Azerbaijan end World Cup qualifying with one point — and a summer of mixed signals
Azerbaijan were drawn in UEFA Group D with France, Ukraine and Iceland for the 2026 World Cup and finished last: played six, won none, drew one, lost five, goals 3-16.
Azerbaijan were drawn in UEFA Group D with France, Ukraine and Iceland for the 2026 World Cup and finished last: played six, won none, drew one, lost five, goals 3-16. The single point came from a 1-1 draw with Ukraine in Baku on 9 September 2025, Emin Mahmudov converting a penalty on the day Aykhan Abbasov took charge for the first time. Fernando Santos had left three days earlier after a 5-0 defeat in Iceland, ending a tenure of eleven matches without a win.
Abbasov, previously the U-21 head coach, was confirmed permanently at the end of September and remains in post. In March 2026 Azerbaijan recorded their record victory — 6-1 over Saint Lucia — and won the FIFA Series tournament they hosted by beating Sierra Leone 9-8 on penalties. The June friendlies were less encouraging: a 2-0 defeat to Malta in Szombathely on 5 June with no shot on target in the first half, followed by a 2-1 win over San Marino on 9 June.
Azerbaijan sit 126th in the FIFA ranking. Their next competitive assignment is a Nations League D group with Lithuania and Liechtenstein starting in September — the most winnable group they have had in years, and the one that will set their seeding for the Euro 2028 qualifying draw in Belfast on 6 December.