Qarabağ Futbol Klubu () is an
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
i professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club that competes in the
Azerbaijan Premier League
The Azerbaijan Premier League (), also known as Misli Premyer Liqası for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Azerbaijan and the highest level of the Azerbaijani football league system. It is contested by twelve ...
, the top flight of
Azerbaijani football. The club originates from
Aghdam
Aghdam () is a town and the nominal capital of the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan. Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. Aghdam lies from Stepanakert at the eastern foot ...
in the
Karabakh
Karabakh ( ; ) is a geographic region in southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and Aras. It is divided into three regions: Highland Kara ...
(
Azerbaijani: ''Qarabağ'') region, but has not played in its hometown since 1993 due to the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nag ...
. The club now plays in
Baku
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
, the capital city of Azerbaijan.
Qarabağ plays its matches at the
Azersun Arena and
Tofiq Bahramov Stadium
The Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It served as the home ground for the Azerbaijan national football team until they moved to the Baku Olympi ...
in Baku, which also serves as the venue for
Azerbaijan national team matches.
Formed in 1987, Qarabağ were founding members of the
Azerbaijan Premier League
The Azerbaijan Premier League (), also known as Misli Premyer Liqası for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Azerbaijan and the highest level of the Azerbaijani football league system. It is contested by twelve ...
in 1992. One season later, they won their first league championship, becoming the first non-Baku-based club to win the Premier League title. Qarabağ is one of the two teams in Azerbaijan, along with
Neftçi PFK
Neftçi Peşəkar Futbol Klubu, known simply as Neftçi () or Neftchi Baku, is an Azerbaijani professional association football, football club based in the capital Baku, that plays in the Azerbaijan Premier League, the highest tier of Football ...
which has participated in all Premier League championships so far.
In
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
, the club won the Premier League, their first league title in 21 years. Qarabağ have won the Premier League twelve times and
Azerbaijan Cup
The Azerbaijan Cup ()
is a major association football competition in Azerbaijan. In its original form, it started in 1936, when Azerbaijan was a republic of the Soviet Union and it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid ...
eight times. Qarabağ became the second Azerbaijani team after
Neftçi PFK
Neftçi Peşəkar Futbol Klubu, known simply as Neftçi () or Neftchi Baku, is an Azerbaijani professional association football, football club based in the capital Baku, that plays in the Azerbaijan Premier League, the highest tier of Football ...
to advance to the group stage of a European competition, making its in the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
group stage in
2014–15 season. Qarabağ is the first Azerbaijani team to advance to the group stage of the higher
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
, competing in the
2017–18 season.
The club has played more UEFA matches than any other Azerbaijani team.
History
Soviet era (1951–1991)
The club was founded in 1951 as ''Mehsul'' after the
Aghdam
Aghdam () is a town and the nominal capital of the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan. Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. Aghdam lies from Stepanakert at the eastern foot ...
city stadium was built;
there then began a serious effort towards the creation of a professional football team. Consequently, Qarabağ FK, playing under the name of ''Mehsul'', took part in the 1966
Azerbaijani SSR championship.
[Official Qarabagh website: Club's Creation]
That year, the club reached fourth place in the local championship.
Qarabağ participated in the local championship for four consecutive years during which second place was their best result (achieved in 1969
). After 1969, however, owing to carelessness and a lack of financial support, the team withdrew from the championships for almost ten years.
In 1977, the team was reborn under name ''Shafaq''. In 1982 Shafaq was the only representative of
Aghdam
Aghdam () is a town and the nominal capital of the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan. Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. Aghdam lies from Stepanakert at the eastern foot ...
in football. Between 1982 and 1987, the squad used the name "Cooperative society". In 1988, Qarabağ won the champions title in the Azerbaijan SSR
local championship under its current name.
In addition to championship medals, the club won the right to play in the
Soviet Second League
The Soviet Second League (, Soviet football championship (Second League)) was the third highest division of Soviet Union, Soviet football (soccer), football, below the Soviet First League. The league was formed in 1971 in place of the Class A Se ...
.
Effects of war and financial struggles (1991–2008)
On 23 July 1993, during the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nag ...
, the city of Agdam was
seized by Armenian armed forces,
and the team was forced to move from
Imarat Stadium to Baku, while the former head coach and player of the team,
Allahverdi Baghirov, died in the war. Despite all these difficulties, in 1993, Qarabağ won the
Top League
Japan Rugby League One (), formerly known as the Top League (), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by ...
as well as the
Azerbaijan Cup
The Azerbaijan Cup ()
is a major association football competition in Azerbaijan. In its original form, it started in 1936, when Azerbaijan was a republic of the Soviet Union and it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid ...
. Financial problems plagued the club during the period from 1998 to 2001, and the club went through hard times although it became the first Azerbaijani team to win away from home in a European competition by defeating the Israeli side
Maccabi Haifa in the
1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup
The 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup finals were won by Montpellier, Juventus, and West Ham United. All three teams advanced to the UEFA Cup.
Qualified teams
First round
First leg
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
...
thanks to a double strike from club legend
Mushfig Huseynov. Qarabağ has also represented Azerbaijan in the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...
and
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
many times.
These problems were alleviated in 2001, when one of the largest holding companies of Azerbaijan,
Azersun Holding, starting sponsoring the team. The squad used the name of ''Qarabag-Azersun'' for two seasons, but then returned its original name in 2004.
Gurban Gurbanov era (2008–present)
In 2008, former Azerbaijani football star
Gurban Gurbanov was appointed as head coach after the unexpected departure of
Rasim Kara
Rasim Kara (born 10 June 1950) is a Turkish former football player and manager. A goalkeeper, he played for Bursaspor, Beşiktaş and the Turkey national team.
Playing career
Born in Eskişehir, Kara began playing as a goalkeeper with the yout ...
to
Khazar Lankaran one week before the start of the
2008–09 season. Led by Gurbanov, Qarabağ have ignored a common strategy in Azerbaijani football: eschewing foreign signings in favour of nurturing local talent.
Gurbanov brought with him a ''
tiki-taka'' style of play, characterised by short passes, long periods of build-up and players interchanging positions.
Under Gurbanov, Qarabağ has become one of the most successful Azerbaijani football clubs in Europe (with three consecutive wins) and one which reached the
UEFA Europa League play-off-round by beating
Rosenborg in the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
, and also eliminated
Honka of Finland. The achievements in European competitions have made Gurbanov among the most successful Azerbaijani managers ever.
In 2010, the club set an Azerbaijani record for the most significant win in a European competition by beating
Metalurg Skopje 4–1 in Baku and eliminating
Wisła Kraków
Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. They currently compete in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system, ...
to reach the
play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
for the second year in succession. In 2011, the club duplicated the same record by beating
Banga Gargždai 4–0 in
Gargždai
Gargždai () is a city in western Lithuania located in Klaipėda County. The Minija River flows through the city.John S. Jaffer ShtetLinks: Gargzdai (Gorzd), LithuaniaJewishGen, Inc., the Home of Jewish Genealogy. Accessed June 18, 2011. The Garg ...
. The
2011–12 season ended in disappointing style for Qarabağ, however, as they finished in fourth place, leaving the club without European competition. In 2013, Qarabağ reached
Europa League play-off-round for third time in their history.
In May 2014, Qarabağ earned its second league title after 21 years. A month later, by beating
Red Bull Salzburg, the club became first Azerbaijani side to win in the third round of
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
. In August 2014, the club reached
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
play-off round for the fourth time in last five seasons. In 2014, Qarabağ qualified for the
2014–15 Europa League group stage, becoming the second Azerbaijani team to advance to this stage in a European competition. On 23 October 2014, after defeating Ukrainian club
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 1–0, the team became the first Azerbaijani club to win a Europa League group stage match.
In 2017, after victory over the
Sheriff Tiraspol, Qarabağ qualified for the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
play-off rounds for the first time. In the first leg they recorded a 1–0 victory over Danish side
F.C. Copenhagen in
Baku
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
. Despite losing 2–1 in the second leg, Qarabağ won on away goals and became the first Azerbaijani team to reach the group stages of the UEFA Champions League. They were drawn in
Group C
Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for Touring car racing, touring cars and ''Group B'' for Grand tourer, GTs.
It was designed to replace both Group 5 (motorspor ...
alongside
Chelsea,
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
and
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
People, characters, figures, names
* Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas.
* Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun
* Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...
, where they managed to obtain two points in six games after two draws and four losses.
In July and August 2021, Qarabağ secured their first participation in the group stage of
UEFA Europa Conference League
The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual association football, football competition organised since 2021 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European foot ...
. Qarabağ knocked-out
Ashdod
Ashdod (, ; , , or ; Philistine language, Philistine: , romanized: *''ʾašdūd'') is the List of Israeli cities, sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District (Israel), Southern District, it lies on the Mediterranean ...
(0–0 and 1–0),
AEL Limassol
Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou () is a Cyprus, Cypriot sports club based in the city of Limassol, most famous for its football team.
AEL Limassol also maintains a AEL Limassol B.C., men's and AEL Limassol B.C. (women), women's basketball teams, a wom ...
(1–1 and 1–0) and
Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
(1–0 and 3–1) in the qualifiers. On 27 August, Qarabağ was drawn on Group H of the
2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League
The 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League was the inaugural season of the UEFA Europa Conference League, Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA.
The final was played at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana, Albania, with Rom ...
alongside
Basel
Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
,
Kairat and
Omonia. They eventually placed 2nd in the group, making it to the Knockout Play-off Round.
In the 2023–24 season Qarabağ made it to the
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
group stage where they finished 2nd behind
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen, officially known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH () and commonly known as Bayer Leverkusen or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It competes in the B ...
. Qarabağ were subsequently drawn against
Braga
Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...
in the knockout round play-off. The first leg ended as a 4–2 victory for Qarabağ. The second leg would finish 2–0 to Braga after normal time, but ultimately ended 3–2 to the Portuguese side after extra time, which meant Qarabağ won 6–5 on aggregate, and thus became the first ever team from Azerbaijan to reach the round of 16 in any UEFA club competition. The round of 16 draw pitted them against Bayer Leverkusen, whom they had already played earlier in the group stages. The club tied with Bayer Leverkusen 2–2 in the first leg at home but were knocked out in the second leg following two stoppage times goals from
Patrik Schick
Patrik Schick (born 24 January 1996) is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Bayer Leverkusen and the Czech Republic national team.
Born in Prague, Schick began his career with local club Sparta Prague, rising throu ...
, ending the game 3–2.
In the 2024–25 season, on April 27, 2025, Qarabağ secured the championship with four rounds remaining by drawing 1–1 against
Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...
in the 32nd round of the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, thus becoming Premier League champions for the 12th time in their history and for the 4th consecutive time.
Stadium

The club have previously used
Guzanli Olympic Stadium
Guzanli Olympic Complex Stadium is located in Quzanlı, Agdam Rayon, Aghdam, Azerbaijan. It is used by FK Karabakh as home stadium since May 2009 and has a capacity of 2000.
References
See also
*List of football stadiums in Azerbaijan
...
, which is situated in
Quzanlı
Quzanlı () is a village and the most populous municipality in the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 13,002. The municipality consists of the villages of Guzanly, Birinci Quzanlı, Birinji Guzanly, Eyvazlı, Agdam, Eyvazly, ...
, the most populous municipality in the
Agdam Rayon
Aghdam District () is one of the 66 administrative divisions of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the Karabakh Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Khojaly, Kalbajar, Tartar, Khojavend, A ...
of
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its ter ...
, Azerbaijan. The
Imarat Stadium which was club's original home stadium was destroyed as a result of artillery attacks from Armenian military forces during the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nag ...
.
In 2012, the construction of a new football stadium
Azersun Arena was announced, which was opened in June 2015.
Azersun Arena is a multi-use football stadium in
Surakhani settlement of
Baku
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
, Azerbaijan. It is currently used as the club's
Azerbaijan Premier League
The Azerbaijan Premier League (), also known as Misli Premyer Liqası for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Azerbaijan and the highest level of the Azerbaijani football league system. It is contested by twelve ...
home stadium and holds 5,800 people.
The
Baku Olympic Stadium
Baku Olympic Stadium () is a stadium, designed and constructed to meet the international standards for stadiums set by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Internat ...
and
Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium is used for
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
and
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
games, where the record attendance for Qarabağ occurred on 27 September 2017, in a
UEFA Champions League group stage match attended by 67,200 fans against
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
People, characters, figures, names
* Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas.
* Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun
* Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...
.
On 21 December 2023, Qarabağ played the
2023–24 Azerbaijan Cup match against
MOIK Baku
MOIK Baku is an Azerbaijani football club, based in Baku. MOIK was originally built around the concept of military sports club such as CSKA Moscow, CSKA Sofia.
History
The club was established under the name OIK (; ) in 1961 as sport society of ...
at
Khankendi Stadium,
Khankendi
Stepanakert officially Khankendi is a city in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. It was the capital city of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh prior to the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in the region. The city is located in a valley on ...
, making it the first match played in
Karabakh Economic Region
The Karabakh Economic Region () is one of the 14 economic regions of Azerbaijan. It borders Iran to the south, as well as the economic regions of East Zangezur, Ganja-Dashkasan, Central Aran, and Mil-Mughan. The region consists of the distric ...
after the end of the
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War
The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, surrounding occupied territories. It was a major esca ...
.
Supporters
Although a large part of Qarabağ's support is drawn from the local
Aghdam
Aghdam () is a town and the nominal capital of the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan. Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. Aghdam lies from Stepanakert at the eastern foot ...
population, they remain immensely well supported in the rest of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
. This is mainly due to their being the only team to represent the war-torn Nagorno-Karabakh region in the league. The club is a sole remnant of the past and a living symbol of hope and pride for over half a million Azerbaijani
internally displaced people
An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee.
I ...
. In recent years, thanks to achievements on the pitch, the club has been able to inspire and initiate special youth projects enforcing stability and development in the IDP-settlements near the border of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The club have few supporting groups such as
Imarat, Qarabağ Ordusu, Boys Qarabağ, and Ladies of Qarabağ. These groups often receive free tickets to Qarabağ's games, which helps Karabakh to have more support from fans.
Crest and colours
The crest on the club emblem is the symbol of the
Karabakh
Karabakh ( ; ) is a geographic region in southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and Aras. It is divided into three regions: Highland Kara ...
. It is produced by English designers and based on the
Karabakh horse. The horse stems from the club's nickname "The Horsemen"; although it was included on club programmes and scarves earlier, the crest was not displayed on the shirt until 2004. After
Gurban Gurbanov's appointment, Qarabağ's attractive style of play led fans to call the team "''Qafqazın Barselonası''" ("Barcelona of The Caucasus"), which plays upon
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
's success in Europe.
The club is sometimes called "''Qaçqın Klub''" ("The Refugee Club") after its conservative position on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians until 2023, and seven surrounding districts, inhabited mostly by Azerbai ...
and
refugee problem in Azerbaijan.
Shirt sponsors and kit manufacturers
Qarabağ's traditional kit alludes to the club's location in
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its ter ...
with the black and white representing light and darkness respectively. The club's kits are manufactured by
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...
and sponsored by Azersun, a Baku-based food producing company.
Recent seasons
The season-by-season performance of the club over the last ten years:
European record
The club have participated in 18 editions of the club competitions governed by
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
, the chief authority for football across Europe. These include 7 seasons in the
Champions League, 13 seasons in the
UEFA Cup and Europa League, two seasons in the
Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renamed the UEFA Cup Winne ...
and one seasons in the
UEFA Europa Conference League
The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual association football, football competition organised since 2021 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European foot ...
and
Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from (football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was discon ...
.
Qarabağ has played six times in the Europa League after qualifying via the Champions League. Counting all of the 134 games the side have played in UEFA competitions since their first entry into the Cup Winners' Cup in the
1996–97 season, the team's record stands at 48 wins, 35 draws and 51 defeats.
Matches
UEFA club rankings
''Updated 08.03.2024''
Players
The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player; several non-European players on the squad have dual citizenship with an EU country.
Current squad
''For recent transfers, see
Transfers summer 2025.''
Reserve team
Qarabağ-2 plays in the
Azerbaijan First Division
The Azerbaijan First League () is the second highest professional division in Azerbaijani professional football. The league is run by AFFA. The winner promotes to Premier Division.
History
Due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, all Azerbai ...
from 2018.
Club officials
Technical staff
*
Source
Traniers
/small>
* Source
Tech stuff
/small>
Club management
*
Source
Steering
/small>
* Source
Management
/small>
Honours
Qarabağ has won twelve
Azerbaijan Premier League
The Azerbaijan Premier League (), also known as Misli Premyer Liqası for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Azerbaijan and the highest level of the Azerbaijani football league system. It is contested by twelve ...
titles, eight
Azerbaijan Cup
The Azerbaijan Cup ()
is a major association football competition in Azerbaijan. In its original form, it started in 1936, when Azerbaijan was a republic of the Soviet Union and it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid ...
titles and one
Azerbaijan Supercup trophy. The club is the first non-Baku based club to have won the Azerbaijan Premier League title.
Qarabağ is one of the two teams in Azerbaijan, along with Neftçi PFK which has participated in all Azerbaijan Premier League championships so far.
Azerbaijan
*
Azerbaijan League[
** Winners (12): ]1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
** ''Runners-up (4):'' 1993–94, 1996–97, 2012–13, 2020–21
*Azerbaijan Cup
The Azerbaijan Cup ()
is a major association football competition in Azerbaijan. In its original form, it started in 1936, when Azerbaijan was a republic of the Soviet Union and it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid ...
** Winners (8): 1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2021–22, 2023–24
** ''Runners-up (3):'' 1995–96, 1997–98, 1999–00, 2024–25
* Azerbaijan Supercup
** Winners (1): 1994
USSR
* Azerbaijan SSR League[
** Winners (2): 1988, 1990
** ''Runners-up (1):'' 1969
* Azerbaijan SSR Cup][
** Winners (1): 1990
]
Individual records
Lists of the players with the most caps and top goalscorers for the club (players in bold signifies current Qarabağ player).
Top goalscorers
Most appearances
Notable managers
''Information correct as of match played 28 October 2022. Only competitive matches are counted.''
Notes:
P – Total of played matches
W – Won matches
D – Drawn matches
L – Lost matches
GS – Goal scored
GA – Goals against
%W – Percentage of matches won
Nationality is indicated by the corresponding FIFA country code(s).
Transfers
The top transfer was agreed in January 2025 when 28 years old Brazilian forward Juninho Juninho, Portuguese for "little Junior", is a common nickname in Brazil for those whose full name includes Júnior. It is often combined with an epithet, sometimes a demonym (a word derived from their place of origin). The following association foo ...
moved to Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; ), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian multi sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea. It was founded and named after the Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo n ...
for a fee €5.00 million.
Record transfers
In popular culture
Qarabağ is featured on the football simulation game
Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such ...
Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 and 2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
.
Ban for hate speech
In October 2020, amid the Nagorno-Karabakh war, the Armenian Football Federation called for sanctions against Qarabağ after the club's PR and media manager Nurlan Ibrahimov posted a hate message on a social media network calling to "kill all the Armenians, old and young, without distinction". UEFA announced a temporary suspension of the club's official from any football-related activity for "racist and other discriminatory conduct” targeting Armenians. Qarabag issued a statement saying Ibrahimov had been traumatised by watching the news of the Ganja
''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.
Etymology
''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: �aːɲd͡ʒa� ...
and Barda missile attacks, while also urging its employees to "refrain from such sharing in this sensitive period, adhere to the principles of humanism and fully comply with the laws of our state". Ibrahimov was punished in an administrative manner for the calls he made expressing cruelty against another nation and inciting national, racial or religious hatred while behaving emotionally on social network. On November 26, UEFA officially banned the Qarabag official for life and fined the club €100,000. Shortly after the UEFA sanction, Ibrahimov was declared wanted in Armenia.
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Official website
Qarabağ FK
at UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
Qarabağ FK
at FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qarabag FK
Football clubs in Azerbaijan
Association football clubs established in 1951
Nagorno-Karabakh
1951 establishments in the Soviet Union