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Qarabağ
Qarabağ FK logo
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
2024–25 Azerbaijan Premier League, 1st of 10 (champions)
Third colours

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.

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)

Gurbangurbanovpress (cropped)
Gurban Gurbanov, Qarabağ's successful manager.

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

AzersunArena
Azersun Arena.

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.

Avropa Liqası Muzeyi Bakıda 09
Qarabağ's away shirt for the 2018–19 season.

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 Spain Dani Quintana (15) Azerbaijan Gurban Gurbanov
2016–17 1 28 19 5 4 46 14 +32 62 W CL / EL III R / GS South Africa Dino Ndlovu (10)
2017–18 1 28 20 5 3 37 13 +24 65 QF CL GS Azerbaijan Mahir Emreli (8)
2018–19 1 27 19 6 2 62 19 +43 63 SF CL / EL III R / GS Azerbaijan Mahir Emreli (16)
2019–20 1 20 13 6 1 34 7 +27 45 SF CL / EL III R / GS Azerbaijan Mahir Emreli (7)
2020–21 2 28 16 9 3 64 18 +46 57 SF CL / EL III R / GS Azerbaijan Mahir Emreli (18)
2021–22 1 28 21 6 1 72 13 +59 69 W ECL KO Brazil Kady Borges (12)
2022–23 1 36 28 6 2 91 25 +66 90 QF CL / EL / ECL PO / GS / KO Azerbaijan Ramil Sheydayev (22)
2023–24 1 36 26 5 5 97 37 +60 83 W CL / EL II R / 1/8 Brazil Juninho (20)
2024–25 1 36 28 5 3 86 19 +67 89 RU CL / EL PO / LP Cape Verde Leandro Andrade (15)

European Competitions

Chelsea 6 Qarabag 0 (36807146810)
Qarabağ playing against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge during the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League.

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 &&&&&&&&&&&&&057.&&&&&057 &&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024 &&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018 &&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015 &&&&&&&&&&&&&082.&&&&&082 &&&&&&&&&&&&&054.&&&&&054 +28 &&&&&&&&&&&&&042.11000042.11
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League &&&&&&&&&&&&0109.&&&&&0109 &&&&&&&&&&&&&037.&&&&&037 &&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&&&&&023 &&&&&&&&&&&&&049.&&&&&049 &&&&&&&&&&&&0124.&&&&&0124 &&&&&&&&&&&&0159.&&&&&0159 −35 &&&&&&&&&&&&&033.94000033.94
UEFA Europa Conference League &&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019 &&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017 +2 &&&&&&&&&&&&&050.&&&&&050.00
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012 −11 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
UEFA Intertoto Cup &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011 −9 &&&&&&&&&&&&&025.&&&&&025.00
Total &&&&&&&&&&&&0190.&&&&&0190 &&&&&&&&&&&&&070.&&&&&070 &&&&&&&&&&&&&046.&&&&&046 &&&&&&&&&&&&&074.&&&&&074 &&&&&&&&&&&&0228.&&&&&0228 &&&&&&&&&&&&0252.&&&&&0252 −24 &&&&&&&&&&&&&036.84000036.84

UEFA Club Rankings

Updated March 8, 2024

Rank Team Coefficient
54 Switzerland Young Boys 34.500
55 Turkey Fenerbahçe 34.000
56 Italy Fiorentina 33.000
57 Azerbaijan Qarabağ 33.000
58 Spain Real Betis 33.000
59 Scotland Celtic 32.000
60 Turkey 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

No. Position Player
1 Azerbaijan GK Shakhruddin Magomedaliyev
2 Brazil DF Matheus Silva
3 Morocco DF Samy Mmaee (on loan from Dinamo Zagreb)
6 Ivory Coast MF Chris Kouakou
8 Montenegro MF Marko Janković
10 France MF Abdellah Zoubir (vice-captain)
11 Ghana FW Emmanuel Addai
13 Azerbaijan DF Behlul Mustafazade (3rd captain)
15 Cape Verde MF Leandro Andrade
18 Brazil DF Dani Bolt
20 Brazil MF Kady Borges
21 Ukraine MF Oleksiy Kashchuk
No. Position Player
22 Azerbaijan FW Musa Qurbanlı
24 Azerbaijan MF Aleksey Isayev
27 Azerbaijan DF Toral Bayramov
30 Azerbaijan DF Abbas Hüseynov
35 Brazil MF Pedro Bicalho
44 Azerbaijan DF Elvin Cafarguliyev
55 Azerbaijan DF Badavi Guseynov (captain)
81 Colombia DF Kevin Medina (4th captain)
89 Azerbaijan GK Amin Ramazanov
90 Azerbaijan FW Nariman Akhundzade
97 Croatia GK Fabijan Buntić
99 Poland GK Mateusz Kochalski

For recent transfers, see Transfers summer 2025.

Reserve Team

Qarabağ-2 is the reserve team and plays in the Azerbaijan First Division since 2018.

No. Position Player
25 Azerbaijan DF Nihad Hasanzade
26 Azerbaijan MF Rauf Maharramov
32 Azerbaijan DF Hikmat Jabrayilzade
33 Azerbaijan MF Ugur Safarov
34 Azerbaijan DF Rustam Alizade
39 Azerbaijan MF Eltun Babazade
40 Azerbaijan MF Omar Mammadzade
41 Azerbaijan GK Emin Isgandarli
45 Azerbaijan DF Nihad Mollayev
47 Azerbaijan MF Musa Musazade
54 Azerbaijan FW Musa Mammadov
62 Azerbaijan MF Nurlan Shabanov
70 Azerbaijan MF Jafar Hasanov
71 Azerbaijan GK Gurban Maharramov
No. Position Player
73 Azerbaijan DF Khayal Alakbarov
74 Azerbaijan DF Sabuhi Niftiyev
75 Azerbaijan MF Emil Binyatzade
76 Azerbaijan MF Nihad Aliyev
79 Azerbaijan MF Mirmovsum Janiyev
80 Azerbaijan MF Ilham Huseynov
82 Azerbaijan MF Samad Zalli
86 Azerbaijan GK Vagif Malik-Yeganov
91 Azerbaijan MF Elton Mikayilov
92 Azerbaijan FW Ibrahim Jamalov
93 Azerbaijan MF Ashraf Zeynalli
94 Azerbaijan MF Huseyn Huseynli
95 Azerbaijan MF Farid Taghiyev

Club Staff

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

Mahir Emreli 2021
Mahir Emreli is one of the top goalscorers for Qarabağ.
Rank Player Years League Cup Continental Total
1 Azerbaijan Huseynov, MushfigMushfig Huseynov 1989–1999
2003–2004
2005–2007
125 (320) ? (?) 2 (?) 127 (320)
2 Azerbaijan Emreli, MahirMahir Emreli 2015–2021 59 (126) 7 (21) 5 (49) 71 (216)
3 France Zoubir, AbdellahAbdellah Zoubir 2018–present 49 (188) 5 (25) 15 (98) 69 (311)
4 Azerbaijan Almeida, RichardRichard Almeida 2012–2018
2018–2019
2021–2025
51 (256) 5 (31) 8 (91) 64 (378)
5 Brazil Reynaldo 2012–2017
2019
44 (92) 7 (9) 11 (35) 62 (139)
6 Azerbaijan Musayev, SamirSamir Musayev 2002–2006 44 (85) ? (?) 2 (?) 46 (85)
7 Azerbaijan Huseynov, YasharYashar Huseynov 1989–2002 44 (325) ? (?) ? (?) 44 (325)
7 Spain Quintana, DaniDani Quintana 2015–2020 33 (98) 3 (12) 8 (44) 44 (154)
7 Cape Verde Leandro Andrade 2021–present 36 (106) 1 (14) 7 (41) 44 (161)
10 Brazil Juninho 2023–2025 23 (48) 5 (6) 14 (26) 42 (80)

Most Appearances

Maksim Medvedev-2
Maksim Medvedev has played the most games for Qarabağ.
Rank Player Years League Cup Continental Total
1 Azerbaijan Medvedev, MaksimMaksim Medvedev 2006–2024 376 (12) 50 (2) 126 (3) 552 (17)
2 Azerbaijan Qarayev, QaraQara Qarayev 2008–2023 308 (5) 41 (0) 120 (0) 469 (5)
3 Azerbaijan Guseynov, BadaviBadavi Guseynov 2013–present 251 (5) 33 (0) 95 (0) 379 (5)
4 Azerbaijan Almeida, RichardRichard Almeida 2012–2018
2018–2019
2021–2025
256 (51) 31 (5) 91 (8) 378 (64)
5 Azerbaijan Huseynov, YasharYashar Huseynov 1989–2002 325 (44) ? (?) ? (?) 325 (44)
6 Azerbaijan Huseynov, MushfigMushfig Huseynov 1989–1999
2003–2004
2005–2007
320 (120) ? (?) ? (2) 320 (127)
7 Albania Agolli, AnsiAnsi Agolli 2010–2019 224 (3) 24 (0) 69 (1) 317 (4)
8 France Zoubir, AbdellahAbdellah Zoubir 2018–present 188 (49) 25 (5) 98 (15) 311 (69)
9 Azerbaijan Aliyev, SattarSattar Aliyev 1989
1990–2004
306 (17) ? (?) ? (?) 306 (17)
10 Azerbaijan Kerimov, AslanAslan 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
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 (11)
Azerbaijan Cup (6)

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. Brazil Juninho Brazil Flamengo €5.00 million 2025
2. Brazil Kady Borges Russia Krasnodar €2.00 million 2023
3. Senegal Ibrahima Wadji France Saint-Étienne €1.50 million 2022
4. South Africa Dino Ndlovu China Zhejiang Professional €0.65 million 2018
5. Azerbaijan Musa Gurbanli Sweden Djurgården €0.50 million 2023

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Qarabağ Futbol Klubu para niños

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