The Azerbaijani capital of Baku, on the Caspian Sea, will host the 2026 edition of SportAccord. (SportAccord Imagery)

SportAccord, the global sports event organization, will stage the 2026 edition of its annual conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, it has announced.

The event's hierarchy has today unveiled that next year's convention will be held in the coastal capital between May 24 and 28 next year.

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Specifically, it will take place between the Baku Convention Center and the Heydar Aliyev Center.

In terms of Azerbaijan's recent history as a sports hosting destination, it has put on a race from motor racing's iconic Formula 1 since 2017, and has also staged multiple finals and high-profile games from UEFA (European soccer) tournaments across recent years.

In addition, the city hosted the first edition of the multi-sport European Games event in 2015.

SportAccord, meanwhile, has said that it will announce more details around the conference – including its overall theme, and program highlights – over the coming months, and also that it is engaged in "productive discussions" with other cities over hosting editions of the event, in future years.

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The 2025 edition of the conference – originally scheduled to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in June – was canceled in April, because of instability around the political situation in the Turkish capital at that time.

The last edition of SportAccord, therefore, took place in Birmingham, UK, in April 2024.

Uğur Erdener, president of SportAccord, has now commented: "Baku has a very strong track record in delivering world-class events, and this will be a significant moment both for SportAccord and the entire global sports industry.

“We are excited to work with our partners from the Ministry of Youth and Sport, and Baku City Circuit Operations Company, to deliver a truly exceptional event."