| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 15 August 2025 – 2026 |
| Matches | 95 |
| Goals | 238 (2.51 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Joy-Lance Mickels (9 goals) |
2026–27 → All statistics correct as of 22 December 2025. | |
The2025–26 Azerbaijan Premier League is the 34rd season of theAzerbaijan Premier League, the highest tierfootball league ofAzerbaijan. The season started on 15 August 2025.
Starting from the 2025–26 season, the foreign player quota has been abolished. A mandatory fee will be applied to all foreign players. At the same time, teams that include local players in their line-ups will receive financial bonuses. These bonuses will be funded by the revenues collected from the foreign player fees.[1]
Beginning this season, the number of teams has been increased from 10 to 12.[2] At the end of 2025–26 season, the team that finishes in 11th place in the Premier League will face the runner-up of theFirst League in a play-off match held at the neutral venue. The winner of this match will earn a spot in the next season’s Premier League. The team that finishes last will be relegated to the First League, while the First League champion will be promoted to the Premier League, automatically.[3] Ahead of the new season, AFFA's Licensing Commission granted licenses to the following teams: Baku Sporting, Difai, İmişli, Karvan, Kəpəz, Qəbələ, Səbail, and Şamaxı.[4] The official draw ceremony for the 2025–26 season took place on 18 July at theFlame Towers complex.[5]
| Promoted from 2024–25 Azerbaijan First Division | Relegated to 2025–26 Azerbaijan First Division |
|---|---|
| Gabala,Karvan,Imishli | Sabail |
Sabail relegated to First Division after eight years in top tier.
Gabala return to top tier after one year absence, Imishli return to top tier after eighteen years absence and Karvan return to top tier after sixteen years absence.
| Team | Year Established | Location | Venue | Capacity[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Araz-Naxçıvan | 1967 | Nakhchivan,Baku | Dalga Arena | 6,500 |
| Gabala | 2005 | Qabala | Gabala City Stadium | 4,500 |
| Imishli | 2022 | Imishli | Heydar Aliyev Stadium | 8,500 |
| Kapaz | 1959 | Ganja,Tovuz | Tovuz City Stadium | 6,500 |
| Karvan-Yevlakh | 2022 | Yevlakh,Shamakhi | Shamakhi City Stadium | 2,200 |
| Neftchi | 1937 | Baku | Neftchi Arena | 10,260 |
| Qarabağ | 1987 | Aghdam,Baku | Tofiq Bahramov Stadium | 31,200 |
| Sabah | 2017 | Absheron | Bank Respublika Arena | 8,600 |
| Shamakhi | 1997 | Shamakhi | Shamakhi City Stadium | 2,200 |
| Sumgayit | 2010 | Sumgait | Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium | 8,700 |
| Turan Tovuz | 2014 | Tovuz | Tovuz City Stadium | 6,500 |
| Zira | 2014 | Zira, Baku | Zira Sport Complex | 1,300 |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neftçi |  Samir Abbasov | Fired | 24 November 2025[7] | 7th | Sanan Gurbanov(Acting) | 24 November 2025[7] |
| Sanan Gurbanov(Acting) | End of contract | 9 December 2025[8] | 8th |  Yuriy Vernydub | 9 December 2025[8] | |
| Araz-Naxçıvan | Elmar Bakhshiyev | Mutual Termination | 25 December 2025[9] | 5th | Andriy Demchenko | 4 January 2026[10] |
In italics:' Players that are on loan from another APL side.
In bold: Players that have been capped for their national team.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sabah | 19 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 40 | 12 | +28 | 46 | Qualification for theChampions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Qarabağ | 20 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 36 | 13 | +23 | 45 | Qualification for theConference League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Zira | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 28 | 20 | +8 | 35 | Qualification for theConference League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Turan Tovuz | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 33 | |
| 5 | Sumgayit | 19 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 31 | 26 | +5 | 30 | |
| 6 | Neftçi | 19 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 25 | 17 | +8 | 27 | |
| 7 | Araz-Naxçıvan | 19 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 35 | −7 | 27 | |
| 8 | Shamakhi | 19 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 23 | |
| 9 | Imishli | 20 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 18 | 25 | −7 | 19 | |
| 10 | Gabala | 18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 18 | 24 | −6 | 14 | |
| 11 | Kapaz | 19 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 13 | 41 | −28 | 13 | Qualification to Relegation Play-off |
| 12 | Karvan | 20 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 13 | 42 | −29 | 6 | Relegation toAzerbaijan First Division |
Clubs play each other three times for a total of 33 matches each.
| Home \ Away | ARA | GAB | IMI | KAP | KRV | NEF | QAR | SAB | SHA | SUM | TUR | ZIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Araz-Naxçıvan | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 0–5 | 2–2 | 1–1 | ||||
| Gabala | 2–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | ||||
| Imishli | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | ||
| Kapaz | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | ||||
| Karvan | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | ||
| Neftçi | 2–2 | 2–3 | 5–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | |||
| Qarabağ | 5–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | |||
| 0–2 | ||||||||||||
| Sabah | 4–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | ||
| Shamakhi | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | |||
| Sumgayit | 3–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 2–3 | ||
| Turan Tovuz | 1–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | |||
| Zira | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | |
