Azerbaijan to appoint local coach for national football team

The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) has decided that the next head coach of the national team will be a local specialist rather than a foreigner, Azerisport reported on Wednesday.

AFFA cited the lack of results under foreign coaches as the reason for the policy shift.

Candidates include Rashad Sadyghov, coach of Baku club Zira, and Ayhan Abbasov, who recently led the national side to a 1-1 draw against Ukraine in World Cup 2026 qualifying. Abbasov could remain in charge until the end of the qualifying campaign in November, the report said.

AFFA’s executive committee meeting, originally scheduled for October, will now be held in September to make the final decision.