Qəbələ İdman Klubu (),Gabala SCQəbələ İK is an Azerbaijani professional football club based in Qabala, which has competed in the Azerbaijan Premier League since 2006. They will be set to play in the Azerbaijan Premier League from the 2025–26 season following their promotion from the Azerbaijan First Division in 2024–25. Gabala has been the runner up in the Premier League three times and has won the national cup twice, in 2019 and 2023. Gabala is one of the 2 teams that started the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League for 2 seasons and managed to move on to the group stage.
History The club was founded under the name of Goy Gol on 3 July 1995, based in Goy Gol. On 1 September 2005, Goy Gol was registered in Gabala by the Ministry of Justice, before the AFFA registered the team as professional on 5 September of the same year. In the summer of 2006, the team moved from Goygol to Qabala, before the club changed its name to Gilan PFK. Later, the club changed its name to Qəbələ PFK on 31 August 2007.Establishment of SC Qabala
On 10 May 2010, former Arsenal defender Tony Adams was appointed as new manager after signing a £1 million per year deal with the club.Английские СМИ назвали цену "чудовищной ошибки" азербайджанского футбольного клуба In his first season in charge, Gabala finished in 7th place in Azerbaijan Premier League. In November 2011, Adams resigned as Gabala's coach due to family problems.
Despite the appointment of managers like Fatih Kavlak and Ramiz Mammadov, the club could not reach a satisfactory position in the league and was struggling in the middle of the table for many years. On 29 May 2013, Yuri Semin was appointed as the new manager after signing a £1 million per year deal with the club. In the same year, the club qualified for European cups for the first time in their history but lost to Neftchi Baku on penalties in the final of the Azerbaijan Cup.
In the 2015–16 season of the Europa League, they became the 3rd club from Azerbaijan to qualify for the group stage after Qarabağ FK and Neftçi Baku. They eliminated Dinamo Tbilisi, Čukarički, Apollon Limassol and surprisingly Panathinaikos. They came 4th in their tough group of Borussia Dortmund, PAOK, and FC Krasnodar. They got two points, both from 0–0 draws against PAOK.
Following their defeat to Keşla in the 2017–18 Azerbaijan Cup Final, Roman Hryhorchuk left Gabala after his contract was not extended. On 30 May 2018, Gabala announced that Sanan Gurbanov had been appointed as the club's new manager on a two-year contract. On 31 August 2019, Gurbanov resigned as manager following Gabala's 4–0 defeat at home to Keşla. On 2 September 2019, Elmar Bakhshiyev was appointed as Gabala's manager.
On 24 February 2024, Elmar Bakhshiyev resigned as head coach, with Kakhaber Tskhadadze being appointed the following day. On 27 May 2024, at the end of the 2023-24 season, Gabala extended their contract with Tskhadadze for an additional three-seasons.
Following their 5–0 victory over Baku Sporting on 4 April, Gabala secured promotion back to the Azerbaijan Premier League at their first attempt. On 31 August 2026, Kakhaber Tskhadadze left his role as head coach after his contract was terminated by mutual agreement. On 16 September 2026, Gabala announced the appointment of Jeton Beqiri as their new head coach, to a one-year contract with the option of an additional two season.
League and cup history Season League Azerbaijan Cup Top goalscorer Managers Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Name League2005–062nd1st302262721472 Last 16 R.Ahmadov18 Faig Jabbarov2006–071st11th244416174716Last 16 Vusal Garaev4 Ramiz Mammadov2007–081st6th2611312333636Semi-finals Vitali Balamestny82008–091st10th269611282133Semi-finals Kanan Karimov62009–101st6th421514144248561st round Tomasz Stolpa72010–111st7th3213127311851Quarter-finals Deon Burton9 Tony Adams2011–121st5th3215710433252Quarter-finals Dodô Yannick Kamanan9 Tony Adams Fatih Kavlak2012–131st6th3210814324038Quarter-finals Victor Mendy Assis6 Fatih Kavlak Ramiz Mammadov Luis Aragón2013–141st3rd3618711483661Runners-up Danijel Subotić12 Yuri Semin2014–151st3rd321598463554Quarter-finals Javid Huseynov11 Dorinel Munteanu Roman Hryhorchuk2015–161st3rd3616119442859Semi-finals Oleksiy Gai10 Roman Hryhorchuk2016–171st2nd2814104482152Runners-up Filip Ozobić112017–181st2nd281477432649Runners-up Bagaliy Dabo132018–191st4th289910313336Champions James Adeniyi10 Sanan Gurbanov2019–201st8th205411253519Semi-finals Davit Volkovi5 Sanan Gurbanov Elmar Bakhshiyev 2020–211st7th2851112234426Quarter-finals Raphael Utzig5 Elmar Bakhshiyev 2021–221st4th281297383445Semi-finals Isnik Alimi 82022–231st4th36131112474750Champions Isnik Alimi 92023–241st10th367524306426Semi-finals Osama Khalaila9 Elmar Bakhshiyev Kakhaber Tskhadadze2024–252nd1st27214256867Last 16 Domi Massoumou16 Kakhaber Tskhadadze2025–261st11th337620324927Quarter-final Domi Massoumou9
European record
Competition Pld W D L GF GA UEFA Europa League 38 10 7 21 36 55 UEFA Europa Conference League 4 1 0 3 6 12 Total 42 11 7 24 42 67
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate 2014–15 UEFA Europa League 1Q Široki Brijeg 0–2 0–3 0–5 2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1Q Dinamo Tbilisi 2–0 1–2 3–2 2Q Čukarički 2–0 0–1 2–1 3Q Apollon Limassol 1–0 1–1 2–1 PO Panathinaikos 0–0 2–2 2–2 (a) Group C Borussia Dortmund 1–3 0–4 4th PAOK 0–0 0–0 Krasnodar 0–3 1–2 2016–17 UEFA Europa League 1Q Samtredia 5–1 1–2 6–3 2Q MTK Budapest 2–0 2–1 4–1 3Q Lille 1–0 1–1 2–1 PO Maribor 3–1 0–1 3–2 Group C Anderlecht 1–3 1–3 4th Saint-Étienne 1–2 0–1 Mainz 05 2–3 0–2 2017–18 UEFA Europa League 2Q Jagiellonia Białystok 1–1 2–0 3–1 3Q Panathinaikos 1–2 0–1 1–3 2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1Q Progrès Niederkorn 0–2 1–0 1–2 2019–20 UEFA Europa League 2Q Dinamo Tbilisi 0–2 0–3 0–5 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League 2Q Fehérvár 2–1 1–4 3–5 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League 2Q Omonia 2–3 1–4 3–7 Notes 1Q: First qualifying round 2Q: Second qualifying round 3Q: Third qualifying round PO: Play-off round Group: Group stage
Crest and colours
The club's crest includes Caucasus Mountains with a black crescent and red eight-pointed star, similar to Azerbaijani flag. It also includes 2005 which signifies the club's formation year.
Shirt sponsors and kit manufacturers Gabala's traditional kit is composed of red shirts, black shorts and red socks. The club's first kit manufacturer was Erreà, until a two-year deal was agreed with Joma in 2013.
In August 2012, Gabala signed a one-year deal with the American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer Pepsi, which will replace Hyundai as the shirt sponsor from the 2013–14 season.
In September 2015, Gabala signed a one-year deal with QafqaZ Hotels and Resorts.
On 31 January 2020, Gabala announced that dairy brand Milla would be the club's new title sponsor until the end of 2021.
On 4 July 2023, Gabala announced Capelli Sport as their new kit supplier on a three-year contract.
On 12 August 2025, Gabala announced that they had signed a one-year agreement with AFB Bank for them to be the clubs front of shirt sponsor.
YearsManufacturerSponsor2009–2010 Adidas Hyundai2010–2011 Lotto2011–2012 Erreà2012–2013 Pepsi2013–2015 Joma2015–2020 QafqaZ Hotels2020–2021 Milla2021–2022 Jale2022–2023 Gilan & Knauf2023–2025 Capelli Sport2025–present Joma AFB Bank
Stadium
The club play their home matches at the Gabala City Stadium, an all-seater football stadium situated in Qabala.
As of 2007, predominantly due to UEFA requirements, the club proposed an extensive renovation of the stadium, which has since been in constant process of redevelopment. AFL Architects were appointed to design a new 15,000 capacity stadium and training facility in December 2008 after winning a limited design competition. Accommodation within the stadium will include hotel and conferencing facilities, as well as retail and corporate hospitality space, and a dramatic viewing deck at the top of the entrance tower. It is expected that the stadium was scheduled to open in 2014.
Supporters Gabala has a large fanbase in relation to its comparative lack of success on the pitch. Gabala's fan base has fluctuated over the years with high crowds coinciding with the club's success in the Premier League so that the club now averages in the top four best home attendances in the country. One of the main supporters group name is Red Black Army.
Honours Azerbaijan League Runners-up (2): 2016–17, 2017–18 Azerbaijan Cup Winners (2): 2018–19, 2022–23 Runners-up (3): 2013–14, 2016–17, 2017–18 Azerbaijan First Division Winners (2): 2005–06, 2024–25
Players
Azerbaijani teams are limited to nine players without Azerbaijani citizenship. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player, several non-European players on the squad have dual citizenship with an EU country.
Current squad
Out on loan
Club officials
The Board of Directors PositionNamePresident Fariz NajafovGeneral manager Sabuhi SafiyarliTeam manager Mahammad AzizliPress secretary Elnur Mammadli
Coaching staff PositionNameHead coach Jeton BeqiriAssistant coach Fitness coach Chaglar VolgaVideo analysis coach Arvid BregasiGoalkeeper coach Amil AgajanovUnder-19 head coach Famil Khalilov
Medical staff PositionNameDoctor Ilkin IslamovAssistant doctor Movsum HuseynovAssistant doctor Taleh Khalilov
Managers Information correct as of match played 18 September 2026. Only competitive matches are counted. NameNat.FromToPWDLGSGA%WHonoursNotesFaig Jabbarov20052006Azerbaijan First Division (1)Ramiz Mammadov2006May 2010Tony Adams12 May 201016 November 2011Fatih Kavlak18 November 201127 September 2012Ramiz Mammadov24 September 20122 April 2013Luis Aragon 2 April 201328 May 2013Yuri Semin28 May 201323 May 2014Dorinel Munteanu16 June 20148 December 2014Sanan Gurbanov 8 December 201421 December 2014Roman Hryhorchuk21 December 201429 May 2018Sanan Gurbanov30 May 201831 August 2019Azerbaijan Cup (1)Elmar Bakhshiyev2 September 201924 February 2024Azerbaijan Cup (1)Kakhaber Tskhadadze25 February 202431 August 2026Azerbaijan First Division (1)Amil Agajanov 31 August 202620 September 2026Jeton Beqiri20 September 2026
Notes:
Individual records Urfan Abbasov is Gabala's most capped player, with 305 appearances for the club. Players in bold signifies current Gabala player.
Most appearances
NameYearsLeague appsLeague goalsPlayoff appsPlayoff goalsCup appsCup goalsEurope appsEurope goalsTotal appsTotal goals1 Ürfan Abbasov2011–2019, 2021–202424850040117030562 Asif Mammadov2006-2007, 2015–20262081300313241263173 Murad Musayev2013–2016, 2019–20261677102303019474 Dmytro Bezotosnyi2015–201911700017032016605 Dodô2011–20161312300153154161306 Vojislav Stanković2015–2016, 2016–20199210021129114236 Elvin Camalov2013–2019, 2026–Present11200018012014208 Javid Huseynov2014–2015, 2016–2019, 2020-20211091600202113140218 Ulvi Isgandarov2017–20241181700164601402110 Victor Mendy2011–201511229001342012733
Top goalscorers
NameYearsLeague appsLeague goalsPlayoff appsPlayoff goalsCup appsCup goalsEurope appsEurope goalsTotal appsTotal goalsRatio1 Victor Mendy2011–2015112290013420127332 Dodô2011–20161312300153154161303 Domi Massoumou2024–2026602510630067284 Bagaliy Dabo2016–20184320006413362275 Filip Ozobić2016–201845160010618373256 Isnik Alimi2021–20236117001052073227 Javid Huseynov2014–2015, 2016–2019, 2020-20211091600202113140217 Ulvi Isgandarov2017–2024118170016460140219 Steeven Joseph-Monrose2017–20194715009362622010 Danijel Subotić2013–2014, 201740150084004819
Presidential history NameYearsTale Heydarov2005–2019Fariz Najafov2019–
See also Gabala Cup 2012
References
External links
Official website