Kapaz PFK

Kapaz PFC was founded in 1959 as Toxucu and played in the Soviet First League. However, the team were promoted to the Soviet Top League in 1968 as Dinamo Kirovobad after finishing first in the Soviet First League the previous season.[2] The club has been known as Taraggi and Toxucu during its history, however it became famous in more modern times as Kapaz when it was renamed in 1982.[3][4]

In 1991, the club was once again renamed as Kapaz after Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union and won the Azerbaijan Premier League title three times.[5] At the end of the 1997-98 season, Kapaz finished the season unbeaten. Out of 28 games, the club's final record for the 1997–1998 league campaign stood at 22 wins, 4 draws and 0 losses. To date this has not been matched by any team in a single season in an Azerbaijani league division.[6]

Azerbaijan's longest league winning run belongs to Kapaz PFC.

Kapaz PFC remain the only team to win the league undefeated and, for ten months until 23 September 1998, opponents could not even take a point off them. Two of the 22 matches were technical victories awarded to Käpäz.[7]

Kapaz, one of the most prominent football clubs in Azerbaijan, entered financial difficulties during the late 2000s. Since 2002, the club has found themselves slipping further and further down the table, which has been influenced by financial difficulties.[8][9] The financial collapse of Kapaz resulted in a great deal of discussion within Azerbaijani football.[10] Major Azerbaijani companies, reportedly "concerned at the current uncertainty about the club's future and its backers" declined to provide Kapaz with the corporate banking facilities it needed.[11][12]

In 2005, the club's new owners decided to rename the club Ganja despite facing criticism from the club's fans.[13][14] In 2007, the club was excluded from Azerbaijan Premier League due to financial struggles. However, after help from the AFFA and local communities, the club participated in the Azerbaijan First Division during the 2009-10 season.[15][16] In 2010 they became champions of the Azerbaijan First Division finishing the season with 47 points and promoted to the Azerbaijan Premier League.[16] In 2011, it was decided that the club's name will be changed back to its old name of Kapaz PFC.[17][18]

In April 2013, Kapaz were relegated to the Azerbaijan First Division. The ended the season in 12th place in the Azerbaijan Premier League, the club's lowest ever league finish.[19][20] The club's financial situation didn't improve, which caused a lot of players to leave the club.[21]

On 18 November 2017, Shahin Diniyev resigned as manager[22] with Yunis Hüseynov being appointed as his replacement 2 days later on 20 November 2017.[23]

For the 2022/23 Azerbaijani Premier League season, an expansion of the league to 10 teams was implemented. As there are only five independent football clubs in the first division, and FK Zaqatala, Qaradag Lokbatan and MOIK Baku declined to play in the Premier league for financial reasons, Kapaz and Turan Tovuz were promoted for next season.

As of match played 20 July 2016

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1995–96	UEFA Cup	PR	Austria Wien	0–4	1–5	1–9
1997–98	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1Q	Dinaburg Daugavpils	0–1	0–1	0–2
1998–99	UEFA Champions League	1Q	ŁKS Łódź	1–3	1–4	2–7
1999–00	UEFA Champions League	1Q	Sloga Jugomagnat	2–1	0–1	2–2
2000–01	UEFA Cup	1Q	Antalyaspor	0–2	0–5	0–7
2016–17	UEFA Europa League	1Q	Dacia Chișinău	0–0	1–0	1–0
		2Q	Admira Wacker	0–2	0–1	0–3

• Azerbaijan League
  • Champions (3): 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99
  • Runners–up (1): 1999–00
• Azerbaijan Cup
  • Winners (4): 1993–94, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1999–00
• Azerbaijan First Division
  • Champions (1): 2009–10

• Soviet First League
  • Champions (1): 1967
• Soviet Second League
  • Champions (1): 1965
  • Runners–up (1): 1986
• Soviet Cup
  • Quarter-finalist (1): 1962

As of 9 August 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  BLR Vladislav Vasilyuchek 2 MF  AZE Nicat Verdiyev 3 DF  AZE Vurgun Huseynov 4 DF  AZE Vusal Masimov 6 DF  AZE Nemat Musayev 7 FW  AZE Ehtiram Shahverdiyev 8 MF  AZE Elmir Taghiyev 9 MF  GEO Mate Kvirkvia 10 MF  AZE Tural Rzayev 11 FW  AZE Elnur Jafarov 12 GK  AZE Kamran Ibrahimov 14 DF  AZE Elchin Alijanov 15 MF  AZE Cavad Karimov 17 MF  AZE Umid Samadov

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 GK  AZE Elgün Bayramov 19 FW  NGA Abdullahi Shuaibu 20 MF  AZE Mahir Hasanov 21 MF  BRA Martin Júnior 22 DF  AZE Rufat Ahmadov (on loan from Gabala) 24 MF  NGA Olawale Onanuga 25 FW  GEO Giorgi Papunashvili 26 MF  MLI Adama Niane 66 DF  AZE Arzu Atakishiyev 78 DF  BLR Yegor Khvalko 88 MF  AZE Shakir Seyidov (on loan from Sabah) 91 MF  SEN Latyr Fall 96 GK  POR Igor Rodrigues 97 MF  AZE Nicat Mammadov 99 MF  AZE Ali Samadov

• Isay Abramashvili
• Sabir Mammadov

• Şahmir Huseynov (1992)
• Mubariz Zeynalov (1993)
• Mehman Allahverdiyev (1993-2003)
• Fuad Ismayilov (2003-2004)
• Arzu Mirzayev (2003)
• Shahin Diniyev (2005–06)
• Fuad Ismayilov (2006)
• Mehman Allahverdiyev (2011)
• Mirbaghir Isayev (2011)
• Fuad Ismayilov (2011–2012)
• Mahmud Gurbanov (2012–2013)
• Vidadi Rzayev (2013–2015)
• Shahin Diniyev (2015–2017)
• Yunis Huseynov (2017–2018)
• Etibar Ibrahimov (2018–2019)
• Yashar Vahabzade (2019–2022)
• Tarlan Ahmadov (2022–2023)
• Azer Mammadov (2023-present)