Fixtures

Europe - World Cup Qualifying 09/05 18:45 1 Iceland vs Azerbaijan - View
Europe - World Cup Qualifying 09/09 16:00 2 Azerbaijan vs Ukraine - View
Europe - World Cup Qualifying 10/13 18:45 4 Ukraine vs Azerbaijan - View
Europe - World Cup Qualifying 11/13 17:00 5 Azerbaijan vs Iceland - View

Results

UEFA Nations League C 11/19 19:45 6 [1] Sweden v Azerbaijan [4] L 6-0
UEFA Nations League C 11/16 14:00 5 [4] Azerbaijan v Estonia [3] D 0-0
UEFA Nations League C 10/14 16:00 4 [4] Azerbaijan v Slovakia [2] L 1-3
UEFA Nations League C 10/11 16:00 3 [4] Estonia v Azerbaijan [3] L 3-1
UEFA Nations League C 09/08 16:00 2 [2] Slovakia v Azerbaijan [4] L 2-0
UEFA Nations League C 09/05 16:00 1 Azerbaijan v Sweden L 1-3
International Match 06/11 14:00 - Azerbaijan v Kazakhstan W 3-2
International Match 06/07 17:00 - Albania v Azerbaijan L 3-1
International Match 03/25 16:00 - Azerbaijan v Bulgaria D 1-1
International Match 03/22 16:00 - Azerbaijan v Mongolia W 1-0
Euro 2024 Qualifying 11/19 17:00 10 [2] Belgium v Azerbaijan [4] L 5-0
Euro 2024 Qualifying 11/16 17:00 9 [4] Azerbaijan v Sweden [3] W 3-0

Stats

 TotalHomeAway
Matches played 10 6 4
Wins 2 2 0
Draws 2 2 0
Losses 6 2 4
Goals for 9 7 2
Goals against 23 9 14
Clean sheets 2 2 0
Failed to score 3 1 2

The Azerbaijan national football team (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan milli futbol komandası) is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan. It represents Azerbaijan in international football competitions. The majority of Azerbaijan's home matches are held at the national stadium, Baku Olympic Stadium, with friendly matches sometimes hosted at club stadiums.

The Azerbaijan national football team has taken part in qualification for each major tournament since Euro 1996, but has never qualified for the finals tournament of any World Cup or European Championships. Despite this, Azerbaijan was the first Caucasus country to host a major tournament, the UEFA Euro 2020, even though the national side was the only host to be eliminated in the first round of qualifying.

History

Early period (before the 1920s)

In the early twentieth century, football began to become popular in Azerbaijan, which was then part of the Russian Empire. In 1912, Azerbaijani football players had their first "international match" and they won in Tbilisi, Georgia against the local "Sokol" team with 4:2. During 1912–1913, matches between Azerbaijani and Georgian football teams were organized, first in Tbilisi and then in Baku. In 1914, the Football Union was founded in Azerbaijan. The Football Union undertook the organization of official city championships and other competitions.

Soviet era (1920s–1991)

The oldest records of football teams in Soviet Azerbaijan goes back to 1926–1927, when Trans-Caucasian Championship was organized in Tbilisi. Three South Caucasian countries participated: Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. The Azerbaijan national football team held its first friendly matches against Georgia and Armenia in 1927 for the Trans-Caucasian Championship in Georgia. Also in 1926, football players from Azerbaijan played three matches with Football team from Iran in Baku. In 1929, there were played three matches between these teams in Tehran. In all matches Azerbaijan players won.

The 1960s is considered the Golden Age for Azerbaijani football as it produced great players like Anatoliy Banishevskiy, Alakbar Mammadov and the football referee Tofiq Bahramov, most famous for being the linesman who helped to award a goal for England in the 1966 World Cup Final between England and West Germany.

Post-independence (1992–present)

1990s

After Azerbaijan gained its independence in 1991, AFFA — Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan — was created. In 1992, renowned Azerbaijani footballer Alekper Mamedov became the first head coach of the Azerbaijani national football team, compiling a 3–1 record as coach that includes the first ever national team victory, over Georgia on May 25, 1993. In 1994, the national team was accepted into FIFA and UEFA. The security issues, forced the team to play all of its home Euro 96 qualifiers in Trabzon, Turkey.

2000s

Azerbaijani squad in 2008.

As of the early 2000s, Azerbaijani football federation started to integrate more players to the national team through FIFA's eligibility rules. In February 2004, Carlos Alberto Torres, captain of the Brazil team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup was appointed its national coach. Despite a poor start, a 0–6 defeat to Israel on February 18, Azerbaijan won their first ever away match, 3–2 against Kazakhstan on April 28. In June 2005, following a 3–0 defeat by Poland, Torres stood down from the position, to be replaced by former Neftchi coach Vagif Sadygov, his third spell as coach of Azerbaijan. Shahin Diniyev took over as manager in November 2005. He resigned on 31 October 2007, and Gjoko Hadzievski was named as care-taking coach of Azerbaijan.

In April 2008, former German football player and coach Berti Vogts was appointed as a manager of Azerbaijan on a two-year contract. Azerbaijan had a mixed qualifying campaign, finishing with 5 points, just missing out on a last place to Liechtenstein with 2 points.

In November 2009, AFFA extended Berti Vogts' contract a further two years, making him the first manager to manage the weak Azerbaijani national team in two qualification cycles.

2010s

In 2010, following a shock win over Turkey, the team reached 90th place in FIFA World Rankings, Azerbaijan's highest position ever in country's football history. After victory over Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan also broke their scoring and points records by gaining 7 points and scoring 10 goals.

In November 2011, AFFA extended Berti Vogts' contract a further two years, until the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification cycle. Under Vogts, Azerbaijan had some poor results, not being able to defeat second-string sides. Vogts faced major criticism, protest and demonstration from local supporters and the media. However, Azerbaijan managed to finish qualification cycle in fourth place, the team's best ever finish. In December 2013, Vogts being granted a new two-year contract, with aim to lead Azerbaijan through EURO 2016 qualifying. In July 2014, Azerbaijan beat its ranking record by reaching 73rd place in FIFA World Rankings. Following three straight losses, Vogts resigned from his post after spending six years in charge of Azerbaijan.

Succeeding Vogts as full-time manager was former Croatia international Robert Prosinečki. He guided the Azerbaijani team to another record points haul (10) in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, but the team still finished fifth in the six-team Group C. Prosinečki resigned after deciding not to extend his contract with the Azerbaijan Football Federation and was succeeded by fellow countryman Nikola Jurčević.

2020s

The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying proved to be a disaster for Azerbaijan as the team finished in bottom with a complete seven defeats, including a famous 1–5 at home against Slovakia, and only one draw, which was, surprisingly, against 2018 FIFA World Cup runners-up Croatia, the home of the manager. Nikola Jurčević departed following the poor performance of Azerbaijan. After the qualifying, Azerbaijan turned out to be the only country ever to not qualify for a tournament they co-hosted.

The qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with new coach Gianni De Biasi also went horribly, with Azerbaijan getting only a single point in Group A in matches with strongholds Portugal and Serbia and secondary sides Ireland and Luxembourg. The Nations League that year was more successful. Azerbaijan was drawn into Group 3 of League C with Kazakhstan, Belarus and Slovakia. After failing to win against Kazakhstan and Slovakia and securing themselves a goalless draw against Belarus, the matches of the second leg were all wins. At the end, Azerbaijan finished second with 10 points, three points away from promoted first-place Kazakhstan. After losing three matches in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying and drawing once, De Biasi got sacked on 22 October 2023. The games without a manager were equal: Azerbaijan won 2 matches out of four, including a surprising 3-0 defeat of already-eliminated Sweden. The other two matches were both lost.

In March 2024, the assistant manager Arif Asadov was hired as caretaker manager. Under Asadov, the team won two out of 4 games. In June 2024, Former UEFA Euro 2016 winning coach Fernando Santos was appointed as the new manager. The 2024-25 UEFA Nations League went badly, securing only a draw against Estonia and getting relegated.

The Azerbaijan national soccer team, known simply as "Azerbaijan," represents the country in international soccer competitions. The team is managed by the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan and has a rich history of competing in various tournaments.

The team's colors are blue and white, and they are known for their passionate and dedicated players who always give their best on the field. Azerbaijan has had some notable successes in international competitions, including qualifying for the UEFA European Championship in 2020.

Azerbaijan's style of play is characterized by strong defensive tactics and quick counterattacks, making them a formidable opponent for any team. The team has a loyal fan base that supports them both at home and abroad, creating a vibrant and exciting atmosphere at their matches.

Overall, Azerbaijan is a competitive and respected team in international soccer, and they continue to strive for success and recognition on the world stage.