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Football in Armenia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Football in Armenia
CountryArmenia
Governing bodyFootball Federation of Armenia
National team(s)Armenia men's national team
National competitions
Club competitions

Armenian Premier League

Armenian First League

Armenian Amateur League
International competitions

Football (Armenian: ֆուտբոլ futbol or votnagndak Armenian: ոտնագնդակ) is the most popular sport in Armenia.[1]

As of December 2024, the Armenia national football team is 100th in FIFA World Rankings. Since gaining independence in 1991, Armenia has had its own national association that takes part in all FIFA competitions (Senior, Youth and Women's Football). FC Ararat Yerevan were one of the leading teams in the top league in the Soviet Union, often playing in European club competitions.

A number of Armenian players played for the USSR national team, including Khoren Oganesian at the 1982 FIFA World Cup and Eduard Markarov in the 1960s. Markarov later became assistant coach of the Soviet Union's youth team, and was part of the coaching staff at the FIFA World Youth Championship in Portugal in 1991, when the team finished 3rd.[2]

History

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Araks Football Club, Constantinople, 1910s.

Early period (before 1920s)

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In the early 20th century, the first Armenian football clubs were founded in Constantinople, Smyrna and many other cities within the Ottoman Empire.[3]

The first game between Armenian and Turkish teams was recorded in 1906. Armenian club called Balta-Liman (after a neighborhood of Constantinople, now called Baltalimanı) met with Galatasaray. Later, Balta-Liman was dissolved and two new clubs were founded: Araks and Tork. Football's growth across many ethnic groups in the Ottoman Empire was influenced by Armenian sports clubs, which were important in the process forming the region's sports culture.[4]

However, the break-out of World War I and the Armenian genocide led to a major decline of Armenian involvement in Ottoman sports.

Soviet era (1920s-1991)

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Oldest records of football teams in Soviet Armenia goes back to 1926-1927, when the Trans-Caucasian Championship was organized in Tbilisi. Three South Caucasus countries participated: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.[5]

The first professional club in Armenia was established in 1935 as Spartak and was later renamed Ararat. FC Ararat Yerevan grew and became the most popular club in Armenia.[6] Ararat became one of the most competitive teams in the Soviet Union in 1973 after winning the Soviet Championship and the Soviet Cup.[6] The team did well in European competitions as well; in 1975, it advanced to the European Cup quarterfinals, losing to the eventual champions, Franz Beckenbauer's FC Bayern Munich.[6] The first stadium in Armenia was named Spartak as well, built in the late 1920s in front of what is now the Yerevan Circus.

In 1958, FC Shirak was founded in Gyumri (then Leninakan), and played in the Soviet First League until Armenia's independence in 1991.

Independent Armenia (1992—present)

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October 11, 2011, Ireland vs. Armenia, Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Football became the most popular sport in independent Armenia. Armenia became an independent state in 1991, the Armenian SSR having previously played for the Soviet Union national football team. The Football Federation of Armenia was founded on 18 January 1992 and established relations with FIFA in 1992 and with UEFA in 1993.[7] The history of the Armenia national team began on 14 October 1992, when Armenia played its first match against Moldova. That meeting ended in a goalless draw. Since 1996, the team is a member of qualifiers European and World Championships.[8] Armenia has competed in every UEFA Euro qualification and FIFA World Cup qualification since 1994.[9]

However, the lack of financial resources forced many clubs in Yerevan and other provinces to retire from professional football. In 2016, only 6 clubs from Yerevan, 1 from Gyumri, and 1 from Kapan were practicing professional football and taking part in the Armenian football league system.

Many football stadiums were built in Soviet Armenia during the final decade of the 20th century. Many of the Soviet-era stadiums are still in bad conditions. However, FFA is now trying to develop the infrastructure across the country with few stadiums being renovated such as in Abovyan, Armavir, Vanadzor and many more fields across the regions. Very few of the professional clubs either possess their own stadium or football training academy.

Major training centres and stadiums

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Zepyur Football Training Camp in Kotayk Province
Tsaghkadzor Olympic Sports Complex

Armenia has many football academies and training centers. These facilities allow players to develop their skills. Some academies are opened and sponsored by professional clubs like FC Pyunik and FC Ararat Yerevan, while the Football Federation of Armenia also has an academy. These centers provide access to training pitches and coaching.[10]

Academies of professional football clubs

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Academies of the Football Federation of Armenia

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Other training centres

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When it comes to stadiums, the federation is upgrading and improving its infrastructure. Some stadiums in Yerevan, Vanadzor, and Armavir underwent renovations.[11] The most famous stadium that hosts the national team's games and also matches international standards is the National Stadium, named after Vazgen Sargsyan. The famous Hrazdan Stadium, which also hosted FC Bayern Munich back in the 1970s, does not meet the highest standards by the UEFA and FIFA.

National team

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Main article: Armenia national football team

The Armenia national football team is the national football team of Armenia and is controlled by the Football Federation of Armenia. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the team played its first international match against Moldova on October 12, 1992. Armenia became a member of FIFA and UEFA in the 1990s after gaining independence. This allowed the national team to compete in international tournaments, including the World cup and UEFA European Championship qualifiers and the UEFA Nations League. The team has never qualified for a major tournament, but there have been some memorable moments where the national team were close to qualifying for the final stage of the tournaments. In the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers, Armenia finished just a few points away from reaching the playoffs. Over the years, Armenia has had some talented players who played on the highest international stages. The most famous player is Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who played for top European clubs like Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United F.C., and AS Roma. Now, Mkhitaryan is a part of Inter Milan's championship team. Players like Yura Movsisyan and Marcos Pizzelli also played for famous teams.

A women's team, an under-21 team, an under-19 team, and an under-17 team also compete.

Major clubs

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With the most Armenian Premier League championships, FC Pyunik is considered as one of the most powerful teams in modern Armenian football. Other strong teams that compete at the highest level are FC Noah, FC Ararat-Armenia, and FC Urartu (previously FC Banants).[12] Additionally, Armenian teams have participated in European leagues such as the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League, but no Armenian club has advanced to the knockout stages of these competitions, with the teams only playing in the group stages. Armenian teams participate in these competitions annually.

League system

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2024-25

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Level

League(s)/Division(s)

1

Armenian Premier League
11 clubs

↓↑ 1 club + 1 from each in the play-offs

2

Armenian First League
13 clubs (including 7 reserve teams)

3

Amateur A-League
10 clubs

4

Amateur B-League
10 clubs (including 2 reserve teams) divided into 2 groups

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Sports in Armenia | Verlete Sports". verlete.com. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  2. ^ "Goal supporting Armenia". FIFA.com. 2014-02-06. Archived from the original on March 3, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
  3. ^ "Genocide Museum | The Armenian Genocide Museum-institute". Genocide-museum.am. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
  4. ^ Demoyan, Hayk (n.d.). "PATRIOTISM, COMPETITIVE NATIONALISM AND MINORITY'S SUCCESSES: ARMENIAN SPORTS IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE IN THE PRE-1915 PERIOD1" (PDF). Agmi Publications.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Armenia matches, ratings and points exchanged". Eloratings.net. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
  6. ^ a b c Zolyan, Mikayel (2024-12-13). "The Story of "Ararat-73": Football and National Identity in Late Soviet Armenia". Caucasus Survey. -1 (aop): 1–26. doi:10.30965/23761202-bja10044. ISSN 2376-1202.
  7. ^ Հայաստանի ֆուտբոլի ֆեդերացիա – ՀՖՖ-ի մասին (in Armenian). FFA.am. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  8. ^ "ARMENIA-MOLDOVA 0:0". Armfootball.tripod.com. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  9. ^ "ARMENIA". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  10. ^ "FFA - Infrastructure". www.ffa.am. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  11. ^ "Renovated Armavir City Stadium Officially Reopened". DiasporArm. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  12. ^ "Բանանցը պաշտոնապես հայտարարեց անվանափոխման և նոր կայքի գործարկման մասին - Սպորտային լուրեր". web.archive.org. 2019-08-02. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
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