First, the National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan was played. Then, a minute of silence was observed in memory of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity of our country and the representatives of the football community who died during the reporting year.
AFFA President Rovshan Najaf greeted the guests, conference participants and press representatives.
Then, the floor was given to the Vice President of the National Olympic Committee, Chingiz Huseynzada. He said that Azerbaijan had achieved serious achievements in sports, especially in football, in the reporting year: “Sports is a field that is measured by results. In my opinion, 2025 was successful for Azerbaijani football. The results of FC Qarabag and the national team give reason to say this. Also, competition in the domestic championship has increased, and interest in the games has increased. Development in our football is in sight. On this occasion, I congratulate AFFA and the football community.”
Then, in accordance with the procedure, it was reported that 33 out of 35 voting representatives are participating in the Conference and the Conference is authorized according to the quorum.
After the presentation of a video reflecting the football events that took place in the reporting year, AFFA President Rovshan Najaf said that the head of state Ilham Aliyev has shown great support for sports, including football. R. Najaf assessed the results of Azerbaijan national teams last year as successful: “Our men's national team passed a difficult test last year and played well against strong teams such as France and Ukraine. We see this period as more of a renewal and setting the right direction. Positive changes are already being felt under the leadership of Aykhan Abbasov. The team's game has increased in discipline, dynamics, and determination to fight, which gives us reason to look more optimistically to the future. We began to see the fruits of this in a short time. Our national team's victory in the recently organized FIFA Series tournament is a clear example of this. I congratulate our national team on this victory. We trust our team and are confident that results that will please our fans will be achieved.
The year was also successful for our women's national team. Our team, which made us happy in the Nations League, managed to win the FIFA Tri Nations Women's Football Series 2025 tournament at the end of last year.”
AFFA President considered the increase in the number of teams in the Misli Premier League, and the abolition of the foreign players limit as one of the important steps taken towards the development of the country's football. He also commented on the successful performance of FC Qarabag in the Euro Cups: “A few reforms were carried out regarding the Misli Premier League. The number of teams increased to 12, the foreign players limit was abolished. These decisions serve to increase competition in the league, expand the development opportunities of clubs and raise the overall level. At the same time, a financial incentive mechanism was introduced for playing local football players. This mechanism stimulates the development of young football players, encourages clubs to pay more attention to academies and serves the future of Azerbaijani football.
The successes of our club Qarabag in the European arena should be specially noted. Our representative once again made history by fighting worthy against the giant clubs of the continent in the UEFA Champions League and advancing to the play-off stage, making a significant contribution to the international reputation of Azerbaijani football. I would like to express my gratitude to the club, especially to Gurban Gurbanov, for these emotions experienced by the Azerbaijani people.”
R. Najaf pointed out that one of the most important events of the reporting year was the assignment of the final stage of the 25th FIFA Under-20 World Cup to Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan: “With the decision made at the meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee in early October, the men's World Cup will be held in our country for the first time in the history of football. This is a clear example of the attention paid to the development of sports in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, the purposeful state policy implemented, and the conditions created. For the first time, the World Cup will take place on two continents. As the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, noted, this success is a common achievement that unites Europe and Asia.”
AFFA President also highly appreciated the performance of Azerbaijani referees in the international arena. He emphasized that FIFA referees from Azerbaijan have already made their mark with successful management in international arenas. R. Najaf stated that work is continuing towards the development of the refereeing.
Rovshan Najaf also spoke about the importance of the Schoolchildren Cup Project, which is implemented within the framework of the cooperation between AFFA and the Ministry of Science and Education: Schoolchildren Cup is not just a tournament for us, but also an important platform serving to form a healthy and patriotic generation of the future. Through this Project, thousands of schoolchildren are attracted to football. Their interest in a healthy lifestyle, strengthening team spirit, and strengthening friendly relations are of great importance. As AFFA, further expanding the geography of such projects and ensuring their sustainability is one of our main priorities. We highly appreciate our cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Education in this direction and will continue to implement successful joint projects in the future.
In conclusion, I would like to state that Azerbaijani football is entering a more responsible and at the same time more ambitious stage. I believe that AFFA and all members of the football family will join their efforts to achieve the goals and adequately fulfill their responsibilities. Because only together can we achieve great successes.”
Then, AFFA General Secretary Jahangir Farajullayev delivered a report. He said that the main priority for AFFA is the A national team: “After the changes made to the coaching staff in September last year, things began to develop in a positive direction. The determination, fighting spirit and combativeness shown by the team led by Aykhan Abbasov against France and Ukraine were things that had been expected from the team for a long time. Along with tactical and technical changes, these qualities should form the main face of the national team. We saw the first sparks of these qualities in the FIFA Series 2026 tournament organized in our country in the last days of March. Our main gain in this tournament is not the trophy, but the restoration of self-confidence, the formation of team spirit and the creation of a collective fighting for a common goal. I believe that the first important steps have been taken in this direction.”
J. Farajullayev pointed out that increasing the number of teams in the Misli Premier League to 12 and abolishing the foreign players limit were among the strategic steps aimed at the development of Azerbaijani football: “As a result, 3 regional teams have advanced to the elite from the current season. The decision regarding the foreign players limit has increased competition between clubs, strengthened the championship and increased fan interest. It is no coincidence that the audience record of the last 8 years was broken during the match Qarabag vs Sabah played at the Tofig Bahramov Republic Stadium. Conditions have been created for the development of local football players in competition with foreign players. At the same time, for the first time, an incentive mechanism has been introduced for clubs that give preference to local football players. The main part of the fund formed from foreign players fees will be distributed among clubs that give more chances to local players. This amount is expected to be approximately 2 million manats.”
The Secretary General said that the reforms carried out in the field of refereeing are one of the important directions: “Functions related to international refereeing, representation, and referee education were entrusted to Frank De Bleeckere. Issues related to local competitions were assigned to the new head of the Referees Committee, Rahim Hasanov. Bahruz Teymurov was appointed head of the Referees Department. The new team is guided by the principles of objectivity and justice in its activities. The analysis of referees’ decisions with weekly video reviews, the creation of the opportunity to view VAR footage based on appeals from clubs regarding episodes they consider controversial, and the bonus program for referees are some of the positive innovations. The referees from Uzbekistan, who came to Baku as part of the FIFA Series, applied for the implementation of this program in their country, and we agreed to it.”
Jahangir Farajullayev added that important steps have been taken to solve infrastructure problems: “It is a positive thing that FC Karvan-Yevlakh will host their opponents in the Premier League on their own field. Ganja and Tovuz are also expected to host Misli Premier League matches from the next season. AFFA has taken important steps in this direction. According to the project approved within the framework of the UEFA HatTrick Program, the Agsu city stadium will be brought into line with Premier League standards by the beginning of the new season. One or two teams will be able to hold their home games there.
The second issue is related to the Liv Bona Dea Arena. The field there will be completely rebuilt. The next project approved within the same program covers the Bayil stadium. One of the main systemic projects of the Development Strategy is football development centers. AFFA intends to use its existing capabilities to create the first center in the Bayil complex. This complex will be closed for major repairs in May and will be used in the future to train children and youth football players. Within the framework of this project, work will begin to open at least two more centers in the regions in the next reporting year.”
The Secretary General said that children's and youth football projects have become AFFA's priorities. He recalled that meetings were held with clubs to resolve problems with the format and rules in the lower age group leagues before the season 2025-2026: “As a result, the format of most leagues was changed, creating conditions for more competitive matches. In some age groups, examples from European countries were analyzed to ensure that competitions became more interesting for young players.”
The Secretary General also said that AFFA implemented several important projects in the reporting year: “With the great support of the Ministry of Science and Education, we have restored the Schoolchildren Cup. More than 30 thousand young footballers in 68 regions were involved in this huge event covering the entire country. One of the important points is that AFFA holds this competition at the expense of efficiently used internal financial resources.
Another important project that the Association has established is the section for the control and support of club football academies. The main goal of this section is to assess the situation in existing academies and provide support in management, methodology, training process and other areas in accordance with the conditions and needs. Within the framework of the project, Azerbaijani specialist Sarkhan Huseynov, who worked in Finland and studied in Scotland, was involved in the process. One of the main goals of the project is to assess the effectiveness of the use of state funds allocated to clubs for the construction and management of academies.
One of the important steps taken for our football is the signing of a cooperation agreement between AFFA and the Eyeball Company. Within the framework of the project, analysis will be applied in all league matches of different age groups for boys and girls. This platform allows measuring and analyzing the personal performance of each player participating in these competitions based on digital data, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the players. As a result, it will be possible to prepare an individual development program for young players. The profiles of Azerbaijani football players will remain open to scouts of European clubs for the next two years. This can be the gateway to Europe for our talented youth.”
J. Farajullayev emphasized that significant development has also taken place in women's football: “We have made very serious progress and successes in the field of women's football. Our women's national team became the winner of the FIFA Tri Nations Women's Football Series 2025 tournament. The number of teams in the women's football league, which was half-lived until last year, was increased from 6 to 12. This is an important step for the development of this field. With the transfer of Nigar Mirzaliyeva, we are observing an Azerbaijani football player in the league of a Top 5 countries of Europe for the first time.”
The floor was given to Emil Najafov, Head of AFFA Finance and Accounting Department, to present the financial report. He gave a detailed presentation on income and expenses.
Then, the report of Ashraf Huseynov, a representative of the audit company Orion Consulting LLC, an independent auditor, was presented.
AFFA audit report was approved by a vote.
AFFA's education expert Nigar Nasurullayeva provided information about the education program covering the years 2026-2028 and spoke about the role of education in football.
Then, the floor was given to Marion Gavat, FIFA Regional Coordinator for national associations. She conveyed the greetings of FIFA President Gianni Infantino to the conference participants and thanked them for the invitation to the event: “As FIFA, we would like to express our gratitude to AFFA for our cooperation and your professional activities. I would like to express our satisfaction with the fact that the FIFA Series is being held in Azerbaijan again. We witnessed a high level of organization in this tournament. Azerbaijan national team won the competition held last month. Your country will also host the FIFA U-20 World Cup. All this shows that FIFA has great confidence in AFFA. I believe that the teams that will come here for the World Cup will once again see that you have organized it to a high standard. In addition, I should mention the results of FC Qarabag in the UEFA Champions League. All these are significant events for the history of Azerbaijani football. At the same time, the development of women's football in Azerbaijan is clearly visible. The departure of one of your players to the German Bundesliga is the best proof of this. The transfer of Nigar Mirzaliyeva will be an additional incentive for your other girls. I believe that this will open up new opportunities for the development of women's football in Azerbaijan. The relations established between FIFA and AFFA are extremely positive. We have no doubt that this cooperation will expand year after year.”
At the end, AFFA Secretary General Jahangir Farajullayev expressed his gratitude to the conference participants. Thus, the Conference concluded its work.
Immediately after the conference, a press conference took place with the participation of AFFA President Rovshan Najaf.
