STILL AT THE HELM

The Azerbaijan national football team, which encountered a setback in the UEFA Nations League, will not undergo a change in leadership. It had been anticipated that Portuguese specialist Fernando Santos would resign at the conclusion of the year; however, these predictions were not realised. The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), the entity responsible for overseeing the development of football in the country, has decided to extend its collaboration with a foreign coach—at least until the conclusion of the World Cup qualifying round.

While maintaining its partnership with Santos, AFFA intends to hire new coaches for the national teams across various age groups, with the head coach being tasked with assembling a squad capable of competing in the upcoming qualifying round.

Qualifying Stage

The draw for the qualifying phase of the 2026 World Cup in the European zone has already taken place. The Azerbaijani national team has been placed in Group D, where four teams will compete. The Azerbaijani national team is set to compete against the winner of the match between France and Croatia, as well as Ukraine and Iceland. The matches for the national team are scheduled to take place in the fall of 2025.Securing the top spot in the group will grant a spot in the 2026 World Cup, while achieving second place will lead to the playoffs. The national team has previously faced teams from Ukraine and Iceland in friendly matches. Furthermore, both the French and Croatian national teams had the opportunity to face the Azerbaijani national team during the qualifying stages of the European Championships. However, the main team of the country has yet to secure a victory against them, having played a total of nine matches.

Interestingly, France was the opponent of the Azerbaijani national team during its debut on the international stage. Since our team did not play in Baku during the Euro-1996 qualifiers, the "tricolor" secured a victory with a two-goal margin in Trabzon, Türkiye. The game in Auxerre remains a dark chapter in Azerbaijani football history. This match has been referred to as "the tragedy of Auxerre," with jokes suggesting that the goalkeeper was not included in the lineup. In that unfortunate encounter, the national team suffered its most humiliating defeat, losing 0:10.

In contrast to the French, the Croats have visited Baku twice. In one home match, our national team managed to earn points. The Croatian team compensated for their loss in Baku with a victory on their home turf, which ultimately led to the resignation of head coach Berti Vogts.

As previously mentioned, there have only been friendly matches against Iceland and Ukraine. A single encounter with the Icelanders in Reykjavik resulted in a goalless draw. The first match against the Ukrainian national team in Baku ended without any goals being scored. However, in Ukraine, under then-coach Shahin Diniev, our national team suffered a heavy defeat, losing 0:6. Following this humiliating result, AFFA implemented significant reforms. Diniev subsequently excluded several players from the national team, initiating a process to nationalize foreign players.

Time to Analyse Your Opponents

Head coach Fernando Santos offered his perspective on the qualifying stage, stating, "The draw has been conducted, and it is imperative to conduct a thorough analysis of our opponents. Following the conclusion of the Nations League playoffs, the specific opponents, either France or Croatia, will be determined. The remaining teams in the group are Ukraine and Iceland. At present, the primary objective of the national team is to prepare for these upcoming matches. It is noteworthy that from March to June of 2025, there will be a cessation of official games. This provides an opportunity to organize friendly matches and ensure that the team is well-prepared for the subsequent group stage.

Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani national team is not expected to achieve success during this qualifying stage. The team under the direction of Fernando Santos has been designated as an underdog. The substandard performance demonstrated in the Nations League casts doubt on the team's capacity to achieve a favourable future.

It is imprudent to entertain expectations of favourable outcomes in the World Cup qualifiers. However, Santos has the opportunity to assess his squad's readiness and experiment with novel strategies in two forthcoming friendlies. Following these matches, a comprehensive and precise understanding of the national team's potential will be attained, providing a valuable foundation for the upcoming qualifying stage.