Şimal

Three minutes of extra time changed nothing on 24 May 2024, and Şimal FK's first big final went to penalties. Hypers Guba FK had drawn 1-1 with them in the AFFA Region League decider, and Şimal held their nerve to win the shootout 3-1, taking the title.

Khachmaz had not had a side to follow before Şimal was put together in 2023, and the promotion that followed the Guba final set off a run that carried the club through three divisions in three years. A third-place finish in the Second League in 2024/25, sealed with a 4-2 win over Lerik on 30 April 2025, sent them up again — this time into the First Division.

That first season among the country's second tier proper was harder going: ninth place left Şimal needing a play-off to stay there, and they got past Qaradağ Lökbatan 2-1 on 27 May 2026 to hold their spot. Tural Cəlilov , who once played for Simurq and Kəpəz among others, has been the one picking the team through the climb. The home stadium in Khachmaz holds 3,000, though First Division rules on ground standards have pushed several home fixtures out to the Shamakhi Olympic Center instead.

There is no fixture on the calendar yet that Şimal's supporters would call a derby, but two names carry weight regardless.