National restart: What will the FIFA Series 2026 bring us?
The long-awaited break in club football has arrived. This means we can now focus on the performance of our national team. The FIFA Series 2026 comes at just the right time. It’s an opportunity to improve our ranking and experiment with various strategies on the field.
Since Ayhan Abbasov took over as head coach, we’ve all started to believe in change. We believe that a local specialist, who knows our national football landscape better than any foreigner, can truly transform the team. The coach has a lot of work ahead of him.
The first match of the tournament in Sumgayit against Saint Lucia showed that the Azerbaijani national team has a backbone. However, it’s still too early to talk about significant changes. The victory also boosted morale, especially since a record for the largest win by our national team was broken.
Previously, the record was a 5:1 victory over San Marino, achieved under Robert Prosinečki during the qualification stage for the 2018 World Cup. That was also when the record for points in a qualification campaign was set, totaling ten. Now, it’s time to update those figures. However, the next official tournament for the team will be the UEFA Nations League, where they need to redeem themselves after the last tournament and return to League C. To do this, they must defeat the teams of Lithuania and Liechtenstein.
But what are the primary tasks that need to be accomplished for this? First and foremost, we need to develop a formation that will yield results. The opportunity for this has arrived right now. Ayhan Abbasov himself spoke about the team’s readiness before the tournament.
“Our players will take to the field and do everything possible to achieve a result. This tournament is of great importance to us ahead of the UEFA Nations League matches. We will strive to show quality play.”
In the game against Saint Lucia, the team took to the field with a formation of three defenders, transitioning to five in defensive mode. Gismet Aliyev and Elvin Jafarguliyev were the wingers, while Badavi Huseynov, Elvin Badalov, and Rahman Dashdamirov occupied the central defense. Emin Mahmudov, Emil Safarov, and Ragim Sadykhov played in midfield. The attack was led by Renat Dadashov and Musa Gurbanly.
The coach entrusted the goal to Rza Jaffarov. The initial pressure bore fruit, and by halftime, the score difference was already three goals (with Mahmudov, Sadykhov, and Gurbanly scoring). For the second half, an entirely new lineup took the field. Rza in goal was replaced by Salahat Agayev. The outfield players were Rustam Ahmedzade, Khayal Aliyev, Abdulla Khaybullayev, Jeyhun Nuriyev, Ayhan Huseynov, Toral Bayramov, Rahil Mammadov, Vusal Iskanderli, Jalal Huseynov, and Abdulla Rzayev.
For some of them, this match marked their debut in the national team jersey. A penalty converted by the visitors only spurred Abbasov’s players on, as they decided not to lag behind the first-half team and also scored three goals. Accurate strikes by Bayramov, Iskanderli, and Ahmedzade set the final score on the board. Notably, Rustam Ahmedzade’s goal, scored in the last minute, established the historic winning record of 6:1.
Perhaps there could have been even more goals if not for the rainy weather. The highest rating for the match (7.5) was awarded to Elvin Jafarguliyev, Rustam Ahmedzade, and Vusal Iskanderli.
Stern John, head coach of the Saint Lucia national team:
“I didn’t expect such a result. We knew the opponent would apply pressure. We made simple mistakes, and you always get punished for that. We traveled a long way to come here. For the players, it’s a good experience to play against a European team. But, of course, the result disappointed us.”
Unfortunately, several players who would have been interesting to see in action are absent from this camp. For example, Mahir Emreli, who has recovered from an injury, or Nariman Akhundzade, who has moved to the American league.
What conclusions can be drawn after the first match? The team is improving in terms of creativity, with successful crosses from the flanks to the center of the penalty area. The level of the opponent didn’t allow the defense to fully showcase itself. The second match of the tournament will be against Sierra Leone, a slightly more serious opponent. Will this be an opportunity for new experiments, or will a specific game plan be solidified? The match itself will show. Judging by Ayhan Abbasov’s words, we are more likely to see a new style of play.
Ayhan Abbasov, head coach of the Azerbaijan national football team:
“We want to give everyone a chance and see the players in action. There is competition within the team. Changes in the lineup are possible. There’s also the factor of injuries. Some players are currently in better form. In the next match, we want to play differently. We are also thinking about the matches against Lithuania and Liechtenstein in the Nations League. There are aspects we want to test in these games.”
These series matches should answer several questions, primarily for the coach himself. After all, this fall, the team faces a test in the form of the Nations League, where everyone expects a return to the third-tier division. And beyond that, we hope to see progress, which, we believe, is not far off.
Emin Ahmedov
