The Eleven of 2025

We Present the 11 Most Remarkable Moments of 2025

From Qarabağ to Flamengo
Our team completed another high-profile transfer. Olavio Juninho, who delighted our fans with his brilliant play and goals, has moved to Flamengo. Despite interest from several European clubs, including Sevilla, the 28-year-old forward preferred to return to Brazil. Juninho, who wore our team’s jersey since the summer of 2023, scored 42 goals in 81 appearances during this period. He won the national championship with our club, was the league’s top scorer, and lifted the cup.

Fifth Consecutive, Twelfth in History
In the 2024/25 season, our team became the champion of Azerbaijan. This was officially secured in the XXXII round of the Misli Premier League. Visiting Sabah, Qarabağ guaranteed the gold medals with four rounds remaining in the season. This marks the fourth consecutive and twelfth overall championship in club history. Previously, the team won titles in 1993, 2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24. This is the 11th gold medal achieved under our head coach Qurban Qurbanov.

A New Record for Qarabağ
Having finished the 2024/25 season as champions, our team also reached the cup final. For the second consecutive time, Qarabağ earned a place in the decisive match and experienced the final for the 12th time in history. With this, our team set an absolute record in the tournament, becoming the team that has played in the most Azerbaijani Cup finals.

Tenth Time for a Qarabağ Player
Our player Leandro Andrade was the top scorer of the 2024/25 Misli Premier League season, scoring 15 goals. The Portuguese midfielder won the league’s top scorer award for the first time. This marks the fourth consecutive and tenth overall occasion that a Qarabağ player has received this honor.

Historic Achievement
Qarabağ, the only Azerbaijani club to reach the group stage of the Champions League in history, repeated its success from the 2017/18 season. Eight years ago, the team reached the group stage of Europe’s most prestigious club tournament, and this time earned the right to participate in the league-format competition. By eliminating Hungarian club Ferencváros in the playoffs, our team gained the opportunity to play 8 more matches against Europe’s elite.

Constant Attention and Support from the President
President Ilham Aliyev, as always, showed his support for our club in 2025. Following our playoff victory over Ferencváros to qualify for the league stage, the head of state issued a decree allocating 5.0 million AZN from the President’s Reserve Fund of the 2025 state budget to Qarabağ Football Club to support the team financially. The Ministry of Finance was instructed to ensure funding, and the Cabinet of Ministers to handle related matters. The President congratulated the team after the victories over Benfica and Copenhagen in the league stage.

A First in Azerbaijani Football
Qarabağ became the first Azerbaijani club to win a match in the Champions League group stage. The historic victory came in the first round of the league phase against Benfica. Despite falling behind 2-0 in Lisbon, our team returned with a determined 3-2 win. This marked the first-ever Champions League group stage win for Azerbaijani football.

Two Games, Two Firsts: Bicalho and Jafarquliyev Make History
For the first time in Champions League history, a player from an Azerbaijani club was named Man of the Match. Our midfielder Pedro Bicalho earned this honor in the away match against Benfica. In the next round, Elvin Jafarquliyev became the first Azerbaijani footballer to receive the same recognition in the home match against Copenhagen.

World Champion in Baku
Our team earned points in two consecutive home matches of the Champions League league stage. Following the victory over Copenhagen, the reigning interclub world champions, Chelsea, were the next opponents. Qarabağ held their own against the English club, drawing and signing a “peace” with the world champions. This also marked the first points ever earned from an English club, the creators of football.

Best of the Year
Our team was honored at a gala organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports for its achievements throughout the year. Winning the Azerbaijani championship for the 12th time, reaching the group stages of European competitions for the 12th consecutive time, and competing among Europe’s elite in the Champions League for the second time earned two awards. Qarabağ was named the Best Men’s Team of the Year, while head coach Qurban Qurbanov was named the Best Men’s Coach of the Year.

In the Top 100
In the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) world ranking, our team remains Azerbaijan’s top representative. In January 2025, Qarabağ was ranked 81st; by December, the team reached 68th globally. Strengthening its position in the Top 100, the team was ranked 65th in November. This performance surpassed several well-known European and global clubs.