Карабах (Футбольный клуб, Баку)

Association football based in Baku

Qarabağ Futbol Klubu, commonly known as Qarabağ , 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 formerly occupied Karabakh (Azerbaijani: Qarabağ) 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. Qarabağ have won the Premier League eleven times and Azerbaijan Cup seven 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.

The club was founded in 1951 as Mehsul 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 Mehsul, 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. 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.

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 Gurban 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 marked Gurban Gurbanov as 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.

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, becoming this the first match played in Karabakh Economic Region after the end of the Second Nagorno Karabakh War.

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 is a sole remnant of the past and a living symbol of hope and pride for over half a million Azerbaijani internally displaced people. In recent years, thanks to achievements on the pitch, the club has been able to inspire and initiate special youth projects enforcing stability and development in the IDP settlements near the border of Nagorno Karabakh. The club have 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.

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.

Updated 08.03.2024
Rank Team Coefficient 54 Young Boys34.50055 Fenerbahçe34.00056 Fiorentina33.00057 Qarabağ33.00058 Real Betis33.00059 Celtic32.00060 Galatasaray31.500

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

Qarabağ 2 plays in the Azerbaijan First Division from 2018.

The top transfer was agreed in January 2023 when 26 years old Brazilian attacking midfielder Kady Borges moved to Russian club Krasnodar for a fee €2.00 million.

RankPlayerToFeeYear1. Kady Borges Krasnodar€2.00 million20232. Ibrahima Wadji Saint Étienne€1.00 million20223. Dino Ndlovu Zhejiang Professional€0.65 million20184. Musa Gurbanli Djurgårdens€0.50 million20235. Owusu Kwabena Ferencváros€0.50 million2023

Qarabağ is featured on the football simulation game Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 and 2016.

In October 2020, amid the Nagorno Karabakh war, Qarabağ was called on for sanctions by Armenian Football Federation after the club's PR and media manager Nurlan Ibrahimov made a hate speech on social network calling to "kill all the Armenians, old and young, without distinction". UEFA announced about temporary banning the club's official from any football related activity for "racist and other discriminatory conduct” targeting Armenians. Qarabag issued a statement saying Ibrahimov had "suffered psychological trauma" watching the news of 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 Qarabag official for life and fined the club €100,000. Shortly after the UEFA sanction, Ibrahimov was declared wanted in Armenia.