The Azerbaijani football league system is a series of generally unconnected leagues for Azerbaijani football clubs. The Azerbaijani system is a more complicated than many other national league systems, consisting of two completely separate systems of leagues and clubs, senior football and junior football. The two systems have nothing to do with the ages of the players involved.

In senior football in Azerbaijan there are two national leagues, the Azerbaijan Premier League and the Azerbaijan First Division. There are also several leagues (most notably the Azerbaijani Regional League), but there is no regular promotion or relegation between the regional leagues and the national league.

PFC Neftchi Baku are the current record holders with 5 titles.

Contents 1 Rejection of a pyramid system 2 Current system 2.1 Senior football 2.2 Amateur football 3 Cup eligibility 3.1 Domestic cups 3.2 European cups 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Rejection of a pyramid system

Overall, the structure of football in Azerbaijan is amongst the most fractured and multi-faceted in Europe, being unique in having a plurality of adult male governing bodies (with Seniors, Juniors, Amateurs and Regional - see below). It is also unusual in the modern era in having declined to create a structured pyramid system, and as a result it is practically impossible for clubs at the bottom of the system to progress to the top, or for weak clubs to be relegated down the leagues.

[edit] Current system

[edit] Senior football

The current system has been in place since the creation of the Azerbaijan Premier League at the start of the 2001-2002 season. For each division, its official name, sponsored name and number of clubs is given:

Level	League/Division
1	Azerbaijan Premier League (Unibank Premyer Liqası) 12 clubs
2	Azerbaijan First Division (Azərbaycan Birinci Divizionu) 12 clubs

Below this national structure, but entirely separate of it and of each other, are regional 9 leagues, which includes North, West, Nakhchivan, Central, Karabakh, Baku, South and North-West Regional Football Leagues.^[1] They are all overseen by the Azerabaijan Football Association but they do not participate in the Azerbaijan Cup, due most clubs are not eligible because their grounds are not adequately appointed.

[edit] Amateur football

Azerabaijan's Amateur League is divided in to four regions, which includes Baku, North, West and Central Region.

[edit] Cup eligibility

[edit] Domestic cups

All Azerbaijan Premier League and Azerbaijan First Division clubs directly enter the Azerbaijan Cup.

[edit] European cups

From season 2008-09, the top side in the Azerbaijan Premier League qualify for the second qualifying stage of Champions League, while the second and third placed teams qualifying for the first qualifying stage of UEFA Europa League. The winners of the Azerbaijan Cup also qualify for the Europa League's second qualifying stage.

[edit] See also

• League system
• List of football clubs in Azerbaijan

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Azerbaijan Football Association
• Professional Football League of Azerbaijan

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