Azerbaijan

History and achievements

Azerbaijani football has a long and rich history as the first football clubs in Azerbaijan started up as early as 1906. The Azerbaijan national team carried out its first international friendlies against Georgia and Armenia in 1927.

Shortly after the USSR break-up in 1991, the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan was established and that was a flying start for redefining football in the country. Azerbaijan gained FIFA and UEFA membership in 1994. The national team beat its way ‘per aspera ad astra’ participating in World Cup and European championships starting out with Euro 1996. Nevertheless, it never qualified in either of major tournaments. The team recorded its biggest win in 1999 when they beat Liechtenstein 4-0 on home soil. They suffered the biggest defeat in 1995 when France thrashed them 0-10.

As of 2012, the team has 107th position in the FIFA ranking, reaching 90th at the utmost. They hold their training on a home Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, called after renowned Azerbaijani football referee Tofiq Bahramov. The squad appears on the pitch in blue and white colours.

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Country team

№	Name and surname	Role	Ranking	Age	Weight	Height	Country
1	Mahir Shukurov	defender	125	41 years		171 cm	Azerbaijan
2	Salahat Aghayev	goalkeeper	121	33 years	83 kg	192 cm	Azerbaijan
3	Farhad Veliyev	goalkeeper	110	43 years	78 kg	184 cm	Azerbaijan
4	Anar Nazirov	goalkeeper	104	39 years	71 kg	179 cm	Azerbaijan
5	Rauf Aliyev	forward	85	35 years	80 kg	185 cm	Azerbaijan
6	Emin Imamaliev	midfielder	63	44 years	66 kg	167 cm	Azerbaijan
7	Araz Abdullayev	midfielder	54	32 years	65 kg	180 cm	Azerbaijan
8	Cihan Özkara	forward	54	33 years		189 cm	Azerbaijan
9	Rashad Sadygov	defender	52	42 years	77 kg	181 cm	Azerbaijan
10	Afran Ismayilov	midfielder	51	35 years	73 kg	183 cm	Azerbaijan