Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Team Wins Medal at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026
Azerbaijan's cybersecurity team won a Medal of Excellence at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026. It is the country's first award in this skill category in the history of WorldSkills.
Yulduz Salimov2 min read
Azerbaijan's cybersecurity team won a medal at the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 international competition. The Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IRIA) under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport reported this.
The competition was held in Shanghai, China, from September 22–27. Azerbaijan was represented in the cybersecurity skill category.
Employees of IRIA's Information Security Department, Əli Məhərrəmli and Yusif Kazımlı, scored 702 points and were awarded the Medal of Excellence. Yusif Kazımlı also completed the 5th training round of the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center (AKM) with distinction.
The medal, which recognizes a high level of professionalism and practical skills, was Azerbaijan's first award in cybersecurity in the entire history of WorldSkills.
How the team prepared
The selection and training of Azerbaijan's cybersecurity team were conducted at AKM, which operates under IRIA. The process was carried out as part of cooperation between IRIA, the State Agency for Vocational Education and WorldSkills Azerbaijan.
Candidates were selected through the Capture The Flag (CTF) format. The first qualifying stage, CTF-1, took place on December 20 last year at the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center with 80 candidates. Following CTF-2, held in January 2026, 10 candidates were selected and underwent an intensive training programme at the Center from February through August. The programme included strengthening theoretical knowledge and developing practical cybersecurity skills in accordance with the requirements of the WorldSkills competition.
As a result, Azerbaijan outperformed teams from a number of countries, including India, Korea, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Australia and Brazil. In addition, the Azerbaijani team achieved a higher result among the teams participating in the subcategory "Application of Cyber Threat Protection Solutions."
"The result achieved in cybersecurity at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 demonstrated the level of preparation of the participants representing Azerbaijan on the international professional skills platform. At the same time, the systematic organization of selection and training at the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center demonstrates the results of work to prepare young specialists for international competitions," the statement noted.
Source: report.az
