OMM Newsroom
Azerbaijan will play its final UEFA Nations League group-stage match away to Liechtenstein on November 13. The match, which kicks off at 11:45 p.m. Baku time, will not affect the team’s promotion to a higher division, which is virtually assured: Division D will be abolished from the 2028/29 season, and all six teams in it will move to Division C.
Azerbaijan, coached by Ayhan Abbasov, has five points from three matches and a goal difference of 2-1. Lithuania has four points, while Liechtenstein has one. A win would take Azerbaijan to eight points and secure first place in the group. The Division D winner also receives a 750,000-euro prize.
An additional chance to qualify for Euro 2028
The Nations League results could give some teams that fail to qualify through the Euro 2028 qualifying campaign a place in the playoffs. For Azerbaijan to have that chance, it must win its group, while results in the other Division D group will also matter. Malta has seven points from three matches; Gibraltar has two points from two matches, and Andorra has one point from three.
If Malta draws with Gibraltar, it will finish the tournament with eight points. If Azerbaijan also wins, goal difference could decide the comparison: Malta currently has a +2 goal difference, compared with Azerbaijan’s +1. Azerbaijan would therefore need to win by at least two goals to move ahead of Malta on that measure. Gibraltar could reach eight points if it wins its remaining two matches.
A win would also affect Azerbaijan’s UEFA ranking and its pot position in the draw for the Euro 2028 qualifying campaign. The draw will take place in Belfast on December 6. Victory would also allow the national team to finish the group stage unbeaten.
Context
On October 1, Azerbaijan played Liechtenstein in Baku. The match took place at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium.
