A Turbulent Off-Season in Armenian Football: Scandals, Shake-Ups and Fresh Starts

The summer of 2025 has turned into one of the busiest periods in Armenian football history. In mere weeks the Premier League’s line-up changed, several clubs underwent major overhauls, and a string of decisions set the domestic game buzzing. Here are the key storylines of the 2025/26 off-season.

A New League Format and Club Line-Up

Format locked in through 2029
The Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) has confirmed the Premier League format for the next few years: 10 teams, three full rounds, unchanged until 2029.

West Armenia expelled
Late last season it was announced that West Armenia would be thrown out of the league for unpaid wages and repeated no-shows. The new campaign will therefore feature 10 clubs instead of 11.

Syunik make way for Gandzasar
The headline news is Syunik’s withdrawal in favour of Gandzasar. Syunik finished runners-up in the First League and had earned promotion, yet declined their place because their infrastructure was not ready. Gandzasar, who finished bottom of the top flight, stay up.

There was also some good news from the First League: the football club “Saradarpat” from the city of Armavir will play in the First League for the first time.

The bizarre Van–Alashkert situation
Perhaps the most talked-about episode was Van’s mass migration to Alashkert. Almost the entire playing squad, coaching staff and senior management of FC Van switched en masse to Alashkert, where Russian businessman Anton Zingarevich joined Bagrat Navoyan as co-owner. Van technically remains a Premier League club but, as of 1 July, had virtually no squad or head coach. Only later was Edgar Torosyan appointed manager, quieting rumours of a sale or closure.

Dug-Out Drama and Back-Room Rebuilds

Ararat-Armenia: total reboot
A complete reset in Yerevan: Portuguese coach Tulipa has taken charge, a revamped staff is in place, and a raft of mostly Portuguese signings has arrived. The mission is clear—return to title contention.

Urartu: Arzumanyan & Ozbiliz usher in a new philosophy
Club icon Robert Arzumanyan replaces Dmitry Gunko, who left after three successful seasons to return to Russia. He is joined by another national-team star, Aras Ozbiliz. Recruitment has shifted away from heavy Russian influence—only three Russian imports remain—easing the club’s visa headaches in European competition.

Noah: champions coachless—for a minute
Even the title-holders were not immune. After landing a domestic double, Rui Mota stunned the club by bolting to Bulgarian giants Ludogorets. Noah moved quickly, hiring Croatian tactician Sandro Perković.

Pyunik: stability under threat
Of the traditional “big four”, only Pyunik kept its boss, Yegishe Melikyan. Yet drama surfaced. Brazilian full-back James Santos returned from Noah, signed a contract, then left two days later when undisclosed health issues emerged. Meanwhile, national-team captain Varazdat Haroyan reportedly clashed with Melikyan and skipped the training camp in Georgia; a loan or permanent exit is on the table.

Elsewhere: churn and uncertainty
New coaches have also arrived at Van, Alashkert and Shirak. Gandzasar’s bench remains vacant for now. Near the bottom, only Ararat look steady—Tigran Yesayan has been in charge since 2024, renewing key deals and continuing the club’s strategy of signing promising African youngsters for future resale.

Transfers: Early Trends and Big Deals

Noah smash the record
The champions pulled off the loudest move of the window, paying roughly €500 k—an Armenian record—for 27-year-old Japanese midfielder Takuto Oshima (market value €1.2 m). Otherwise, Noah kept their core intact and made only precision additions.

Pyunik: Armenian reinforcements and Nubissi coup
Pyunik strengthened with locals—Sargis Metoyan, Gevorg Tarakhchyan, Serob Ghastyan and Daniel Agbalian—and welcomed back Karlen Hovhannisyan. They also landed two quality foreigners: Sead Islamović (after a breakout year in Serbia) and Filipe Almeida, former captain in Portugal’s second tier. The biggest domestic move of the summer was Cameroonian striker Marius Nubissi’s switch from Ararat-Armenia to the 14-time champions, albeit on lower wages than he had first demanded.

Ararat-Armenia: Portuguese pipeline
Following Tulipa’s arrival, Ararat-Armenia raided Portugal’s second division for several signings. Departures, though, were heavy: beyond Nubissi, Nigerian forward Tenton Yenne and Ghanaian winger Eric Ocansey also left. Management is still shopping for upgrades, and although the Armenian spine remains, sharpshooter Jirair Shagoyan is eyeing another attempt to move abroad.

Urartu: home-grown focus
Arzumanyan favours his own academy products. Two Ukrainian defenders—Bratkov and Tsymbalyuk—and keeper Dragojević have come in, all familiar with the league, but the core is undeniably local.

Young Armenians heading abroad
A key subplot is the continuing export of young talent. Two Armenia U21 & BKMA prospects have moved overseas: Misak Hakobyan joined Albanian champions Egnatia, while David Hakobyan signed for Slovak side Podbrezová. Elsewhere, Pyunik’s David Davtyan transferred to Russian First League outfit Rotor.

Summer Camps: Gearing Up for Europe

All four European entrants trained abroad:

• Pyunik, Urartu, Ararat-Armenia — Georgia

• Noah — Austria

On 8 July Armenian clubs step onto the continental stage. Noah start in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, while Pyunik, Ararat-Armenia and Urartu enter the Europa Conference League qualifiers. Every point earned boosts Armenia’s UEFA coefficient and paves the way for broader representation in future campaigns—stakes that matter well beyond pride.

Supporters can hardly wait for kick-off.