From Azerbaijan to Old Trafford: Sabah’s Unbelievable Journey

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Just nine years ago, Sabah FK did not even exist.

Tomorrow, the Azerbaijani club will walk onto the pitch at Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League.

It is the kind of football story that feels almost impossible.

Founded in September 2017, Sabah have gone from a brand-new club in the small Azerbaijani town of Masazir to Champions League football in less than a decade.

They are now the youngest club ever to reach the league phase of the Champions League. And their journey to get here has been anything but straightforward.

FROM A NEW CLUB TO AZERBAIJAN'S ELITE

Sabah's early years were spent establishing themselves in Azerbaijani football, with several coaching changes and the club gradually developing its infrastructure and first-team setup.

Their breakthrough came in the 2022/23 season when they finished second in the Azerbaijan Premier League, securing European football for the first time.

But it was in 2025 that the club won its first major trophy, lifting the Azerbaijan Cup. That success was only the beginning.

The appointment of Lithuanian coach Valdas Dambrauskas in 2025 changed everything.

Dambrauskas inherited a club that already had strong foundations, but he took Sabah to another level.

In his first season, he guided the club to its first-ever Azerbaijan Premier League title, while also retaining the Azerbaijan Cup.

Sabah finished nine points clear of Qarabag, ending a remarkable campaign with a domestic double.

Their title also ended Qarabag's long-standing dominance at the top of Azerbaijani football.

FOUR ROUNDS. EIGHT GAMES. ONE DREAM.

Sabah entered Champions League qualifying in the first round with almost nobody outside Azerbaijan expecting them to reach the league phase.

Their first opponents were Welsh champions The New Saints.

Sabah won the tie 4-1 on aggregate.

Next came Finnish champions KuPS, who were beaten 3-0 across two legs.

Then came Danish champions Aarhus.

Sabah lost the first leg 2-1 in Denmark, leaving themselves with a mountain to climb. Instead, they produced one of the biggest performances in their short history.

A 4-0 victory in Baku sent Sabah through 5-2 on aggregate.

Then came Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the play-offs. And somehow, the drama became even greater.

Sabah lost the first leg 2-1 in Israel.

In the return leg, they twice fell behind and looked destined to fall at the final hurdle.

Then, in the 94th minute, Tellur Mutallimov scored to make it 3-2.

The match went to extra time. Sabah scored twice more.

5-2 on the night. 6-4 on aggregate. Champions League football secured. For a club that didn't exist nine years earlier, it was an extraordinary moment.

THE MANAGER WITH THE MOST UNLIKELY STORY

Even Sabah's manager has a story worthy of a football film. Valdas Dambrauskas never played professional football.

Growing up in Lithuania, he became fascinated by coaching after watching the 1990 World Cup.

In 2002, aged 25, he appeared on the Lithuanian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

He won around €1,160. Rather than simply spending the money, Dambrauskas used it to move to England and pursue his dream of becoming a football coach.

He studied Sports Science and Coaching at London Metropolitan University and began volunteering in local football.

He worked various jobs along the way, including gardening, handyman work and pub cleaning, while continuing to chase his coaching ambitions.

Eventually, he began working with Manchester United's Soccer Schools. More than two decades later, that journey has brought him back to Manchester in a full circle moment.

Only this time, he won't be working for United. He is tasked to beat them.

UEFA describes his journey from the quiz show to the Champions League as one of perseverance and education.

Dambrauskas has since coached across Lithuania, Latvia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and Hungary before arriving at Sabah. Now, at 49, he is preparing for the biggest match of his career.

THE PERFECT OPPONENT

There is something almost poetic about Sabah's first Champions League match being against Manchester United.

This isn't simply a trip to one of Europe's biggest stadiums. For Dambrauskas, it is a return to the place where his coaching journey began.

He first gained experience in English football through Manchester United's coaching programmes. Now he will stand in the Old Trafford dugout as the manager of the opposition.

"It's been a nice journey, but I want it to last," Dambrauskas said ahead of the historic campaign.

And he isn't approaching the Champions League simply as a tourist. Sabah have already shown that they believe they belong.

"We knew we were a good team and capable of going all the way," Dambrauskas said of their qualifying campaign.

THEY'RE NOT JUST HERE TO MAKE UP THE NUMBERS

Sabah's presence in the Champions League is remarkable enough. But their league-phase draw makes the story even better.

They will face some of the biggest clubs in European football, including Manchester United, Barcelona, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli.

For a club founded in 2017, these aren't just football matches. They are opportunities to measure themselves against the elite.

And Sabah have already demonstrated that they aren't afraid of the challenge.

Their qualifying campaign saw them win six of eight Champions League matches, scoring heavily along the way and producing comebacks when their European dream appeared to be slipping away.

Their Serbian forward Veljko Simic has also emerged as one of their biggest threats, scoring six goals during qualifying.

In just nine years, Sabah have gone from a new club with no European history to standing alongside some of the biggest names in world football.

Modern football can sometimes feel predictable, with the same clubs dominating the biggest competitions year after year.

Sabah are a reminder that football still has room for the unexpected.

A club that didn't exist nine years ago is now preparing to hear the Champions League anthem at Old Trafford.

Whatever happens against Manchester United, Sabah have already made history.

But their manager doesn't want the story to end here.

"We will keep working, keep learning and keep dreaming."

For Sabah, the dream has already become reality. Now they get to find out just how far it can take them.