Qarabag FK, Azerbaijan's most successful football club and a regular in UEFA competitions, has never played competitive home matches in its namesake city of Agdam since 1993, when war forced the club to flee. Its former ground, the Imarat Stadium, fell into ruin after the city was captured during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, becoming a haunting symbol of displacement even as the club went on to thrive in exile, winning multiple league titles and facing the likes of Chelsea and Atletico Madrid in Europe. Now, following Azerbaijan's recapture of Agdam in 2020, plans are underway for the club to finally return home.

The original Imarat Stadium hosted its last match on 12 May 1993, a cup semi-final win over Turan Tovuz, before Agdam fell to Armenian forces two months later and the stadium was destroyed. Qarabag relocated to Baku, where investment from 2001 fuelled a run of 11 league titles since 2013-14, while the old pitch's outline remained eerily visible amid the ruins for over 30 years. Since regaining control of the city in the second Nagorno-Karabakh War, Azerbaijan has cleared mines from the site, and although the original pitch will become part of a heritage project rather than being reused, a new Imarat Stadium with an 11,700 capacity is being built nearby, due for completion in late 2028 with matches starting in 2029.