One of worst Starts in Azerbaijan’s history – Historical Review

Azerbaijan’s national football team has endured one of its most disappointing starts to a year, suffering two consecutive defeats in 2025.

Idman.biz reports that such setbacks are nothing new for the team, which has faced similar struggles multiple times in its history.

Under Fernando Santos, Azerbaijan lost 0-3 to Haiti and 0-2 to Belarus in friendly matches. However, looking back at previous years, this is far from the first disastrous start.

Since the formation of the national team in 1992, fans have grown accustomed to early-year disappointments. In its debut year, the team played just one match, and over the following 33 years, season openers have often been marked by failure.

This marks the 11th time in history that Azerbaijan has lost its first two matches of the year—a trend that has become increasingly common in recent years. In fact, four of the last five years have seen the team open with back-to-back losses, with 2024 being the only exception, thanks to the FIFA Series tournament.

Even more concerning, this is the 8th time the national team has failed to score in its first two games of the year, a statistic last recorded in 2022. Across the 21st century, this has now happened seven times.

The 2025 season has also seen Azerbaijan start the year with two goalless defeats for the fifth time. Similar struggles were recorded in 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2022, with the team failing to find the net in its opening matches.

In the broader context of the team’s history, 2025 ranks among the five worst starts ever. Just two years ago, Azerbaijan suffered two defeats with a 1-9 goal difference, marking its worst-ever start. In 2004, the goal deficit was 1-8, in 1995, it was 2-8, and in 2011, much like this year, the team’s goal difference stood at -5 (1:6).

While these struggles are nothing new, they paint a worrying picture for the year ahead.

Vugar Kheyrullayev
Idman.biz