Azerbaijan’s football profile received a fresh boost this week thanks to Qarabağ’s away win over North Macedonian side Shkëndija in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round on August 5.
According to UEFA’s official rankings, Azerbaijan now sits in 28th place with 19.000 points in the country coefficient table. Qarabağ’s win added 0.250 points to the national tally, continuing a strong campaign that has already seen Azerbaijan collect 1.875 points this season.
The gap between Azerbaijan and 27th-placed Ukraine has now narrowed to just 0.225 points, while Russia, still suspended from UEFA competitions, trails behind in 29th with 18.299 points.
At the top of the table, England remains the leader with an impressive 90.839 points.
Qarabag will play the second leg against Shkëndija on August 12 at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku, where they’ll look to solidify their path toward the group stage.
Meanwhile, two other Azerbaijani clubs are set to take the stage in UEFA Conference League qualifiers:
– Araz-Nakhchivan will host Greek club Omonia on August 7,
– Sabah FC will travel to Bulgaria to face Levski Sofia.
Strong performances across all three clubs could further elevate Azerbaijan’s standing in UEFA’s coefficient race and improve future seeding opportunities.
