Qarabağ Futbol Klubu (pronounced [ɡɑˈrɑbɑɣ]) is an Azerbaijani professional football club that competes in the Azerbaijan Premier League, the top flight of Azerbaijani football. The club originates from Aghdam in the Karabakh region, but has not played in its hometown since 1993 due to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. The club now plays in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, at the Azersun Arena and Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, which also serves as the venue for Azerbaijan national team matches.

Formed in 1987, Qarabağ were founding members of the Azerbaijan Premier League 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 which has participated in all Premier League championships so far.

In 2014, the club won the Premier League, their first league title in 21 years. Qarabağ have won the Premier League twelve times and Azerbaijan Cup eight times. Qarabağ became the second Azerbaijani team after Neftçi PFK to advance to the group stage of a European competition, making its in the UEFA Europa League group stage in 2014–15 season. Qarabağ is the first Azerbaijani team to advance to the group stage of the higher UEFA Champions League, competing in the 2017–18 season. The club has played more UEFA matches than any other Azerbaijani team.

History

Soviet era (1951–1991)

The ground at Aghdam (pictured in 2021), where the Məhsul Club played its earliest football.

The club was founded in 1951 as Məhsul after the Aghdam 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 Məhsul, took part in the 1966 Azerbaijani SSR championship. 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 Şəfəq. In 1982 Şəfəq was the only representative of Aghdam in football. Between 1982 and 1987, the squad used the name "Kooperator". 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.

Effects of war and financial struggles (1991–2008)

On 23 July 1993, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, 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 as well as the Azerbaijan Cup. 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 thanks to a double strike from club legend Mushfig Huseynov. Qarabağ has also represented Azerbaijan in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup 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)

Gurban Gurbanov, the most successful Azerbaijani manager in European competitions.

In 2008, former Azerbaijani football star Gurban Gurbanov was appointed as head coach after the unexpected departure of Rasim Kara 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, 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 to reach the play-offs for the second year in succession. In 2011, the club duplicated the same record by beating Banga Gargždai 4–0 in Gargždai. 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. In August 2014, the club reached Europa League 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 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. 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 alongside Chelsea, Atlético Madrid and Roma, 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. Qarabağ knocked-out Ashdod (0–0 and 1–0), AEL Limassol (1–1 and 1–0) and Aberdeen (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 alongside Basel, 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 group stage where they finished 2nd behind Bayer Leverkusen. Qarabağ were subsequently drawn against Braga 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, 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 in the 32nd round of the Premier League, thus becoming Premier League champions for the 12th time in their history and for the 4th consecutive time. The club qualified for the UEFA Champions League again after beating Hungarian champions Ferencvárosi TC 5–4 on aggregate. The first match of the club back at the Champions League was a comeback 2–3 victory against Benfica. Following this victory, president Ilham Aliyev congratulated the club for its victory. On October 1, Qarabağ Agdam claimed their second win in the UEFA Champions League group stage with a 2-0 victory over Copenhagen at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku. Qarabağ became the first Azerbaijani side to record back-to-back Champions League wins as they beat Copenhagen.

On 28 January 2026, Qarabağ lost away to Liverpool in the eighth and final round of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League. Nevertheless, with 10 points collected in the league phase and finishing 22nd in the tournament standings, Qarabağ made history as the first Azerbaijani club to advance to the Champions League knockout phase.

Stadium

Azersun Arena.

The club have previously used Guzanli Olympic Stadium, which is situated in Quzanlı, the most populous municipality in the Agdam Rayon of Nagorno-Karabakh, 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.

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, Azerbaijan. It is currently used as the club's Azerbaijan Premier League home stadium and holds 5,800 people.

The Baku Olympic Stadium and Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium is used for UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League 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.

On 21 December 2023, Qarabağ played the 2023–24 Azerbaijan Cup match against MOIK Baku at Khankendi Stadium, Khankendi, making it the first match played in Karabakh Economic Region after the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Supporters

Although a large part of Qarabağ's support is drawn from the local Aghdam population, they remain immensely well supported in the rest of Azerbaijan. This is mainly due to their being the only team to represent the war-torn Nagorno-Karabakh region in the league. The club draws support from the half a million Azerbaijani internally displaced people. In recent years, thanks to achievements on the pitch, the club has been involved in special youth projects enforcing stability and development in the IDP settlements near the border of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The club has a 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

Qarabağ's away shirt for the 2018–19 campaign.

The crest on the club emblem is the symbol of the Karabakh. 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's success in Europe. The club is sometimes called "Qaçqın Klub" ("The Refugee Club") after its conservative position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and refugee problem in Azerbaijan.

Shirt sponsors and kit manufacturers

Qarabağ's traditional kit alludes to the club's location in Nagorno-Karabakh with the black and white representing light and darkness respectively. The club's kits are manufactured by Adidas and sponsored by Azersun, a Baku-based food producing company.

PeriodKit manufacturerShirt sponsor
2003–2004FilaFINAL
2004–2007AdidasAzersun
2007–2008Puma
2008–2010Adidas
2010–2011Azərbaycan Sənaye Bankı
2011–2012KappaAzersun
2012–2022Adidas
2022–2023İl`Azero
2023–Adidas

Recent seasons

The season-by-season performance of the club over the last ten years:

SeasonDiv.Pos.Pl.WDLGSGADiffPCupEuropeTop Scorer (League goals)Head coach
2015–16Premier League13626646621+4584WCL / ELIII R / GSSpain Dani Quintana (15)Azerbaijan Gurban Gurbanov
2016–1712819544614+3262WCL / ELIII R / GSSouth Africa Dino Ndlovu (10)
2017–1812820533713+2465QFCLGSAzerbaijan Mahir Emreli (8)
2018–1912719626219+4363SFCL / ELIII R / GSAzerbaijan Mahir Emreli (16)
2019–201201361347+2745SFCL / ELIII R / GSAzerbaijan Mahir Emreli (7)
2020–2122816936418+4657SFCL / ELIII R / GSAzerbaijan Mahir Emreli (18)
2021–2212821617213+5969WECLKOBrazil Kady Borges (12)
2022–2313628629125+6690QFCL / EL / ECLPO / GS / KOAzerbaijan Ramil Sheydayev (22)
2023–2413626559737+6083WCL / ELII R / 1/8Brazil Juninho (20)
2024–2513628538619+6789RUCL / ELPO / LPCape Verde Leandro Andrade (15)

European record

Qarabağ playing against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge during the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League.

The club have participated in 18 editions of the club competitions governed by UEFA, 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 and one seasons in the UEFA Europa Conference League and Intertoto Cup. 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.

As of match played 24 February 2026

TournamentPWDLGFGAGDWin%
UEFA Champions League7332192211389+24043.84
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League109372349124158−34033.94
UEFA Europa Conference League168441917+2050.00
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup4013112−11000.00
UEFA Intertoto Cup4103211−9025.00
Total206784781259287−28037.86

Matches

Games of Qarabağ in UEFA competitions
SeasonCompetitionRoundClubHomeAwayAggregate
1996–97Cup Winners' CupQRFinland MyPa0–11–11–2 (a.e.t.)
1997–98UEFA Cup1QCzech Republic Jablonec 970–30–50–8
1998–99Cup Winners' CupQRDenmark Copenhagen0–40–60–10
1999Intertoto Cup1RIsrael Maccabi Haifa0–12–12–2 (a)
2RFrance Montpellier0–30–60–9
2004–05UEFA Cup1QSlovakia Dukla0–10–30–4
2006–07UEFA Cup1QMoldova Zimbru Chișinău1–21–12–3 (a.e.t.)
2009–10Europa League2QNorway Rosenborg1–00–01–0
3QFinland Honka2–11–03–1
Play-offNetherlands Twente0–01–31–3
2010–11Europa League1QNorth Macedonia Metalurg Skopje4–11–15–2
2QNorthern Ireland Portadown1–12–13–2
3QPoland Wisła Kraków3–21–04–2
Play-offGermany Borussia Dortmund0–10–40–5
2011–12Europa League1QLithuania Banga Gargždai3–04–07–0
2QFaroe Islands EB/Streymur0–01–11–1 (a)
3QBelgium Club Brugge1–01–42–4
2013–14Europa League1QNorth Macedonia Metalurg Skopje1–01–02–0
2QPoland Piast Gliwice2–12–24–3 (a.e.t.)
3QSweden Gefle IF1–02–03–0
Play-offGermany Eintracht Frankfurt0–21–21–4
2014–15Champions League2QMalta Valletta4–01–05–0
3QAustria Red Bull Salzburg2–10–22–3
Europa LeaguePlay-offNetherlands Twente0–01–11–1 (a)
Group FFrance Saint-Étienne0–01–13rd
Italy Internazionale0–00–2
Ukraine Dnipro1–21–0
2015–16Champions League2QMontenegro Rudar Pljevlja0–01–01–0
3QScotland Celtic0–00–10–1
Europa LeaguePlay-offSwitzerland Young Boys3–01–04–0
Group JBelgium Anderlecht1–01–24th
France Monaco1–10–1
England Tottenham Hotspur0–11–3
2016–17Champions League2QLuxembourg Dudelange2–01–13–1
3QCzech Republic Viktoria Plzeň1–10–01–1 (a)
Europa LeaguePlay-offSweden IFK Göteborg3–00–13–1
Group JItaly Fiorentina1–21–53rd
Greece PAOK2–01–0
Czech Republic Slovan Liberec2–20–3
2017–18Champions League2QGeorgia (country) Samtredia5–01–06–0
3QMoldova Sheriff Tiraspol0–02–12–1
Play-offDenmark Copenhagen1–01–22–2 (a)
Group CItaly Roma1–20–14th
Spain Atlético Madrid0–01–1
England Chelsea0–40–6
2018–19Champions League1QSlovenia Olimpija Ljubljana0–01–01–0
2QAlbania Kukësi3–00–03–0
3QBelarus BATE Borisov0–11–11–2
Europa LeaguePlay-offMoldova Sheriff Tiraspol3–00–13–1
Group EPortugal Sporting Lisbon1–60–24th
England Arsenal0–30–1
Ukraine Vorskla Poltava0–11–0
2019–20Champions League1QAlbania Partizani2–00–02–0
2QRepublic of Ireland Dundalk3–01–14–1
3QCyprus APOEL0–22–12–3
Europa LeaguePONorthern Ireland Linfield2–12–34–4 (a)
Group ASpain Sevilla0–30–23rd
Cyprus APOEL2–21–2
Luxembourg F91 Dudelange1–14–1
2020–21Champions League1QNorth Macedonia Sileks4–0—N/a4–0
2QMoldova Sheriff Tiraspol2–1—N/a2–1
3QNorway Molde0–0—N/a0–0 (5–6 p)
Europa LeaguePOPoland Legia Warsaw—N/a3–03–0
Group ISpain Villarreal1–30–3 (awd.)4th
Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv1–10–1
Turkey Sivasspor2–30–2
2021–22Europa Conference League2QIsrael Ashdod0–01–01–0
3QCyprus AEL Limassol1–01–12–1
POScotland Aberdeen1–03–14–1
Group HSwitzerland Basel0–00–32nd
Kazakhstan Kairat2–12–1
Cyprus Omonia2–24–1
KPOFrance Marseille0–31–31–6
2022–23Champions League1QPoland Lech Poznań5–10–15–2
2QSwitzerland Zürich3–22–25–4 (a.e.t.)
3QHungary Ferencváros1–13–14–2
POCzech Republic Viktoria Plzeň0–01–21–2
Europa LeagueGroup GHellenic Football Federation Olympiacos0–03–03rd
German Football Association SC Freiburg1–11–2
French Football Federation Nantes3–01–2
Europa Conference LeagueKPOBelgium Gent1–00–11–1 (3–5 p)
2023–24Champions League1QGibraltar Lincoln Red Imps4–02–16–1
2QPolish Football Association Raków Częstochowa1–12–33–4
Europa League3QFinland HJK2–12–14–2
POSlovenia Olimpija Ljubljana1–12–03–1
Group HGerman Football Association Bayer Leverkusen0–11–52nd
Norwegian Football Federation Molde1–02–2
Swedish Football Association BK Häcken2–11–0
KPOPortuguese Football Federation Braga2–34–26–5 (a.e.t.)
RO16German Football Association Bayer Leverkusen2–22–34–5
2024–25Champions League2QGibraltar Lincoln Red Imps5−02−07−0
3QBulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad1–27−28−4 (a.e.t.)
POCroatia Dinamo Zagreb0–30–20–5
Europa LeagueLPNetherlands Ajax0–3—N/a36th
England Tottenham Hotspur—N/a0–3
France Lyon1–4—N/a
Greece Olympiacos—N/a0–3
Sweden Malmö FF1–2—N/a
Norway Bodø/Glimt—N/a2–1
Romania FCSB2–3—N/a
Sweden IF Elfsborg—N/a0–1
2025–26Champions League2QRepublic of Ireland Shelbourne1–03–04−0
3QNorth Macedonia Shkëndija5–11–06−1
POHungary Ferencváros2–33–15–4
LPPortugal Benfica—N/a3–222nd
Denmark Copenhagen2–0—N/a
Spain Athletic Bilbao—N/a1–3
England Chelsea2–2—N/a
Italy Napoli—N/a0–2
Netherlands Ajax2–4—N/a
Germany Eintracht Frankfurt3–2—N/a
England Liverpool—N/a0–6
KPOThe Football Association Newcastle United1–62–33–9

UEFA club rankings

As of 25 January 2025

RankTeamCoefficient
56Serbia FK Crvena zvezda43.000
57Azerbaijan Qarabağ42.000
58Scotland Celtic F.C.41.000

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

As of 13 March 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK AZE Shakhruddin Magomedaliyev 2 DF BRA Matheus Silva 3 DF MAR Samy Mmaee (on loan from Dinamo Zagreb) 8 MF MNE Marko Janković 9 MF ESP Joni Montiel 10 MF FRA Abdellah Zoubir (vice-captain) 11 FW GHA Emmanuel Addai 13 DF AZE Behlul Mustafazade 15 MF CPV Leandro Andrade 17 FW COL Camilo Durán 18 DF BRA Dani Bolt 20 MF BRA Kady Borges 21 MF UKR Oleksiy KashchukNo. Pos. Nation Player 22 FW AZE Musa Qurbanlı 24 DF FRA Jérémie Gnali 26 DF AZE Amin Rzayev 27 DF AZE Toral Bayramov 30 DF AZE Abbas Hüseynov 32 MF AZE Hikmat Jabrayilzade 35 MF BRA Pedro Bicalho 44 DF AZE Elvin Cafarguliyev 55 DF AZE Badavi Guseynov (captain) 77 FW AZE Ramil Sheydayev 81 DF COL Kevin Medina 97 GK CRO Fabijan Buntić 99 GK POL Mateusz Kochalski
1GKAZEShakhruddin Magomedaliyev
2DFBRAMatheus Silva
3DFMARSamy Mmaee (on loan from Dinamo Zagreb)
8MFMNEMarko Janković
9MFESPJoni Montiel
10MFFRAAbdellah Zoubir (vice-captain)
11FWGHAEmmanuel Addai
13DFAZEBehlul Mustafazade
15MFCPVLeandro Andrade
17FWCOLCamilo Durán
18DFBRADani Bolt
20MFBRAKady Borges
21MFUKROleksiy Kashchuk
No.Pos.NationPlayer
22FWAZEMusa Qurbanlı
24DFFRAJérémie Gnali
26DFAZEAmin Rzayev
27DFAZEToral Bayramov
30DFAZEAbbas Hüseynov
32MFAZEHikmat Jabrayilzade
35MFBRAPedro Bicalho
44DFAZEElvin Cafarguliyev
55DFAZEBadavi Guseynov (captain)
77FWAZERamil Sheydayev
81DFCOLKevin Medina
97GKCROFabijan Buntić
99GKPOLMateusz Kochalski

For recent transfers, see Transfers summer 2025.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player 16 GK AZE Sadig Mammadzade (at Difai Agsu) 89 GK AZE Amin Ramazanov (at Zagatala) 90 FW AZE Davud Mansumov (at Shamakhi)
16GKAZESadig Mammadzade (at Difai Agsu)
89GKAZEAmin Ramazanov (at Zagatala)
90FWAZEDavud Mansumov (at Shamakhi)

Reserve team

As of 12 September 2025.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player 12 GK AZE Nijat Mammadzade 23 DF AZE Tofig Bayramov 25 DF AZE Javid Malikov 28 DF AZE Allahverdi Rahimov 33 MF AZE Ugur Safarov 39 MF AZE Eltun Babazade 41 GK AZE Emin Isgandarli 42 MF AZE Mahmud Aghayev 43 MF TUR Ahmet Levent Gülenç 45 FW NGA Toheeb Abiodun 47 MF AZE Mehdi Mutallimli 48 MF AZE Aliakbar RzazadeNo. Pos. Nation Player 66 MF AZE Haji Ibrahim 67 GK AZE Teymur Hasanov 71 DF AZE Masud Alishanli 73 DF AZE Ashraf Alakbarli 74 DF AZE Sabuhi Niftiyev 75 MF AZE Emil Binyatzade 78 MF AZE Ahmad Valiyev 79 FW AZE Shahismayil Jafarov 80 FW AZE Bahruz Gurbanli 91 MF AZE Elton Mikayilov 92 FW AZE Kanan Bakhishov
12GKAZENijat Mammadzade
23DFAZETofig Bayramov
25DFAZEJavid Malikov
28DFAZEAllahverdi Rahimov
33MFAZEUgur Safarov
39MFAZEEltun Babazade
41GKAZEEmin Isgandarli
42MFAZEMahmud Aghayev
43MFTURAhmet Levent Gülenç
45FWNGAToheeb Abiodun
47MFAZEMehdi Mutallimli
48MFAZEAliakbar Rzazade
No.Pos.NationPlayer
66MFAZEHaji Ibrahim
67GKAZETeymur Hasanov
71DFAZEMasud Alishanli
73DFAZEAshraf Alakbarli
74DFAZESabuhi Niftiyev
75MFAZEEmil Binyatzade
78MFAZEAhmad Valiyev
79FWAZEShahismayil Jafarov
80FWAZEBahruz Gurbanli
91MFAZEElton Mikayilov
92FWAZEKanan Bakhishov

Club officials

Current staff
Technical staff Current staff Manager: Azerbaijan Gurban Gurbanov Coach: Azerbaijan Elchin Rahmanov Coach: Azerbaijan Mushfig Huseynov Coach: Azerbaijan Zaur Tagizade Coach: Bulgaria Chudomir Chokarov Goalkeeping coach: Azerbaijan Elkhan Hasanov Reserve team head coach: Azerbaijan Javad Mirzabeyli Doctor: Azerbaijan Sahhat Rustamzadeh Physiotherapist: Moldova Ghennadie Chislari Physiotherapist: Turkey Murat Sahinoglu Masseur: Turkey Oktay Gursoy Masseur: Azerbaijan Elshan Aliyev Masseur: Azerbaijan Rahman Nabiyev Social media manager: Azerbaijan Mehman Ashrafov Administrator: Azerbaijan Elshan Hasanov Cameraman: Azerbaijan Ramin Hajiyev Source: Source:Club management Current staff President: Azerbaijan Tahir Gözel Vice president: Turkey Fevzihan Aras Board Member & Director : Turkey Emrah Celikel Board member & General manager: Azerbaijan Asif Asgarov Coordinator of youth academy: Azerbaijan Aftandil Hajiyev Financial manager: Turkey Murat Karaman Media and public relations: Azerbaijan Anar Hajiyev Chief accountant: Azerbaijan Ali Akberov Administratorion: Azerbaijan Izzet Mahmudov HR specialist: Azerbaijan Anar Ismayilov Source: Source:
Manager: Azerbaijan Gurban Gurbanov Coach: Azerbaijan Elchin Rahmanov Coach: Azerbaijan Mushfig Huseynov Coach: Azerbaijan Zaur Tagizade Coach: Bulgaria Chudomir Chokarov Goalkeeping coach: Azerbaijan Elkhan Hasanov Reserve team head coach: Azerbaijan Javad Mirzabeyli Doctor: Azerbaijan Sahhat Rustamzadeh Physiotherapist: Moldova Ghennadie Chislari Physiotherapist: Turkey Murat Sahinoglu Masseur: Turkey Oktay Gursoy Masseur: Azerbaijan Elshan Aliyev Masseur: Azerbaijan Rahman Nabiyev Social media manager: Azerbaijan Mehman Ashrafov Administrator: Azerbaijan Elshan Hasanov Cameraman: Azerbaijan Ramin Hajiyev
President: Azerbaijan Tahir Gözel Vice president: Turkey Fevzihan Aras Board Member & Director : Turkey Emrah Celikel Board member & General manager: Azerbaijan Asif Asgarov Coordinator of youth academy: Azerbaijan Aftandil Hajiyev Financial manager: Turkey Murat Karaman Media and public relations: Azerbaijan Anar Hajiyev Chief accountant: Azerbaijan Ali Akberov Administratorion: Azerbaijan Izzet Mahmudov HR specialist: Azerbaijan Anar Ismayilov

Honours

Qarabağ has won twelve Azerbaijan Premier League titles, eight Azerbaijan Cup 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

USSR

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

As of matches played by 22.04. 2026

Mahir Emreli is one of the highest goalscoring players for the club.
RankPlayerYearsLeagueCupContinentalTotal
1Azerbaijan Mushfig Huseynov1989–1999 2003–2004 2005–2007125 (320)? (?)2 (?)127 (320)
2France Abdellah Zoubir2018–present54 (212)6 (31)17 (114)77 (357)
3Azerbaijan Mahir Emreli2015–202159 (126)7 (21)5 (49)71 (216)
4Azerbaijan Richard Almeida2012–2018 2018–2019 2021–202551 (256)5 (31)8 (91)64 (378)
5Brazil Reynaldo2012–2017 201944 (92)7 (9)11 (35)62 (139)
6Cape Verde Leandro Andrade2021–present43 (132)2 (20)13 (56)58 (208)
7Azerbaijan Musa Gurbanli2019–2021 2021–2023 2024–present41 (95)4 (15)1 (24)46 (134)
8Azerbaijan Samir Musayev2002–200644 (85)?(?)2 (4)46 (89)
9Azerbaijan Yashar Huseynov1989–200244 (325)? (?)? (6)44 (331)
10Spain Dani Quintana2015–202033 (98)3 (12)8 (44)44 (154)

Most appearances

As of As of matches played by 22.04.2026

Maksim Medvedev has the most appearances for the club.
RankPlayerYearsLeagueCupContinentalTotal
1Azerbaijan Maksim Medvedev2006–2024376 (12)50 (2)126 (3)552 (17)
2Azerbaijan Qara Qarayev2008–2023308 (5)41 (0)120 (0)469 (5)
3Azerbaijan Badavi Guseynov2013–present262 (6)36 (0)97 (0)395 (6)
4Azerbaijan Richard Almeida2012–2018 2018–2019 2021–2025256 (51)31 (5)91 (8)378 (64)
5France Abdellah Zoubir2018–present212 (54)31 (6)114 (17)357 (77)
6Azerbaijan Mushfig Huseynov1989–1999 2003–2004 2005–2007320 (120)? (?)12 (2)332 (127)
7Azerbaijan Yashar Huseynov1989–2002325 (44)? (?)6 (0)331 (44)
8Albania Ansi Agolli2010–2019224 (3)24 (0)69 (1)317 (4)
9Azerbaijan Sattar Aliyev1989 1990–2004306 (17)? (?)8 (?)314 (17)
10Azerbaijan Aslan Kerimov1993–1997 2003–2011268 (12)? (?)20 (0)288 (12)

Notable managers

Information correct as of matches played by 28 October 2022. Only competitive matches are counted.

NameNat.FromToPWDLGSGA%WHonoursNotes
Elbrus AbbasovSoviet Union1988, 1990N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AAzerbaijan SSR League (2) Azerbaijan SSR Cup
Aghasalim MirjavadovAzerbaijan19931994N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AAzerbaijan Premier League Azerbaijan Cup Azerbaijan Supercup
Boyukagha AghayevAzerbaijan2006N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AAzerbaijan Cup
Gurban GurbanovAzerbaijan2008Present40622610674588301055.67Azerbaijan Premier League (11) Azerbaijan Cup (6)

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 moved to Flamengo for a fee €5.00 million.

Record transfers

RankPlayerToFeeYear
1.Brazil JuninhoBrazil Flamengo€5.00 million2025
2.Brazil Kady BorgesRussia Krasnodar€2.00 million2023
3.Senegal Ibrahima WadjiFrance Saint-Étienne€1.00 million2022
4.Azerbaijan Shakhruddin MagomedaliyevTurkey Adana Demirspor€0.90 million2023
5.South Africa Dino NdlovuChina Zhejiang Professional€0.65 million2018

In popular culture

Qarabağ is featured on the football simulation game Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 and 2016 and were later featured on FC 26

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 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 Qarabağ official for life and fined the club €100,000. Shortly after the UEFA sanction, Ibrahimov was declared wanted in Armenia.

Further reading

  • Huizinga, Arthur (2012). Offside – Football in Exile. Paradox / YdocPublishing. ISBN 9789081887601.
  • Giulianelli, Emanuele (2018). Qarabag: La squadra senza città alla conquista dell'Europa. Ultra sport. ISBN 978-8867767113.

External links

  • (in Azerbaijani and English)
  • at UEFA
  • at FIFA