Qarabağ FK facts for kids
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| Full name | Qarabağ Futbol Klubu | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Atlılar (The Horsemen) Göy-ağlar (Blue and Whites) |
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| Founded | 1951 (as Məhsul) 1987 (as Qarabağ) |
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| Ground | Azersun Arena | |||
| Capacity | 5,800 | |||
| Owner | Azersun Holding | |||
| President | Tahir Gözel | |||
| Manager | Gurban Gurbanov | |||
| League | Azerbaijan Premier League | |||
| 2024–25 | Azerbaijan Premier League, 1st of 10 (champions) | |||
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Qarabağ Futbol Klubu (pronounced gah-rah-BAHG) 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 of Azerbaijan. This move happened because of a conflict in their home region. Qarabağ plays its matches at the Azersun Arena and sometimes at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku.
Qarabağ was formed in 1987 and was one of the first teams in the Azerbaijan Premier League in 1992. Just one year later, they won their first league championship. This made them the first team not from Baku to win the Premier League title! Qarabağ is one of only two teams in Azerbaijan that has played in every Premier League championship since it started.
In 2014, the club won the Premier League again, which was their first title in 21 years. Qarabağ has now won the Premier League twelve times and the Azerbaijan Cup eight times. They were the second Azerbaijani team to reach the group stage of a European competition, playing in the UEFA Europa League in the 2014–15 season. Even more impressively, Qarabağ was the first Azerbaijani team to reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in the 2017–18 season. They have played more games in European competitions than any other team from Azerbaijan.
Contents
Club History
Early Years (1951–1991)
The club began in 1951 and was first called Mehsul. This happened after the Aghdam city stadium was built, showing a real effort to create a strong football team. Qarabağ FK, as Mehsul, played in the 1966 Azerbaijani SSR championship and finished in fourth place.
The team played in the local championship for four years in a row, with their best finish being second place in 1969. After 1969, the team stopped playing for almost ten years because of a lack of money and support. In 1977, the team returned under the name Shafaq. By 1982, Shafaq was the only football team representing Aghdam. Between 1982 and 1987, the team was known as "Cooperative society". In 1988, Qarabağ won the championship title in the Azerbaijan SSR local league under its current name. This win also gave them the chance to play in the Soviet Second League.
Challenges and Comeback (1991–2008)
On July 23, 1993, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the city of Aghdam was taken over. This forced the team to move from their home stadium, Imarat Stadium, to Baku. Sadly, the team's former coach and player, Allahverdi Baghirov, passed away during the war. Despite these very tough times, Qarabağ managed to win both the Top League and the Azerbaijan Cup in 1993.
From 1998 to 2001, the club faced serious money problems. Even so, they became the first Azerbaijani team to win an away game in a European competition. This happened when they beat the Israeli team Maccabi Haifa in the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup. This victory was thanks to two goals from club legend Mushfig Huseynov. Qarabağ also represented Azerbaijan many times in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup.
These financial problems got better in 2001 when Azersun Holding, a large company in Azerbaijan, started to sponsor the team. The team was called Qarabag-Azersun for two seasons before going back to its original name in 2004.
The Gurban Gurbanov Era (2008–Present)
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In 2008, Gurban Gurbanov, a former Azerbaijani football star, became the head coach. He joined just a week before the 2008–09 season began. Under Gurbanov, Qarabağ decided to focus on developing local players instead of signing many foreign ones. Gurbanov introduced a tiki-taka style of play. This means the team uses short passes, builds up play slowly, and players often switch positions.
With Gurbanov as coach, Qarabağ has become one of the most successful Azerbaijani football clubs in Europe. They achieved three wins in a row and reached the UEFA Europa League play-off round by beating Rosenborg and Honka. These achievements have made Gurbanov one of the most successful Azerbaijani managers ever.
In 2010, the club set a new Azerbaijani record for their biggest win in a European competition. They beat Metalurg Skopje 4–1 in Baku and then knocked out Wisła Kraków. This helped them reach the play-offs for the second year in a row. In 2011, they repeated this success by beating Banga Gargždai 4–0. The 2011–12 season was a bit disappointing, as they finished fourth and missed out on European competitions. However, 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, becoming the first Azerbaijani team to win in the third round of the UEFA Champions League. In August 2014, the club reached the Europa League play-off round for the fourth time in five seasons. In 2014, Qarabağ qualified for the 2014–15 Europa League group stage, becoming the second Azerbaijani team to do so. On October 23, 2014, they made history again by becoming the first Azerbaijani club to win a Europa League group stage match, defeating Ukrainian club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 1–0.
In 2017, after beating Sheriff Tiraspol, Qarabağ qualified for the UEFA Champions League play-off rounds for the first time. They won 1–0 against Danish team 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 a tough group with Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, and Roma. They earned two points from two draws and four losses.
In July and August 2021, Qarabağ played in the group stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League for the first time. They beat Ashdod, AEL Limassol, and Aberdeen in the qualifying rounds. On August 27, they were placed in Group H with Basel, Kairat, and Omonia. They finished second in their group and moved on to the Knockout Play-off Round.
In the 2023–24 season, Qarabağ reached the Europa League group stage and finished second behind Bayer Leverkusen. They then played against Braga in the knockout round play-off. Qarabağ won the first game 4–2. In the second game, Braga won 2–0 in normal time, but after extra time, Braga won 3–2. However, Qarabağ won 6–5 on total goals, becoming 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 drew 2–2 in the first game at home, but were knocked out in the second game after two late goals from Patrik Schick, losing 3–2.
On April 27, 2025, Qarabağ won the championship with four games left in the season. They drew 1–1 against Sabah in the 32nd round of the Premier League. This made them Premier League champions for the 12th time in their history and their fourth time in a row!
Home Stadium
The club used to play at Guzanli Olympic Stadium in Quzanlı, which is in the Agdam Rayon of Nagorno-Karabakh. Their original home stadium, Imarat Stadium, was destroyed during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.
In 2012, plans for a new stadium, Azersun Arena, were announced. It opened in June 2015. Azersun Arena is a football stadium in Surakhani, Baku. It is currently the club's home stadium for Azerbaijan Premier League games and can hold 5,800 people.
For bigger matches in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, Qarabağ uses the Baku Olympic Stadium and Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium. The largest crowd for a Qarabağ game was 67,200 fans. This happened on September 27, 2017, during a UEFA Champions League group stage match against Roma.
On December 21, 2023, Qarabağ played a 2023–24 Azerbaijan Cup match against MOIK Baku at Khankendi Stadium in Khankendi. This was the first match 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 Aghdam area, but they also have a lot of support across the rest of Azerbaijan. This is mainly because they are the only team representing the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which has been affected by conflict. The club also gets support from the many Azerbaijani people who have had to leave their homes. In recent years, because of their success, the club has worked on special projects to help young people in the areas near Nagorno-Karabakh where displaced people live.
Qarabağ has several fan groups, including Imarat, Qarabağ Ordusu, Boys Qarabağ, and Ladies of Qarabağ. These groups often receive free tickets to games, which helps the team get more support from fans.
Team Colors and Logo
The symbol on the club's emblem represents the Karabakh region. It was designed by English artists and is based on the Karabakh horse. The horse is also why the club is nicknamed "The Horsemen." While the horse symbol appeared on club programs and scarves earlier, it wasn't on the team's shirts until 2004. After Gurban Gurbanov became coach, Qarabağ's exciting style of play led fans to call them "Qafqazın Barselonası" ("Barcelona of The Caucasus"), comparing them to the famous Barcelona team. The club is sometimes called "Qaçqın Klub" ("The Refugee Club") because of its connection to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the issue of refugees in Azerbaijan.
Team Kits
Qarabağ's traditional black and white kits represent light and darkness, linking to the club's home in Nagorno-Karabakh. The team's kits are made by Adidas and sponsored by Azersun, a food company based in Baku.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–2004 | Fila | FINAL |
| 2004–2007 | Adidas | Azersun |
| 2007–2008 | Puma | |
| 2008–2010 | Adidas | |
| 2010–2011 | Azərbaycan Sənaye Bankı | |
| 2011–2012 | Kappa | Azersun |
| 2012–2022 | Adidas | |
| 2022–2023 | İl`Azero | |
| 2023– | Adidas |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 1 | 36 | 26 | 6 | 4 | 66 | 21 | +45 | 84 | W | CL / EL | III R / GS |  Dani Quintana (15) |
 Gurban Gurbanov |
| 2016–17 | 1 | 28 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 46 | 14 | +32 | 62 | W | CL / EL | III R / GS |  Dino Ndlovu (10) |
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| 2017–18 | 1 | 28 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 37 | 13 | +24 | 65 | QF | CL | GS | Mahir Emreli (8) |
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| 2018–19 | 1 | 27 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 62 | 19 | +43 | 63 | SF | CL / EL | III R / GS | Mahir Emreli (16) |
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| 2019–20 | 1 | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 34 | 7 | +27 | 45 | SF | CL / EL | III R / GS | Mahir Emreli (7) |
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| 2020–21 | 2 | 28 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 64 | 18 | +46 | 57 | SF | CL / EL | III R / GS | Mahir Emreli (18) |
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| 2021–22 | 1 | 28 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 72 | 13 | +59 | 69 | W | ECL | KO |  Kady Borges (12) |
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| 2022–23 | 1 | 36 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 91 | 25 | +66 | 90 | QF | CL / EL / ECL | PO / GS / KO | Ramil Sheydayev (22) |
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| 2023–24 | 1 | 36 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 97 | 37 | +60 | 83 | W | CL / EL | II R / 1/8 | Juninho (20) |
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| 2024–25 | 1 | 36 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 86 | 19 | +67 | 89 | RU | CL / EL | PO / LP |  Leandro Andrade (15) |
European Competitions
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Qarabağ has played in 18 different European club competitions organized by UEFA, which is the main football authority in Europe. This includes 7 seasons in the Champions League, 13 seasons in the UEFA Cup and Europa League, two seasons in the Cup Winners' Cup, and one season each in the UEFA Europa Conference League and Intertoto Cup. Qarabağ has also played in the Europa League six times after qualifying through the Champions League. Since their first European game in the 1996–97 season, they have played 134 games. Their record is 48 wins, 35 draws, and 51 losses.
| Tournament | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 57 | 24 | 18 | 15 | 82 | 54 | +28 | 42.11 |
| UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League | 109 | 37 | 23 | 49 | 124 | 159 | −35 | 33.94 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 17 | +2 | 50.00 |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12 | −11 | 0.00 |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 25.00 |
| Total | 190 | 70 | 46 | 74 | 228 | 252 | −24 | 36.84 |
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 |
Team Players
The list below shows the main country each player is from. Some players from outside Europe might also have citizenship in a European Union country.
Current Squad
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For recent transfers, see Transfers summer 2025.
Reserve Team
Qarabağ-2 is the reserve team and plays in the Azerbaijan First Division since 2018.
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Club Staff
Coaching Team
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Club Leaders
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Club Achievements
Qarabağ has won the Azerbaijan Premier League twelve times, the Azerbaijan Cup eight times, and the Azerbaijan Supercup once. They were the first team not from Baku to win the Azerbaijan Premier League title. Qarabağ and Neftçi PFK are the only two teams in Azerbaijan that have played in every Azerbaijan Premier League championship.
Azerbaijan Titles
- Azerbaijan League
- Winners (12): 1993, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
- 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, 2024–25
- 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 lists of players with the most games played and top goalscorers for the club. Players in bold are currently playing for Qarabağ.
Top Goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Years | League | Cup | Continental | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mushfig Huseynov |
1989–1999 2003–2004 2005–2007 |
125 (320) | ? (?) | 2 (?) | 127 (320) |
| 2 | Mahir Emreli |
2015–2021 | 59 (126) | 7 (21) | 5 (49) | 71 (216) |
| 3 |  Abdellah Zoubir |
2018–present | 49 (188) | 5 (25) | 15 (98) | 69 (311) |
| 4 | Richard Almeida |
2012–2018 2018–2019 2021–2025 |
51 (256) | 5 (31) | 8 (91) | 64 (378) |
| 5 | Reynaldo |
2012–2017 2019 |
44 (92) | 7 (9) | 11 (35) | 62 (139) |
| 6 | Samir Musayev |
2002–2006 | 44 (85) | ? (?) | 2 (?) | 46 (85) |
| 7 | Yashar Huseynov |
1989–2002 | 44 (325) | ? (?) | ? (?) | 44 (325) |
| 7 | Dani Quintana |
2015–2020 | 33 (98) | 3 (12) | 8 (44) | 44 (154) |
| 7 | Leandro Andrade |
2021–present | 36 (106) | 1 (14) | 7 (41) | 44 (161) |
| 10 | Juninho |
2023–2025 | 23 (48) | 5 (6) | 14 (26) | 42 (80) |
Most Appearances
| Rank | Player | Years | League | Cup | Continental | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maksim Medvedev |
2006–2024 | 376 (12) | 50 (2) | 126 (3) | 552 (17) |
| 2 | Qara Qarayev |
2008–2023 | 308 (5) | 41 (0) | 120 (0) | 469 (5) |
| 3 | Badavi Guseynov |
2013–present | 251 (5) | 33 (0) | 95 (0) | 379 (5) |
| 4 | Richard Almeida |
2012–2018 2018–2019 2021–2025 |
256 (51) | 31 (5) | 91 (8) | 378 (64) |
| 5 | Yashar Huseynov |
1989–2002 | 325 (44) | ? (?) | ? (?) | 325 (44) |
| 6 | Mushfig Huseynov |
1989–1999 2003–2004 2005–2007 |
320 (120) | ? (?) | ? (2) | 320 (127) |
| 7 |  Ansi Agolli |
2010–2019 | 224 (3) | 24 (0) | 69 (1) | 317 (4) |
| 8 | Abdellah Zoubir |
2018–present | 188 (49) | 25 (5) | 98 (15) | 311 (69) |
| 9 | Sattar Aliyev |
1989 1990–2004 |
306 (17) | ? (?) | ? (?) | 306 (17) |
| 10 | Aslan Kerimov |
1993–1997 2003–2011 |
268 (12) | ? (?) | ? (0) | 268 (12) |
Famous 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Boyukagha Aghayev | Azerbaijan |
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N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Azerbaijan Cup | ||
| Gurban Gurbanov | Azerbaijan |
2008 | Present | 406 | 226 | 106 | 74 | 588 | 301 | 55.67 | Azerbaijan Premier League (11) Azerbaijan Cup (6) |
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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 of origin is shown by the FIFA country code.
Player Transfers
The biggest transfer deal happened in January 2025. The 28-year-old Brazilian forward Juninho moved to Flamengo for €5.00 million.
Record Transfers
| Rank | Player | To | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Juninho |
Flamengo |
€5.00 million | 2025 |
| 2. | Kady Borges |
 Krasnodar |
€2.00 million | 2023 |
| 3. |  Ibrahima Wadji |
Saint-Étienne |
€1.50 million | 2022 |
| 4. | Dino Ndlovu |
 Zhejiang Professional |
€0.65 million | 2018 |
| 5. | Musa Gurbanli |
 Djurgården |
€0.50 million | 2023 |
Images for kids
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Qarabağ's away shirt for the 2018–19 season.
See also
In Spanish: Qarabağ Futbol Klubu para niños
