Azerbaijan's Sabah reach UEFA Champions League main stage for first time
Laman Ismayilova
Read more"Sabah" have reached the UEFA Champions League league phase for the first time in their history.
The Baku club secured qualification after eliminating Israel's "Hapoel Be'er Sheva" in the play-off round. "Sabah" lost the first match 1-2 but won the second leg 5-2.
"Sabah" have become only the third Azerbaijani club to reach the main stage of the UEFA Champions League. "Qarabağ" previously achieved the feat in the 2017-2018 and 2025-2026 seasons.
The club have also set several records in Azerbaijani football. "Sabah" are the first Azerbaijani team to reach the Champions League league phase in their debut season in the competition.
Valdas Dambrauskas' team are also the first Azerbaijani club to go through all four qualifying rounds of the Champions League and reach the league phase.
Before facing "Hapoel Be'er Sheva", "Sabah" eliminated Welsh club TNS in the first qualifying round, winning 2-0 and 2-1. In the second round, they defeated Finland's "KuPS" 1-0 and 2-0. In the third round, "Sabah" overcame Denmark's "Aarhus" despite losing the first leg 1-2, winning the return match 4-0.
It is the third time that an Azerbaijani club has gone through four rounds to reach the main stage of a European competition. "Qabala" achieved the same result in the UEFA Europa League in the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 seasons.
"Sabah" have also set a record for the number of wins in a single European campaign. The Baku club have recorded six victories in the qualifying and play-off rounds, becoming the first Azerbaijani team to achieve this.
The previous record was five wins. "Qarabağ" reached that number in the 2013-2014, 2023-2024 and 2025-2026 seasons, while "Qabala" recorded five wins in the 2016-2017 season.
"Sabah" have also earned 1.500 points for Azerbaijan's UEFA coefficient this season. This equals the national record for points collected in the qualifying and play-off rounds. "Qarabağ" also earned 1.500 points in the 2023-2024 season after recording five wins and two draws.
"Sabah" will now represent Azerbaijan in the UEFA Champions League league phase for the first time.
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