Sabah FK from Azerbaijan are making their UEFA Champions League debut this season, drawing Barcelona, Arsenal, and Borussia Dortmund in the league phase. Founded on Sept. 8, 2017, the club — nicknamed The Owls — hail from Masazir, around 20 miles northwest of Baku. Last season, Sabah won their first Azerbaijan Premier League title and the Azerbaijan Cup, completing a double and breaking Qarabağ's dominance at the top.

Their rapid rise began in 2017-18 when they entered the second tier and gained promotion after finishing fifth due to licensing issues for other clubs. Coach Valdas Dambrauskas, the first Lithuanian to lead a club into the Champions League league phase, guided them through the playoffs. In a memorable moment, a lone Sabah fan traveled from Baku to Bucharest to greet the team during their playoff against Hapoel Be'er Sheva, inspiring a 5-2 victory that secured their place in the competition.

Despite modest away support due to tricky travel routes from Azerbaijan, Sabah FK's meteoric rise has captured attention across European football.