Neftçi PFK
Neftçi Peşəkar Futbol Klubu, known simply as Neftçi (pronounced [nefˈtʃi]) or Neftchi Baku in English-speaking media, is an Azerbaijani professional football club based in the capital, Baku, that plays in the Azerbaijan Premier League, the highest tier of Azerbaijan football. The club was founded on 18 March 1937 and played under the name of Neftyanik until 1968. Since then he has been competing under the name of Neftçi.
| Full name | Neftçi Peşəkar Futbol Klubu | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Neftçilər (The Oil Workers) Flaqman (The Flagship) Xalqın komandası (The People's Team) | |||
| Founded | 18 March 1937 as Neftyanik | |||
| Ground | Neftçi Arena | |||
| Capacity | 11,000 | |||
| Owner | SOCAR | |||
| President | Farrukh Mahmudov | |||
| Head Coach | Miodrag Božović | |||
| League | Azerbaijan Premier League | |||
| 2022–23 | 3rd of 10 | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
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Neftçi played for a total of 27 seasons in the Top Division of Soviet football. The main achievement of that period is the bronze medals of the USSR Championship won in 1966. Neftçi has won nine Azerbaijan Premier League titles, six Azerbaijan Cups and two Azerbaijan Supercup titles. The club is one of the two teams in Azerbaijan, along with Qarabağ, which has participated in all Azerbaijan Premier League championships so far.
In 2012, Neftçi became the first Azerbaijani club to advance to the group stage of a European competition after defeating APOEL 4–2 on aggregate in the play-off round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League. Neftçi plays its matches at the Neftçi Arena in Baku, which also serves as the venue for Azerbaijan national team matches.