Grodno
23	3MF	Abay Bokoleyev	(1996-02-03) 3 February 1996 (age 25)	5	1	Dordoi Bishkek
	3MF	Atay Dzhumashev	(1998-09-15) 15 September 1998 (age 23)	2	0	Abdysh-Ata Kant
	3MF		(2000-04-22) 22 April 2000 (age 21)	0	0	Dordoi Bishkek
	3MF	Gulzhigit Alykulov	(2000-11-25) 25 November 2000 (age 21)	11	3	Kairat
	3MF		(1998-04-05) 5 April 1998 (age 23)	0	0

9	4FW	Ernist Batyrkanov	(1998-02-21) 21 February 1998 (age 23)	12	1	Van
19	4FW	Eldar Moldozhunusov	(1995-09-15) 15 September 1995 (age 26)	6	1	Alay Osh

Recent call ups[]

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Ruslan Amirov	(1990-10-14) 14 October 1990 (age 31)	13	0	Abdysh-Ata Kant	v. Bangladesh, 7 Sept 2021
GK		(2001-09-18) 18 September 2001 (age 20)	0	0	Shakhter Karagandy	v. Bangladesh, 7 Sept 2021
GK	Pavel Matyash	(1987-07-11) 11 July 1987 (age 34)	44	0	Alga Bishkek	v. Japan, 15 June 2021
GK	Valery Kashuba	(1984-09-14) 14 September 1984 (age 37)	23	0	Dordoi Bishkek	v. Japan, 15 June 2021

DF	Avazbek Otkeev	(1993-12-04) 4 December 1993 (age 28)	6	0	Dordoi Bishkek	v. Bangladesh, 7 Sept 2021
DF	Christian Brauzman	(2003-08-15) 15 August 2003 (age 18)	1	0	Abdysh-Ata Kant	v. Bangladesh, 7 Sept 2021
DF		(1996-06-19) 19 June 1996 (age 25)	0	0	Alay Osh	v. Bangladesh, 7 Sept 2021
DF	Mustafa Iusupov	(1995-07-01) 1 July 1995 (age 26)	11	0	Free agent	v. Japan, 15 June 2021

MF	Bakhtiyar Duyshobekov	(1995-06-03) 3 June 1995 (age 26)	33	2	Sheikh Russel KC	v. Bangladesh, 7 Sept 2021
MF		(1995-01-17) 17 January 1995 (age 26)	0	0	Dordoi Bishkek	v. Bangladesh, 7 Sept 2021
MF	Edgar Bernhardt	(1986-03-30) 30 March 1986 (age 35)	40	4	Dordoi Bishkek	v. Japan, 15 June 2021
MF	Murolimzhon Akhmedov	(1992-01-05) 5 January 1992 (age 29)	13	0	Bangladesh Police	v. Japan, 15 June 2021
MF	Akhlidin Israilov	(1994-09-16) 16 September 1994 (age 27)	27	3	Alay Osh	v. Japan, 15 June 2021

FW	Ryskeldi Artykbaev	(2001-04-09) 9 April 2001 (age 20)	1	0	Dordoi Bishkek	v. Bangladesh, 7 Sept 2021
FW	Mirlan Murzaev	(1990-03-29) 29 March 1990 (age 31)	48	14	Chennaiyin	v. Japan, 15 June 2021

^INJ Withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
^PRE Preliminary squad.

Records[]

As of match played 11 June 2021^[6]

Players in bold are still active with Kyrgyzstan.

Most appearances[]

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Vadim Kharchenko	53	3	2003–2015
2	Mirlan Murzaev	48	14	2009–present
3	Pavel Matyash	44	0	2009–present
4	Kairat Zhyrgalbek Uulu	43	2	2013–present
4	Ruslan Sydykov	43	1	1997–2013
6	Edgar Bernhardt	40	4	2014–present
6	Farhat Musabekov	40	2	2015–present
8	Ildar Amirov	39	2	2006–2016
9	Vyacheslav Amin	38	1	2000–2009
	Davron Askarov	38	0	2006–2014
	Talant Samsaliev	38	1	2003–2015

Top goalscorers[]

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Average	Period
1	Mirlan Murzaev	14	48	0.29	2009–present
2	Anton Zemlianukhin	13	29	0.45	2007–2019
3	Vitalij Lux	8	31	0.26	2015–present
4	Tursunali Rustamov	5	17	0.29	2012–present
5	Azamat Baymatov	4	32	0.13	2010–present
5	Edgar Bernhardt	4	39	0.1	2014–present
7	Cholponbek Esenkul Uulu	3	9	0.33	2007–2014
	Alimardon Shukurov	3	11	0.27	2017–present
	Sergey Chikishev	3	12	0.25	2003–2010
	David Tetteh	3	14	0.21	2013–2015
	Sergey Kutsov	3	16	0.19	1996–2001
		3	17	0.18	1994–2000
	Zamirbek Zhumagulov	3	18	0.17	1992–2003
	Bekzhan Sagynbaev	3	19	0.16	2018–present
	Akhlidin Israilov	3	27	0.11	2013–present
	Ruslan Jamshidov	3	28	0.11	1999–2011
	Ildar Amirov	3	39	0.08	2006–2016
	Vadim Kharchenko	3	51	0.06	2003–2015

Competitive record[]

FIFA World Cup[]

FIFA World Cup									FIFA World Cup qualification
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1990	Part of Soviet Union								Part of Soviet Union
1994	Did not enter								Did not enter
1998	Did not qualify								5	3	0	2	12	11
2002									6	1	1	4	3	9
2006									8	3	1	4	11	12
2010									2	1	0	1	2	2
2014									2	0	0	2	0	7
2018									8	4	2	2	10	8
2022									8	3	1	4	19	12
2026	To de determined								To be determined
Total	–	0/23	–	–	–	–	–	–	39	15	6	19	57	61

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)[]

AFC Asian Cup[]

AFC Asian Cup									AFC Asian Cup qualification
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1956 to 1988	Part of Soviet Union								Part of Soviet Union
1992	Not a AFC member								Not a AFC member
1996	Did not qualify								4	1	0	3	3	7
2000									3	0	0	3	3	11
2004									2	1	0	1	3	2
2007	Did not enter								Did not enter
2011	Did not qualify								2008 & 2010 AFC Challenge Cup
2015	Did not qualify								2012 & 2014 AFC Challenge Cup
2019	Round of 16	15th	4	1	0	3	6	7	14	8	3	3	26	17
2023	To be determined								To be determined
Total	1/17	15th	4	1	0	3	6	7	23	10	3	10	35	37

AFC Challenge Cup[]

AFC Challenge Cup Finals								AFC Challenge Cup qualification
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2006	Third place	5	3	0	2	4	3	–	–	–	–	–	–
2008	Did not qualify							2	1	0	1	2	2
2010	Group stage	3	1	0	2	2	6	2	0	2	0	2	2
2012	Did not qualify							3	1	0	2	5	6
2014	Group stage	3	1	0	2	1	3	3	3	0	0	3	0
Total	Best: Third place	11	5	0	6	7	12	10	5	2	3	12	10

West Asian Championship[]

Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2000	Group stage	3	0	0	3	0	8
Total	1/8	3	0	0	3	0	8

ELF Cup[]

In 2006, Kyrgyzstan took part in the inaugural ELF Cup in Northern Cyprus. This competition was originally intended to be for teams that were not members of FIFA; however, the organisers extended invitations to both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, who were both represented by their national futsal teams.

Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2006	Semi-finals		5	2	1	2	11	8

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

References[]

^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ ^a ^b Hyung-Jin, Yoon (30 April 2006). "Kyrgyzstan International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
^ Национальная сборная (in Russian). Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic. 6 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
^ "СОСТАВ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОЙ СБОРНОЙ КЫРГЫЗСКОЙ РЕСПУБЛИКИ ПО ФУТБОЛУ НА НОЯБРЬСКИЕ ДАТЫ".
^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Kyrgyzstan - Record International Players". RSSSF.

External links[]

Kyrgyzstan at FIFA.com
Kyrgyz FA (in Kyrgyz and Russian)

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.

[RSSSF-2] Hyung-Jin, Yoon (30 April 2006). "Kyrgyzstan International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 November 2010.

[World_Football_Elo_Ratings-3] Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.

[4] Национальная сборная (in Russian). Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic. 6 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.

[5] "СОСТАВ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОЙ СБОРНОЙ КЫРГЫЗСКОЙ РЕСПУБЛИКИ ПО ФУТБОЛУ НА НОЯБРЬСКИЕ ДАТЫ".

[6] Mamrud, Roberto. "Kyrgyzstan - Record International Players". RSSSF.

[1]

[2]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t Football in Kyrgyzstan
Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic
National teams	Men's Women's Futsal (Men's) U-23 U-20 U-17
League competitions	Kyrgyz Premier League Kyrgyzstan League Second Level Kyrgyzstan Futsal League Kyrgyzstan Women's Championship
Domestic Cups	Kyrgyzstan Cup Kyrgyzstan Super Cup
List of clubs National team results

v t Kyrgyzstan national football team
General	Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic History Head Coaches
Venues	Dolen Omurzakov Stadium
Statistics	Results
Asian Cup Finals	2019
Other tournaments	Asian Games
Other teams	Olympic U-20 U-17 Women's team Futsal

v t National men's football teams of Asia (AFC)
AFC Asian Cup
West Asia (WAFF)	Bahrain Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria United Arab Emirates Yemen
Central Asia (CAFA)	Afghanistan IR Iran Kyrgyz Republic Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan
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East Asia (EAFF)	China PR Chinese Taipei Guam Hong Kong Japan Korea DPR Korea Republic Macau Mongolia Northern Mariana Islands¹
Southeast Asia (AFF)	Australia Brunei Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Timor-Leste Vietnam
Defunct	Malaya North Vietnam South Vietnam South Yemen
Former	Israel (moved to UEFA in 1994) Kazakhstan (moved to UEFA in 2002) New Zealand (formed the OFC in 1966)
¹ Not a member of FIFA

v t National sports teams of Kyrgyzstan
Bandy Basketball Football M U23 U20 U17 W Futsal Ice hockey M U20 Rugby union M W Tennis M W
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