Qarabağ FK facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Qarabağ

Full name	Qarabağ Futbol Klubu
Nickname(s)	Atlılar (The Horsemen) Göy-ağlar (Blue and Whites)
Founded	1951; 74 years ago (1951) (as Məhsul) 1987; 38 years ago (1987) (as Qarabağ)
Ground	Azersun Arena
Ground Capacity	5,800
Owner	Azersun Holding
President	Tahir Gözel
Manager	Gurban Gurbanov
League	Azerbaijan Premier League
2023–24	Azerbaijan Premier League, 1st of 10 (champions)
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Qarabağ Futbol Klubu is a professional football team from Azerbaijan. They play in the Azerbaijan Premier League, which is the top football league in Azerbaijan. The club started in Aghdam, a city in the Karabakh region. However, since 1993, they have played their games in Baku, the capital city. This is because of a conflict called the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Qarabağ plays its home matches at the Azersun Arena and sometimes at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku. This stadium is also used by the Azerbaijan national team.

The club was formed in 1987. They were one of the first teams in the Azerbaijan Premier League when it started in 1992. Just one year later, they won their first league championship! They were the first team not from Baku to win the Premier League title. Qarabağ and Neftçi PFK are the only two teams that have played in every Premier League season so far.

In 2014, Qarabağ won the Premier League again, after 21 years. They have now won the Premier League eleven times and the Azerbaijan Cup eight times. Qarabağ was the second Azerbaijani team to reach the group stage of a European competition, playing in the UEFA Europa League in 2014–15. They were also the first Azerbaijani team to reach the group stage of the even bigger UEFA Champions League in 2017–18. They have played more games in UEFA competitions than any other team from Azerbaijan.

Club History

Early Years (1951–1991)

The club began in 1951 as Mehsul. This happened after the city stadium in Aghdam was built. The team first played in the 1966 Azerbaijani SSR championship. They finished in fourth place that year.

Qarabağ played in the local championship for four years. Their best result was second place in 1969. After 1969, the team stopped playing for almost ten years. This was due to a lack of money and support. In 1977, the team started again as Shafaq. From 1982 to 1987, they were called "Cooperative society". In 1988, Qarabağ won the championship in the Azerbaijan SSR local league. This win allowed them to play in the Soviet Second League.

Moving to Baku (1991–2008)

On July 23, 1993, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the city of Aghdam was taken over. The team had to leave their home stadium, Imarat Stadium, and move to Baku. Sadly, their former coach and player, Allahverdi Baghirov, died in the war. Despite these challenges, Qarabağ won the league and the cup in 1993.

From 1998 to 2001, the club faced money problems. Even so, they became the first Azerbaijani team to win an away game in a European competition. They beat Maccabi Haifa from Israel in 1999. This was thanks to two goals from club legend Mushfig Huseynov. Qarabağ also played in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup many times.

Things got better in 2001 when Azersun Holding, a big company in Azerbaijan, started supporting the team. The team was called Qarabag-Azersun for two seasons. Then, in 2004, they went back to their original name.

The Gurban Gurbanov Era (2008–Present)

Gurban Gurbanov is a very successful manager for Qarabağ.

In 2008, Gurban Gurbanov, a former Azerbaijani football star, became the head coach. He chose to focus on developing local players instead of buying many foreign ones. Gurbanov introduced a "tiki-taka" style of play. This means short passes, long periods of building up attacks, and players changing positions.

Under Gurbanov, Qarabağ became one of Azerbaijan's most successful teams in Europe. They won three games in a row and reached the UEFA Europa League play-off round. They beat teams like Rosenborg and Honka. These achievements made Gurban Gurbanov one of the most successful Azerbaijani managers ever.

In 2010, the club set a new Azerbaijani record. They had their biggest win in a European competition, beating Metalurg Skopje 4–1. They also knocked out Wisła Kraków to reach the play-offs for the second year. In 2011, they repeated this by beating Banga Gargždai 4–0. The 2011–12 season was not as good, as they finished fourth and missed out on European games. But in 2013, Qarabağ reached the Europa League play-off round for the third time.

In May 2014, Qarabağ won their second league title after 21 years. A month later, they beat Red Bull Salzburg. This made them the first Azerbaijani team to win in the third round of the UEFA Champions League. In August 2014, they reached the Europa League play-off round for the fourth time in five seasons. In 2014, Qarabağ qualified for the Europa League group stage. They were the second Azerbaijani team to do this. On October 23, 2014, they beat Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 1–0. This was the first time an Azerbaijani club won a Europa League group stage match.

In 2017, Qarabağ beat Sheriff Tiraspol to reach the UEFA Champions League play-off rounds. They won 1–0 against F.C. Copenhagen in Baku. Even though they lost the second game 2–1, Qarabağ won because of the away goals rule. This made them the first Azerbaijani team to reach the group stages of the UEFA Champions League! They were in Group C with Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, and Roma. They earned two points from two draws and four losses.

In 2021, Qarabağ played in the group stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League for the first time. They beat teams like Ashdod, AEL Limassol, and Aberdeen to get there. They finished second in their group and made it to the Knockout Play-off Round.

In the 2023–24 season, Qarabağ reached the UEFA Europa League group stage. They finished second behind Bayer Leverkusen. They then played against Braga in the knockout round play-off. Qarabağ won the first game 4–2. Braga won the second game 2–0 in normal time, but Qarabağ still won 6–5 on total goals after extra time. This made them the first team from Azerbaijan to reach the round of 16 in any UEFA club competition! In the round of 16, they played Bayer Leverkusen again. They tied 2–2 at home, but lost 3–2 in the second game after two late goals from Patrik Schick.

Home Stadiums

The Azersun Arena is Qarabağ's home stadium.

Qarabağ used to play at Guzanli Olympic Stadium. This stadium is in Quzanlı, a town in the Agdam Rayon region. Their original home, the Imarat Stadium, was destroyed during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

In 2012, they announced a new stadium, the Azersun Arena. It opened in June 2015. The Azersun Arena is in Surakhani, Baku. It is used for the club's Azerbaijan Premier League home games and can hold 5,800 people.

For bigger games in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, Qarabağ uses the Baku Olympic Stadium and Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium. The most fans ever at a Qarabağ game was 67,200. This happened on September 27, 2017, during a Champions League group stage match against Roma.

On December 21, 2023, Qarabağ played a cup match at Khankendi Stadium in Khankendi. This was the first game played in the Karabakh Economic Region since the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Club Supporters

Many of Qarabağ's fans come from the city of Aghdam. But they also have a lot of support all over Azerbaijan. This is because they are the only team that represents the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which has been affected by war. The club is a symbol of hope and pride for many Azerbaijani people who had to leave their homes. In recent years, the club has started projects to help young people in settlements near the Nagorno-Karabakh border.

The club has several fan groups, like Imarat, Qarabağ Ordusu, Boys Qarabağ, and Ladies of Qarabağ. These groups often get free tickets to games, which helps bring more fans to support Qarabağ.

Team Colors and Crest

Qarabağ's away shirt from 2018–19.

The crest on the club's emblem is a symbol of the Karabakh region. English designers created it, and it features the Karabakh horse. The horse is also why the club's nickname is "The Horsemen." The crest was on club items earlier, but it first appeared on the team's shirts in 2004.

After Gurban Gurbanov became coach, Qarabağ's exciting style of play made fans call them "Qafqazın Barselonası" (which means "Barcelona of The Caucasus"). This compares them to the famous Barcelona team. The club is sometimes called "Qaçqın Klub" ("The Refugee Club"). This name comes from their connection to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and the issue of refugees in Azerbaijan.

Team Kits

Qarabağ's traditional kit colors are black and white. These colors represent light and darkness, linking to the club's home in Nagorno-Karabakh. The team's kits are made by Adidas. Their main sponsor is Azersun, a food company based in Baku.

Recent Seasons

Here's how the club has performed in the last ten years:

Season	Div.	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	Diff	P	Cup	Europe	Top Scorer (League goals)	Head Coach
2014–15	Premier League	1	32	20	8	4	51	28	+23	68	W	CL / EL	III R / GS	Reynaldo, Leroy (10)	Gurban Gurbanov
2015–16		1	36	26	6	4	66	21	+45	84	W	CL / EL	III R / GS	Dani Quintana
2016–17		1	28	19	5	4	46	14	+32	62	W	CL / EL	III R / GS	Dino Ndlovu (10)
2017–18		1	28	20	5	3	37	13	+24	65	QF	CL	GS	Mahir Emreli (8)
2018–19		1	27	19	6	2	62	19	+43	63	SF	CL / EL	III R / GS	Mahir Emreli (16)
2019–20		1	20	13	6	1	34	7	+27	45	SF	CL / EL	III R / GS	Mahir Emreli (7)
2020–21		2	28	16	9	3	64	18	+46	57	SF	CL / EL	III R / GS	Mahir Emreli (18)
2021–22		1	28	21	6	1	72	13	+59	69	W	ECL	KO	Kady Borges (12)
2022–23		1	36	28	6	2	91	25	+66	90	QF	CL / EL / ECL	PO / GS / KO	Ramil Sheydayev (22)
2023–24		1	36	26	5	5	97	37	+60	83	W	CL / EL	II R / 1/8	Juninho (20)

European Football Record

Qarabağ playing against Chelsea in the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League.

The club has played in 18 different European competitions organized by UEFA. These include the Champions League, UEFA Cup and Europa League, Cup Winners' Cup, and Europa Conference League. Qarabağ has played six times in the Europa League after starting in the Champions League.

Since their first European game in 1996–97, Qarabağ has played 134 UEFA matches. Their record is 48 wins, 35 draws, and 51 losses.

UEFA Club Rankings

Updated March 8, 2024

Rank	Team	Coefficient
54	Young Boys	34.500
55	Fenerbahçe	34.000
56	Fiorentina	33.000
57	Qarabağ	33.000
58	Real Betis	33.000
59	Celtic	32.000
60	Galatasaray	31.500

Players

This list shows the main country each player is from. Some non-European players also have citizenship in a European Union country.

Current Team Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Shakhruddin Magomedaliyev 2 DF Matheus Silva 6 MF Júlio Romão 7 MF Yassine Benzia 8 MF Marko Janković 10 MF Abdellah Zoubir (vice-captain) 11 FW Emmanuel Addai 12 GK Sadig Mammadzade 13 DF Behlul Mustafazade (3rd captain) 15 MF Leandro Andrade 18 FW Juninho 19 FW Redon Xhixha 20 MF Richard Almeida 21 MF Oleksiy Kashchuk

No. Position Player 22 FW Musa Qurbanlı 24 MF Aleksey Isayev 27 DF Toral Bayramov 29 DF Marko Vešović 30 DF Abbas Hüseynov 44 DF Elvin Cafarguliyev 55 DF Badavi Guseynov (captain) Fs player|no=66|pos=MF|nat=CPV|name=Patrick Andrade}} 81 DF Kevin Medina (4th captain) 89 GK Amin Ramazanov 90 FW Nariman Akhundzade 97 GK Fabijan Buntić 99 GK Mateusz Kochalski

For recent transfers, see 2023–24 Qarabağ FK season, Transfers summer 2024 and Transfers winter 2023–24.

Players on Loan

No. Position Player MF Ismayil Ibrahimli (at Zira) FW Rustam Akhmedzade (at Zira)

Reserve Team

Qarabağ-2 is the reserve team. They have played in the Azerbaijan First Division since 2018.

No. Position Player 25 DF Nihad Hasanzade 26 MF Rauf Maharramov 32 DF Hikmat Jabrayilzade 33 MF Ugur Safarov 34 DF Rustam Alizade 39 MF Eltun Babazade 40 MF Omar Mammadzade 41 GK Emin Isgandarli 45 DF Nihad Mollayev 47 MF Musa Musazade 54 FW Musa Mammadov 62 MF Nurlan Shabanov 70 MF Jafar Hasanov 71 GK Gurban Maharramov

No. Position Player 73 DF Khayal Alakbarov 74 DF Sabuhi Niftiyev 75 MF Emil Binyatzade 76 MF Nihad Aliyev 79 MF Mirmovsum Janiyev 80 MF Ilham Huseynov 82 MF Samad Zalli 86 GK Vagif Malik-Yeganov 91 MF Elton Mikayilov 92 FW Ibrahim Jamalov 93 MF Ashraf Zeynalli 94 MF Huseyn Huseynli 95 MF Farid Taghiyev

Club Officials

Coaching Staff Current Staff Manager: Gurban Gurbanov Coach: Elchin Rahmanov Coach: Mushfig Huseynov Coach: Zaur Tagizade Coach: Chudomir Chokarov Goalkeeping coach: Elkhan Hasanov Reserve team head coach: Javad Mirzabeyli Doctor: Sahhat Rustamzadeh Physiotherapist: Ghennadie Chislari Physiotherapist: Murat Sahinoglu Masseur: Oktay Gursoy Masseur: Elshan Aliyev Masseur: Rahman Nabiyev Social media manager: Mehman Ashrafov Administrator: Elshan Hasanov Cameraman: Ramin Hajiyev Source: Traniers Source: Tech stuff

Club Management Current Staff President: Tahir Gozel Vice president: Fevzihan Aras Board Member & Director : Emrah Celikel Board member & General manager: Asif Asgarov Coordinator of youth academy: Aftandil Hajiyev Financial manager: Murat Karaman Media and public relations: Anar Hajiyev Chief accountant: Ali Akberov Administratorion: Izzet Mahmudov HR specialist: Anar Ismayilov Source: Steering Source: Management

Club Achievements

Qarabağ has won many titles! They have won the Azerbaijan Premier League eleven times. They also have eight Azerbaijan Cup titles and one Azerbaijan Supercup trophy. Qarabağ was the first team not from Baku to win the Azerbaijan Premier League. Along with Neftçi PFK, they are one of only two teams that have played in every Premier League season.

Azerbaijan Titles

• Azerbaijan League
  • Winners (11): 1993, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
  • Second Place (4): 1993–94, 1996–97, 2012–13, 2020–21
• Azerbaijan Cup
  • Winners (8): 1993, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2021–22, 2023–24
  • Second Place (3): 1995–96, 1997–98, 1999–00
• Azerbaijan Supercup
  • Winners (1): 1994

USSR Titles

• Azerbaijan SSR League
  • Winners (2): 1988, 1990
  • Second Place (1): 1969
• Azerbaijan SSR Cup
  • Winners (1): 1990

Player Records

Here are the players who have scored the most goals and played the most games for Qarabağ. Players in bold are still playing for the club.

Top Goalscorers

Mahir Emreli is one of Qarabağ's top goal scorers.

Rank	Player	Years	League	Cup	European	Total
1	Huseynov, MushfigMushfig Huseynov	1989–1999 2003–2004 2005–2007	125 (320)	? (?)	2 (?)	127 (320)
2	Emreli, MahirMahir Emreli	2015–2021	59 (126)	7 (21)	5 (49)	72 (216)
3	Reynaldo	2012–2017 2019	44 (92)	7 (9)	11 (35)	62 (139)
4	Almeida, RichardRichard Almeida	2012–2018 2018–2019 2021–present	49 (249)	5 (30)	8 (91)	62 (370)
5	Zoubir, AbdellahAbdellah Zoubir	2018–present	43 (158)	4 (21)	14 (84)	61 (263)
6	Musayev, SamirSamir Musayev	2002–2006	44 (85)	? (?)	2 (?)	46 (85)
7	Huseynov, YasharYashar Huseynov	1989–2002	44 (?)	? (?)	? (?)	44 (?)
8	Quintana, DaniDani Quintana	2015–2020	33 (98)	3 (12)	8 (44)	44 (154)
9	Ozobić, FilipFilip Ozobić	2018–2023	34 (95)	0 (8)	7 (47)	41 (150)
10	Nadirov, VüqarVüqar Nadirov	2001–2005 2009–2015 2016–2017	28 (211)	8 (19)	5 (36)	41 (266)

Most Appearances

Maksim Medvedev has played the most games for Qarabağ.

Rank	Player	Years	League	Cup	European	Total
1	Medvedev, MaksimMaksim Medvedev	2006–2024	376 (12)	50 (2)	126 (3)	552 (17)
2	Qarayev, QaraQara Qarayev	2008–2023	308 (5)	41 (0)	120 (0)	469 (5)
3	Almeida, RichardRichard Almeida	2012–2018 2018–2019 2021–present	249 (49)	30 (5)	91 (8)	370 (62)
4	Guseynov, BadaviBadavi Guseynov	2013–present	231 (5)	31 (0)	89 (0)	351 (5)
5	Huseynov, YasharYashar Huseynov	1989–2002	325 (44)	? (?)	? (?)	325 (44)
6	Huseynov, MushfigMushfig Huseynov	1989–1999 2003–2004 2005–2007	320 (120)	? (?)	? (?)	320 (125)
7	Agolli, AnsiAnsi Agolli	2010–2019	224 (3)	24 (0)	69 (1)	317 (4)
8	Aliyev, SattarSattar Aliyev	1989 1990–2004	306 (17)	? (?)	? (?)	306 (17)
9	Kerimov, AslanAslan Kerimov	1993–1997 2003–2011	268 (12)	? (?)	? (0)	268 (12)
10	Nadirov, VüqarVüqar Nadirov	2001–2005 2009–2015 2016–2017	211 (28)	19 (8)	36 (5)	266 (5)

Notable Managers

Main article: List of Qarabağ FK managers

This information is correct as of October 28, 2022. Only official matches are counted.

Name	Nat.	From	To	P	W	D	L	GS	GA	%W	Honours	Notes
Elbrus Abbasov	Soviet Union	1988, 1990		N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Azerbaijan SSR League (2) Azerbaijan SSR Cup
Aghasalim Mirjavadov	Azerbaijan	1993	1994	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Azerbaijan Premier League Azerbaijan Cup Azerbaijan Supercup
Boyukagha Aghayev	Azerbaijan	2006		N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Azerbaijan Cup
Gurban Gurbanov	Azerbaijan	2008	Present	&&&&&&&&&&&&0406.&&&&&0406	&&&&&&&&&&&&0226.&&&&&0226	&&&&&&&&&&&&0106.&&&&&0106	&&&&&&&&&&&&&074.&&&&&074	&&&&&&&&&&&&0588.&&&&&0588	&&&&&&&&&&&&0301.&&&&&0301	&&&&&&&&&&&&&055.67000055.67	Azerbaijan Premier League (10) Azerbaijan Cup (4)

Notes: P – Total games played W – Games won D – Games drawn L – Games lost GS – Goals scored GA – Goals against
%W – Percentage of games won

The country flag shows the manager's nationality.

Player Transfers

The biggest player transfer happened in January 2023. The Brazilian attacking midfielder Kady Borges, who was 26, moved to the Russian club Krasnodar for €2.00 million.

Record Transfers

Rank	Player	To	Fee	Year
1.	Kady Borges	Krasnodar	€5.00 million	2023
2.	Ibrahima Wadji	Saint-Étienne	€1.50 million	2022
3.	Dino Ndlovu	Zhejiang Professional	€0.65 million	2018
4.	Musa Gurbanli	Djurgårdens	€0.50 million	2023
5.	Owusu Kwabena	Ferencváros	€0.50 million	2023

See also

In Spanish: Qarabağ Futbol Klubu para niños