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Laman Ismayilova

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FC Qarabag will play its first match today in the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League, having secured its first-ever qualification, AzerNEWS reports.

The Azerbaijani champions will host England's Newcastle in this historic encounter. The match will be held at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium and will kick off at 21:45. The game will be officiated by FIFA referee Espen Eskas from Norway.

It is worth noting that the return leg of this tie will be played on February 25. The winner of this matchup will face either Chelsea from England or Barcelona from Spain in the round of 16.

The UEFA Nations League is an international football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body.

The first tournament began in September 2018. The competition replaces the international friendly matches previously played on the FIFA International Match Calendar, with European national teams engaging in more frequent competitive matches against other European national teams of comparable level

The 2026–27 UEFA Nations League will be the fifth season of the UEFA Nations League.

The competition will run from September to November 2026 (league phase), March 2027 (League A quarter-finals, and League A/B and B/C play-offs), June 2027 (Nations League Finals) and March 2028 (League C/D play-offs).

Recall that Portugal is the defending champion, having won the 2025 finals.