Tofiq Bahramov Stadium currently acts as the national stadium for Azerbaijan’s football team, as well as the home venue for Azerbaijan Premier League Clubs in European Competitions. Capable of seating 31,200 it the home of Qaraba? FK.

Stadium Guide

History

The stadium was originally set to open in the early 1940s however construction was delayed due to the onset of World War II. With the help of German prisoners of war, Azerbaijan’s national stadium opened in 1951 – almost twelve years after the work began in 1939.

Upon opening it was known as Joseph Stalin Stadium, however after the Communist Part of the Soviet Union denounced their former leader, the stadium’s name was changed in honour of Vladimir Lenin. The name Vladimir Lenin Stadium stuck until 1993 when it was renamed in honour of Tofiq Bahramov.

Tofiq Bahramov was the famous referee who awarded the contentious goal to England in the 1966 World Cup Final against Germany. Known as the “Russian linesman”, Tofiq Bahramov became the first referee in the history of football to have a stadium named after him.

A statue of the national icon was unveiled in 2006 after England played Azerbaijan in a World Cup qualification match. The resident side Qarabag FK moved into the stadium in 1993 after relocating from Agdam to Baku as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

Tofiq Bahramov Stadium was last renovated during the 2011/2012 season.

Seating Plan

Below is a seating plan of Qarabag FK's Tofiq Bahramov Republic Stadium:

Stands

Tofiq Bahramov Stadium is comprised of a main stand, and separate u-shaped stand which spans three sides.

Click the thumbnails above to enlarge an image of each stand and to read a more detailed description of each part of the stadium.

The Matchday Experience

Away fans

Away fans are housed within Sector 28 which is accessible from Gate 2. Based on the fact that seating section 1 starts just west of the main stand we believe that the away section is in the south-east corner – we could however be mistaken!

Best Pubs

There is no alcohol consumption allowed inside the ground.

Food

Western football fans can rejoice in the fact that there’s a McDonald’s 2 minutes north-west of the stadium next to the Bazar Store.

Club Shop

You can purchase official merchandise of Qaraba by visiting the official website.

Stadium Tours

There currently aren’t any stadium tours available of Tofiq Bahramov. We doubt this will change in the future.

Matchday Travel

The city of Baku is located on southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula which pokes out onto the Caspian Sea. As Azerbaijan’s capital city it is predictably the largest and most populous city of of the country.

Here is some exceptional helpful advice from Tim Dolan (Thanks!): “As a Baku resident, I suggest using the metro to get to the stadium Genclik station is very close to it and the line runs up from the downtown (shoreline) area station just two stops away. The fare is 20 kapek (about 20 cents U.S.). One has to buy a fare card to enter the metro.

Busses run the same price and depending on the bus one pays cash (for the white city buses or the same kind of farecard for the metro for the red newer buses. If one insists on drinking before the match, there are places between the station and the stadium to pop in and down some.”

Metro

The closest metro station is Ganjlik which sits two minutes north of the stadium. It is accessible from both the Rirmizi Xatt line (red), and Yasil Xatt (green) metro lines.

Arguably the easiest way to travel to the stadium on matchdays you can catch the northbound metro from the city centre from either Jafar Jabbarly (C?f?r Cabbarl?) or 28 May (?kinci ç?x??).

Train

Baku’s Central Railway Station sits 3.2 km south of Tofiq Bahramov Stadium which results in a walk of around 45 minutes for the average football fan. You can also catch the Baku Metro System which is outlined below.

Airports and Flying

The nearest airport is Heydar Aliyev International Airport located 25 km north-east of Baku city centre. It has many flights to and from Europe, with many of the cheaper flights routed through the city of Moscow

The easiest way of travelling into the city centre upon landing is by using one of the purple official taxis. Expect to pay anywhere between 20-35 Manats which should equate to around €30.00.

Hotels

The majority of accommodation options are dotted around the central railway station with the likes of the Avand, The Diplomat and Rigs Hotel offering affordable prices. There are also more expensive options such as The Park Inn by Radisson, and the Absheron Baku Hotel by Marriott.