How a quiz show win and a dream took Azerbaijan's Sabah to the Champions League
Baku club Sabah, founded only in 2017, has reached the Champions League main round, where it will face Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United and other European giants. The team is led by Lithuanian coach Valdas Dambrauskas, who once funded his coaching badges with winnings from the TV quiz 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'.
Sabah FC, a football club founded in Baku in 2017, has become the first side led by a Baltic coach to reach the Champions League main round. The team is guided by Lithuanian head coach Valdas Dambrauskas.
Dambrauskas's path to this achievement was unconventional. In 2002 he won prize money on the Lithuanian TV quiz show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' and used it to move to England to fund his UEFA coaching qualifications. With no professional playing background, he worked as a babysitter, salesman and newspaper delivery man to cover the cost of the courses. He later joined the youth academies of Fulham, Brentford and Manchester United. Sabah is now the tenth club of his coaching career.
Last Tuesday, Sabah beat Hapoel Beer Sheva 5-2, winning 6-4 on aggregate, to secure a place in the Champions League main round and guarantee eight matches against some of Europe's biggest clubs. Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Slavia Prague will travel to Baku, while Sabah will play away fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester United in England, as well as Villarreal in Spain and Viking in Norway.
Dambrauskas stressed that the Azerbaijan championship remains more important than the Champions League itself, since domestic success is what enables participation in European competition. He also noted that the squad often fields eleven different nationalities in the starting lineup, with respect forming the basis of the team's philosophy.
Success built without big spending
Sabah won the Azerbaijan Cup in the 2024-25 season and followed it with the Azerbaijan Premier League title the next year, ending Qarabağ FK's period of domestic dominance. Club president Magsud Adigozalov explained that the club's rise was built not on financial power but on analytics and smart recruitment, drawing inspiration from the so-called Moneyball approach.
Sabah's total squad market value is estimated at around €16.65 million, compared with Barcelona's €1.1 billion and Manchester United's €900 million. Qualifying for the main round will bring the club a base fee worth millions of euros from UEFA, along with additional income from broadcasting rights and sponsorship deals. Adigozalov expressed hope the achievement will inspire more children and families to take an interest in football in Azerbaijan.
