The WAKO World Cup was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 13–18 October 2026. Competing with the support of the leadership of the Azerbaijan Kickboxing Federation, our team took 6th place in the overall team standings.
The tournament brought together 3,043 delegates from 45 countries, including 2,530 athletes. At this prestigious international event the Azerbaijani national team won 38 medals in total: 15 gold, 7 silver and 16 bronze. Azerbaijan was represented by a 66-member delegation: 50 athletes, 8 coaches and 8 referees. The national team competed under the leadership of honoured coach Hakim Hacıyev.
The competition was also a milestone for the federation's referees: Elxan Əhmədov gained WAKO “B” category referee status, and Məhəmməd Babayev obtained the “C” category. The federation noted that this result is important for the professional development of our referees at the international level.
Azerbaijani athletes also performed successfully at the KAT PRO professional fight night held as part of the World Cup. Rafiq Babazadə and Məhəmməd İmanov defeated opponents from Türkiye and Uzbekistan and added to their ranking points. Both athletes are coached by Hakim Hacıyev.
Source: WAKO Azerbaijan (Facebook)