The Azerbaijan national football team will face France in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on October 10 with a new head coach.

Axar.az informs Aykhan Abbasov will take charge of the squad. An agreement has already been reached between Abbasov and the Azerbaijan Football Federation (AFFA), and the decision will be officially announced at an upcoming Executive Committee meeting.

Abbasov was appointed head coach of the U-21 national team earlier in 2025.

He also managed the senior team in the match against Ukraine after Fernando Santos was dismissed following a 0–5 defeat to Iceland in the qualifiers.