Alashkert Yerevan FC Alashkert was founded in 1990 in the town of Martuni in Armenia's Gegharkunik Province, taking its name from the historic Armenian town of Alashkert in Western Armenia (today Eleลkirt in Turkey), a place of deep significance to Armenian national memory. The club's early years were turbulent: after a difficult season in the top flight in 1992, the team withdrew from the league, returned in 1998, and was ultimately dissolved in 2000.
The club was revived in 2011 by Bagrat Navoyan, a Martuni-born businessman. In its very first season back, Alashkert won the second-tier title, and in 2013, after purchasing Nairi Stadium in Yerevan, the club officially relocated to the Armenian capital, with the venue subsequently renamed Alashkert Stadium. The team plays in yellow and black, giving it the nickname "Deghinnery" (The Yellows), and since 2017 has maintained a partnership agreement with Brazilian club Botafogo.
Domestically, Alashkert has won four Armenian championships, one Armenian Cup, and three Armenian Super Cups, establishing itself as one of the leading forces in Armenian football over the past decade.
The club's most significant chapter, however, was written in Europe. In the 2021โ22 season, Alashkert eliminated Kazakhstan's Kairat Almaty in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League, winning the home leg in Yerevan 3โ2 after extra time. In the play-off round the team lost 0โ1 on aggregate to Scotland's Rangers, dropping into the Europa Conference League โ where Alashkert made history as the first Armenian club ever to reach the group stage of a UEFA club competition, drawn into a group alongside LASK, Maccabi Tel Aviv and HJK Helsinki.
