Turkmenistan can count themselves fortunate to have avoided preliminary qualification for the 2008 AFC Futsal Championship.

Turkmenistan caused the first real upset of the championship with a 1–0 win over Australia in their opening game, Elman Tagayev scoring the only goal in the first half.

Turkmenistan were not expected to make it out of the group after poor performances in previous championships.

They were uninspiring in 2005 and the following year had little chance in a group that included powerhouses Iran and ASEAN kingpins Thailand.

But with more games under their belt, the relatively young squad will be aiming for better results this year.