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Laman Ismayilova

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In the 2025/2026 season, 38 football clubs in Azerbaijan obtained licenses to participate in various competitions, AzerNEWS reports.

According to a report by the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), 41 clubs applied for licensing, and 38 successfully met the requirements. Overall, the clubs fulfilled 1,627 licensing criteria, while 93 criteria remained unmet. Among the Premier League and First League teams, 10 head coaches hold a UEFA PRO license. Half of the Premier League clubs and 60 percent of the First League clubs operate as limited liability companies.

AFFA also reported on financial allocations received from UEFA in 2025. Local clubs collectively received 73,386,489 manats. Qarabag earned 61,123,325 manats due to its successful performance in European competitions. Sabah received 3,027,845 manats, Araz-Nakhchivan 2,480,415 manats, Zira 2,070,729 manats, Neftchi 1,023,094 manats, Sumqayit 833,496 manats, Sabail 706,895 manats, Turan Tovuz 706,895 manats, Kapaz 706,895 manats, Gabala 427,340 manats, and Şamaxı 279,555 manats.

In 2025, AFFA received a total of 61,437,894 manats from various sources. The largest share came from the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, SOCAR, contributing 26 million manats, which accounted for 42.3 percent of the total. AzərMaş provided over 11 million manats, UEFA contributed 6.4 million manats, a SOCAR grant agreement added 5.3 million manats, and UEFA broadcast rights brought in 4.9 million manats. FIFA contributed 2.8 million manats, Paşa Sığorta 1.9 million manats, and other sources brought in over 1.2 million manats. Partners such as Paşa Həyat, Ensol LLC, Carlsberg, and Azərlotereya also contributed to AFFA's revenue. Spending on national teams amounted to 27,881,267 manats.

AFFA allocated 2,825,058 manats in 2025 to support federations, members, and football academies. The largest funding went to the Futsal Federation, which received 1,631,458 manats. The Football Development Fund received 384,000 manats, Regional Football Federations 208,000 manats, and the Youth Football Federation 180,000 manats. The Beach Football Federation was allocated 138,000 manats, the Azerbaijani Disabled Football Federation 86,000 manats, the Field Football Federation 60,000 manats, and the Baku Football Federation 45,000 manats.

In the area of infrastructure, AFFA spent 4,254,477 manats in 2025 on stadiums, national team training centers, and other sports facilities.

The largest share was spent on the Dalga Arena, which received 1,738,010 manats for maintenance and rehabilitation. Agsu Stadium received 833,788 manats, Bina Stadium 791,181 manats, Bayil Stadium 328,477 manats, and the national team training center 303,042 manats. Shamakhi Stadium's needs were met with 213,379 manats, and the Education and Rehabilitation Center for the development of players and specialists received 46,600 manats.