Qarabağ FK

Qarabağ FK, an Azerbaijani professional football club, calls Baku home these days, though its roots run deep in Aghdam, a city in the Karabakh region. The club hasn't played in its hometown since 1993, when the First Nagorno-Karabakh War forced it to relocate. Today, Qarabağ splits its home matches between the Azersun Arena and the larger Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, the latter also hosting Azerbaijan national team games.

Founded in 1987, Qarabağ were among the founding members of the Azerbaijan Premier League in 1992. A year later, they became the first champions from outside Baku, a feat that set the tone for a club that would become a perennial contender. They are one of only two teams, along with Neftçi PFK, to have participated in every Premier League season since its inception.

The club's modern era took off in 2014, when they reclaimed the league title after a 21-year drought. Since then, Qarabağ have dominated domestic football, racking up twelve Premier League titles and eight Azerbaijan Cups. On the European stage, they made history in 2014–15 by becoming the second Azerbaijani side to reach the UEFA Europa League group stage, following Neftçi. Three years later, they went one better, becoming the first Azerbaijani team to qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage. With more UEFA appearances than any other club in the country, Qarabağ have firmly established themselves as Azerbaijan's standard-bearer in continental competition. [edit]

When Qarabağ's predecessor, Məhsul, was founded in Aghdam in 1951, the club played in the Azerbaijani SSR. The team was renamed Qarabağ in 1987, just a few years before the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1993, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict forced the club to flee its hometown, losing its stadium and base. The team's supporters, many of them displaced, carried their allegiance to Baku, where the club has operated ever since.

Qarabağ's first league title came in 1993, but it took 21 years to win another. That 2014 championship kicked off a period of dominance that has seen the club lift the Premier League trophy nine times in the last decade. The coach behind this success, Gurban Gurbanov, took over in 2008 and has become the longest-serving manager in the league, known for a possession-based style and a knack for scouting Brazilian talent.

European nights have defined Qarabağ's recent history. In 2017–18, they became the first Azerbaijani club to reach the Champions League group stage, holding Atlético Madrid to a draw at the Wanda Metropolitano. They have since become regulars in the Europa League and Conference League, often navigating through tough qualifying rounds. A memorable 2021–22 Europa Conference League run saw them beat Marseille and Braga before falling to Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals. [edit]