Azerbaijan First League (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Birinci Liqası) - the second tier of professional club football in Azerbaijan, organized by the Azerbaijan Professional Football League. Regulations: the competition is played in a league format with 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss, and teams level on points are ranked by head-to-head points, then head-to-head goal difference, then head-to-head goals scored, then in the two-team case head-to-head away goals, followed by overall goal difference and overall goals scored. The champion is promoted to the Azerbaijan Premier League, while the runner-up plays a promotion play-off match against the 11th-placed team from the Azerbaijan Premier League, with the match staged at a neutral venue. The bottom team is relegated to the Azerbaijan Second League, while the second-bottom team plays a relegation play-off match against the runner-up of the Azerbaijan Second League. The league itself does not award direct UEFA qualification, which is only possible via promotion and subsequent top-tier placement, or via winning the Azerbaijan Cup.
