Azerbaijan First League

Azerbaijan First League
Organising body	Azerbaijan Professional Football League
Founded	1992; 34 years ago
Country	Azerbaijan
Number of clubs	10
Level on pyramid	2
Promotion to	Premier League
Relegation to	Second League
Domestic cup	Azerbaijan Cup
Current champions	Shafa ; (2025–26 Azerbaijan First League)
Broadcaster(s)	CBC Sport
Website	https://liqa1.pfl.az/
	Current: 2025–26 Azerbaijan First League

The Azerbaijan First League (Azerbaijani: I Liqa) is the second highest professional division in Azerbaijani professional football. The league is run by AFFA. The winner of the league is promoted to the top-tier Azerbaijan Premier League.

History

Due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, all Azerbaijan clubs of the former Soviet Premier Division and Soviet First Division conformed a single Azerbaijan Premier League, which meant that the new second tier of Azerbaijan football would remain regionalized. For the first two seasons three regional groups conformed the second tier, until in 1994 the single table in use today began to be used.

Competition format

The First League currently consists of 10 teams. All teams play each other three times.^[1]

Members of the Azerbaijan First League (2025-26 season)

Stadia and locations

Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.

Team	Location	Venue	Capacity
Baku Sporting	Baku	Baku Sporting Arena	600
Cəbrayıl	Jabrayil	ASCO Arena	3,200
Difai Ağsu	Agsu	Agsu City Stadium	3,000
Mingəçevir	Mingachevir	Yashar Mammadzade Stadium	5,200
MOİK	Baku	Bine Stadium	1,800
Sabail	Baku	ASCO Arena	3,200
Shafa	Baku	ASK Arena	5,800
Shahdag Qusar	Shamakhi	Shamakhi OSC Stadium	2,000
Shimal	Siyazan	Siyazan City Stadium	980
Zaqatala	Zaqatala	Zaqatala City Stadium	2,800

Media coverage

CBC Sport currently own all the rights to broadcast the season's games on terrestrial TV.^[2]^[3]^[4] In Azerbaijan, the First League games are also available on CBC Sport and on special YouTube channel.

Winners

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Third place
1992	ANS Pivani Bakı FK	Kür Samux	Pambıqçı (Neftçala)
1993	Xəzri Buzovna	Avtomobilçi Yevlax	Polad Sumqayıt
1993–94	Zabrat, Azneftyağ FK	Metallurq Sumgayit, OİK-Göyəzən (Qazax)	OIK, Pambıqçı (Neftçala)
1994–95	Şəmkir	OIK	Kürmük (Qax)
1995–96	Xəzər Sumqayıt	Çinar Polis Akademiyası	Fərid
1996–97	Çinar (Göyçay)	Araz FK	Kürmük (Qax)
1997–98	Şahdağ Quba
1998–99	[Inter Baku]
1999–2000	Şahdağ Quba	Şəfa-2	HHQ-Şahin (Bakı)
2000–01	OIK	Ümid Bakı	Şahdağ Qusar
2001–02	Lokomotiv İmişli	Xəzər Sumqayıt	Bakılı
2002–03	Due to conflict between almost all clubs and the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan, no league championship was held.^[5]
2003–04	Gənclərbirliyi	Göyəzən Qazax	Karat Bakı
2004–05	AMMK	Energetik	FKXəzər-Lənkəran-2
2005–06	Gilan	FKXəzər-Lənkəran-2	Simurq
2006–07	Masally	Standard Baku	Göyəzən Qazax
2007–08	Bakılı	MOIK	NBC Salyan
2008–09	ABN Bərdə	Şahdağ Qusar	Anşad-Petrol
2009–10	Gəncə	MOIK	Bakılı
2010–11	Abşeron	Rəvan	Bakılı
2011–12	Qaradağ	Karvan	Neftchala
2012–13	Ağsu	Qaradağ	Neftchala
2013–14	Araz Naxçıvan	Neftchala	Qaradağ
2014–15	Neftchala	Ağsu	Rəvan
2015–16	Neftchala	Qaradağ	Ağsu
2016–17	Turan Tovuz	Səbail	Ağsu
2017–18	Khazar Baku	Qaradağ Lökbatan	Shuvalan
2018–19	MOIK Baku	Sumgayit-2	Neftçi-2
2019–20	Turan Tovuz	Sabail-2	Zagatala
2020–21	Neftçi-2	Zagatala	Turan Tovuz
2021–22	Qaradağ Lökbatan FK	Shamakhi FK-2	Qarabağ FK-2
2022–23	Araz-Naxçıvan	Neftçi-2	Turan-2
2023–24	Shamakhi	Qaradağ Lökbatan	MOIK Baku
2024–25	Gabala	İmişli	Karvan
2025–26	Shafa	Mingaçevir	Sabail

Performance by club

Club	Winners	Winning years	Runner-up	Runner-up years	Third place	Third place Years
MOIK	2	2000–01, 2018–19	3	1994–95, 2007–08, 2009–10	2	1993–94, 2023–24
Qaradağ Lökbatan	2	2011–12, 2021–22	4	2012–13, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2023–24	1	2013–14
Neftchala	2	2014–15, 2015–16	1	2013–14	5	1992, 1993–94, 2008–09, 2011–12, 2012–13
Turan Tovuz	2	2016–17, 2019–20			1	2020–21
Araz Naxçıvan	2	2013–14, 2022-23
Xəzər Sumqayıt	1	1995–96	2	1993–94, 2001–02	1	1993
Bakılı	1	2007–08	1	1996–97	3	2001–02, 2009–10, 2010–11
Ağsu	1	2012–13	1	2014–15	2	2015–16, 2016–17
Şahdağ Qusar	1	1997–98	1	2008–09	1	2000–01
Neftçi-2	1	2020–21			1	2018–19
Shuvalan FK	1	2004–05			1	2017–18
Khazar Baku	1	2017–18
Nicat Maştağa	1	1992
Zabrat	1	1993–94
Shamkir	1	1994–95
Shahdagh Guba	1	1999–00
Lokomotiv Imishli	1	2001–02
Gənclərbirliyi	1	2003–04
Gilan	1	2005–06
ABN Bərdə	1	2008–09
Kapaz	1	2009–10
Masally	1	2006–07
Absheron	1	2010–11
Azneftyağ	1	1993–94
Xəzri Buzovna	1	1993
Çinar Göyçay	1	1996–97
Shamakhi	1	2023–24
Gabala	1	2024–25
Shafa	1	2025–26
Göyəzən Qazax FK			2	1993–94, 2003–04	1	2006–07
Energetik			2	2004–05, 2025–26
Zagatala			1	2020–21	1	2019–20
Xəzər-Lənkəran-2			1	2005–06	1	2004–05
Rəvan			1	2010–11	1	2014–15
Səbail			1	2016–17	1	2025–26
Şamaxı-2			1	2021–22
Səbail-2			1	2019–20
Avtomobilçi Yevlax			1	1993
Çinar Polis Akademiyasi			1	1995–96
Kür Samux			1	1992
Şəfa-2			1	1999–00
Ümid Bakı			1	2000–01
Karvan			1	2011–12
Standard Baku			1	2006–07
Kürmük Qax					2	1994–95, 1996–97
Simurq					1	2005–06
Farid Baku					1	1995–96
Karat Bakı					1	2003–04
HHQ Şahin					1	1999–00
NBC Salyan					1	2007–08

Records

Club records

As of 14 November 2013

Most consecutive wins: Absheron, 23, 2010-11^[6]
Most points in a season: Absheron, 72 points, 2010-11^[6]
Most unbeaten run: Absheron, 26 games, 2010-11^[6]

References

↑ "I və II Liqada ilk turun püşkü atıldı" (in Azerbaijani). 22 August 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
↑ "Телехозяин" азербайджанского чемпионата Archived February 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
↑ Снова АзТВ (in Russian)
↑ Заключено соглашение, дающее право эксклюзивного показа матчей чемпионата и Кубка Азербайджана по футболу (in Russian)
↑ Azerbaijan 2002/03 Archived March 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
1 2 3 "Azərbaycan çempionunun rekordları". apasport.az (in Azerbaijani). Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2011.

^[1]

External links

(in Azerbaijani) AFFA
(in Azerbaijani) PFL
Azerbaijan First Division seasons (Footballfacts.ru)
Azerbaijan First Division, standings, results & fixtures at Donnael.com

↑ "First division clubs". Azerbaijan First League.

[1] "I və II Liqada ilk turun püşkü atıldı" (in Azerbaijani). 22 August 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2023.

[2] "Телехозяин" азербайджанского чемпионата Archived February 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)

[3] Снова АзТВ (in Russian)

[4] Заключено соглашение, дающее право эксклюзивного показа матчей чемпионата и Кубка Азербайджана по футболу (in Russian)

[5] Azerbaijan 2002/03 Archived March 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine

[divstat1-6] 1 2 3 "Azərbaycan çempionunun rekordları". apasport.az (in Azerbaijani). Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2011.

[7] "First division clubs". Azerbaijan First League.

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v t e Azerbaijan First Division
2025–26 teams	Baku Sporting Cəbrayıl Difai Mingəçevir MOİK Sabail Shahdag Qusar Shafa Shimal Zaqatala
Seasons	1992 1993 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26