The results of the first round of the 2026/27 Armenian Premier League: 22 goals, bright debuts and an incredible comeback for Urartu

The opening round of the 2026/27 Armenian Premier League season has concluded. The championship got off to an eventful and high-scoring start: the teams scored 22 goals across six matches, two games ended in draws, and four were won by one of the sides.

The league newcomers emerged as the main footballing heroes of the round. Sardarapat thrashed Van 4–1 and moved to the top of the table, while Syunik suffered a 3–0 defeat against Noah. Other memorable moments included goals from 17-year-olds Janik Davtyan and Albert Gareginyan, the seven-goal thriller between Gandzasar and Ararat-Armenia, and Urartu’s stoppage-time comeback.

Following the first round, Sardarapat, Ararat-Armenia, Noah and Alashkert all collected three points. The championship debutants from Armavir occupy first place.

New format: six matches in every round

The number of teams competing in the Armenian Premier League has increased from ten to twelve for the 2026/27 season. Syunik and Sardarapat have joined the top division, while Shirak retained their place in the championship.

Each round now consists of six matches instead of the usual five. The approved schedule for the new season includes 33 rounds.

The expansion of the league immediately made the opening weekend more eventful. However, the newcomers began their campaigns in completely different ways: Sardarapat secured a comprehensive away victory, while Syunik were unable to offer much resistance against one of the tournament favourites.

Van 1–4 Sardarapat

The first match of the new season ended with a sensational and historic victory for Sardarapat. The Premier League debutants comfortably defeated Van in Charentsavan.

Levon Petrosyan opened the scoring in the 31st minute, becoming the scorer of both the season’s first goal and Sardarapat’s first-ever goal in the top division. Before half-time, Hamlet Minasyan converted a penalty.

In the second half, 17-year-old academy graduate Janik Davtyan strengthened the visitors’ advantage. Petros Avetisyan pulled one goal back from the penalty spot, but Sardarapat had the final say as Artur Danielyan scored in stoppage time.

Davtyan became the first graduate of the Sardarapat academy to score for the club’s senior team in the Armenian Premier League.

Armenian Premier League, Round 1

Van 1–4 Sardarapat

Goals: Petros Avetisyan — Levon Petrosyan, Hamlet Minasyan, Janik Davtyan, Artur Danielyan.

Stadium: Charentsavan City Stadium.

BKMA 0–0 Shirak

BKMA and Shirak played out the only goalless match of the opening round. Both teams had opportunities to score but were unable to convert them.

The draw represented a cautious start to the season for both sides. BKMA and Shirak collected one point each and took their places in the middle of the league table.

Armenian Premier League, Round 1

BKMA 0–0 Shirak

Stadium: Football Academy, Yerevan.

Referee: Henrik Nalbandyan.

Gandzasar 3–4 Ararat-Armenia

The highest-scoring match of the round was played between Gandzasar and reigning Armenian champions Ararat-Armenia. The teams scored seven goals, with the winner only being decided in the closing stages.

Shunto Kanda put the ball into his own net as early as the third minute. Araik Eloyan, José Junior Julio Bueno and Alioune Ndour then scored for Ararat-Armenia.

Gandzasar responded through goals from Din Titkov, Artyom Avanesyan and João Adriano Sá de Almeida. The latter scored in the 88th minute but was unable to rescue a point for his team.

The match also had to be temporarily suspended because of a power outage in the area surrounding the Junior Sport stadium. Despite the enforced delay, the teams completed the match, and the champions began their title defence with a victory.

Armenian Premier League, Round 1

Gandzasar 3–4 Ararat-Armenia

Goals: Din Titkov, 39; Artyom Avanesyan, 58, penalty; João Adriano Sá de Almeida, 88 — Shunto Kanda, 3, own goal; Araik Eloyan, 30; José Junior Julio Bueno, 49; Alioune Ndour, 83.

Stadium: Junior Sport, Yerevan.

Referee: Ashot Galtakhchyan.

Noah 3–0 Syunik

Last season’s runners-up Noah made a confident start to the new championship, scoring three unanswered goals against Syunik.

The hosts established a comfortable advantage before half-time. Kalifala Doumbia opened the scoring in the 30th minute, and Serbian striker Marko Lazetić found the net 11 minutes later.

Albert Gareginyan completed the scoring. The 17-year-old came on as a substitute and scored his first goal for the Yerevan club in the 82nd minute.

The opening match made it clear that Syunik will need time to adapt to the level of the Premier League. Noah, meanwhile, confirmed their status as one of the contenders for the title.

Armenian Premier League, Round 1

Noah 3–0 Syunik

Goals: Kalifala Doumbia, 30; Marko Lazetić, 41; Albert Gareginyan, 82.

Stadium: Vahan Tumasyan Sports Complex, Abovyan.

Referee: Vardan Vardumyan.

Urartu 2–2 Pyunik

The headline match of the round produced one of the most dramatic storylines of the opening weekend.

Pyunik took the lead as early as the eighth minute through new signing Iman Griffith. In the second half, Gevorg Tarakhchyan doubled the visitors’ advantage, and the score remained 2–0 until the beginning of stoppage time.

Mikhail Kovalenko then received a second yellow card, leaving Pyunik with ten men. Urartu took advantage of their numerical superiority: Mikael Mirzoyan reduced the deficit in the 92nd minute, and two minutes later Nikolaos Kainourios put the ball into his own net.

Within a matter of minutes, the hosts recovered from a two-goal deficit and snatched a draw from a match that had appeared lost.

Armenian Premier League, Round 1

Urartu 2–2 Pyunik

Goals: Mikael Mirzoyan, 90+2; Nikolaos Kainourios, 90+4, own goal — Iman Shahil Griffith, 8; Gevorg Tarakhchyan, 69.

Stadium: Urartu-1, Yerevan.

Referee: Hovhannes Kalantaryan.

Alashkert 3–0 Ararat

In the final match of the opening round, Alashkert recorded a comprehensive victory over Yerevan-based Ararat.

All three goals were scored after the interval. Karen Nalbandyan converted a penalty in the 54th minute before Domi Massoumou became the main figure of the match.

The Congolese striker scored in the 75th minute and completed his brace shortly afterwards following a pass from Olawale Farayola. The victory allowed Alashkert to join the group of teams that collected three points.

Armenian Premier League, Round 1

Alashkert 3–0 Ararat

Goals: Karen Nalbandyan, 54, penalty; Domi Massoumou, 75, 79.

Stadium: Football Academy, Yerevan.

What the opening round of the Armenian championship revealed

The first round demonstrated a clear difference in the readiness of the two newcomers. Sardarapat looked organised, quick and confident, showing that they are capable of causing problems for more experienced opponents. Syunik, by contrast, were unable to cope with Noah’s intensity and squad quality.

The goals scored by young players were another notable feature of the round. Seventeen-year-olds Janik Davtyan and Albert Gareginyan opened their senior-level Premier League scoring accounts. Davtyan helped Sardarapat secure a historic victory, while Gareginyan completed the comprehensive win over Syunik.

Marko Lazetić, Domi Massoumou, Hamlet Minasyan, Iman Griffith, Din Titkov and João Adriano also scored their first goals in the Armenian championship.

The opening round was not without organisational concerns. According to Sportaran, FC Noah submitted a letter to the Football Federation of Armenia stating that the new season had begun without an official broadcaster. The club also expressed concern about the situation involving the title sponsor and the quality of match broadcasts. At the time of publication, no official response from the FFA had been issued.

All results from the opening round of the Armenian Premier League

Van 1–4 Sardarapat
BKMA 0–0 Shirak
Gandzasar 3–4 Ararat-Armenia
Noah 3–0 Syunik
Urartu 2–2 Pyunik
Alashkert 3–0 Ararat

A total of 22 goals were scored across the six matches, an average of 3.67 goals per game. The opening round of the new season was entertaining and high-scoring, but alongside the sporting intrigue, it also highlighted unresolved issues concerning television coverage and the commercial organisation of the championship.

Round 2 schedule

August 7: Ararat-Armenia vs Urartu
August 7: Ararat vs Sardarapat
August 8: Gandzasar vs Syunik
August 9: Pyunik vs Van
August 9: Shirak vs Noah
August 10: Alashkert vs BKMA