Early years (2007–2009) Istiklol
Dushanbe was established in November 2007, under the Presidency of
Shohruh Saidov. In 2008, Istiklol competed in the Dushanbe Group of the Second Division under head coach
Kanoat Latifov, winning all 30 league games with a +154 goal difference and winning promotion to the
Tajik League. In
2009, in their debut in the
Tajik League, led by new head coach
Salohiddin Gafurov, the team finished fourth. The team had some experienced players and some young players mostly from
Tajikistan national under-17 football team that won bronze in
AFC U-17 Championship 2006 and reached round 16 at
2007 FIFA U-17 World Championship, winning two trophies – the traditional winter-spring tournament
Rustam Doltabaev and the
Tajik Cup.
2010s In 2010, under coach
Alimzhon Rafikov the team won the Super Cup, Following victory in the
2010 Tajik League, FC Istiqlol qualified for the first time for both the
CIS Cup and the
2011 AFC President's Cup. On 20 March 2012, Istiklol's contract with Rafikov had expired at the end of the 2011 season and they had decided not to renew it, with
Mubin Ergashev taking over in a caretaker capacity. As of January 2014 the club's manager has been
Mubin Ergashev. On 22 November 2015,
Manuel Bleda scored the club's 500th
league goal. Istiklol's 4–2 victory over
Barki Tajik on 17 April 2016, saw the club stretch their unbeaten run in the Tajik League to 40 games, with their last defeat occurring in November 2013 against
Khayr Vahdat. During this run Istiklol have scored 146 goals, conceding just 17. Also, the team was qualified for the
2015 AFC Cup final against
Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. of
Malaysia, in which both teams were the finalist for the first time in the competition. Istiklol were defeated by the team with the score of 1–0 on the home soil in
Dushanbe. On 10 July 2016, Istiklol fired their entire coaching staff, including manager
Mubin Ergashev. Three days later, 13 July 2016, Istiklol announced
Nikola Lazarevic as their new manager. On 25 September 2016, Istiklol suffered their first
League defeat since 3 November 2013, a stretch of 51 games, 2–1 away to
Ravshan Kulob. On 29 October 2016, Istiklol defeated
Barki Tajik 5–1, to claim their fifth
Tajik League title. Two days later, 31 October 2016, Istiklol announced that they had appointed
Mukhsin Mukhamadiev for the 2017 season. On 18 September 2017, Istiklol defeated
Panjshir 5–0 to secure their sixth
Tajik League title. On 18 October 2017, Istiklol drew 2–2 with
Bengaluru in the second leg of their Inter-zone play-off final, progressing to the final of the
AFC Cup for the second time in three seasons. On 4 November 2017, Istiklol were defeated 1–0 by
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya thanks to a second half
Emad Mohsin goal. After being knocked out of the
2018 AFC Cup at the group stage, manager
Mukhsin Mukhamadiev resigned as manager six-days later on 22 May 2018, with
Alisher Tukhtaev being appointed as acting head coach. On 3 December 2018,
Khakim Fuzailov was announced as Istiklol's new manager. Fuzailov resigned as manager of Istiklol on 27 June 2019 after they failed to progress from the group stages of the
AFC Cup, with
Alisher Tukhtaev being appointed as Caretaker Manager in his place. On 27 September 2019, Istiklol beat
Kuktosh 6–1, to secure their eighth Tajik League title. On 24 November 2019, Istiklol won 4–2 penalties to clinch their eighth
Tajik Cup title.
2020s On 21 January 2020, Istiklol defeated
Lokomotiv Tashkent 1–0, to win their first ever
AFC Champions League match. After
Mubin Ergashev took charge of Istiklol for their two AFC Champions League matches,
Vitaly Levchenko was appointed as the club's new manager on 17 February 2020, with
Alisher Tukhtaev returning to an assistants role. On 10 September 2020, the
2020 AFC Cup was cancelled. 10 days later, 20 September 2020, Istiklol drew 1–1 with
Khatlon to secure their ninth
league title and seventh in a row. On 13 April, Istiklol announced former manager
Mubin Ergashev as their interim manager for their
AFC Champions League group games due to having the required Pro Coaching License
Vitaly Levchenko did not. Istiklol finished their first AFC Champions League
group stage top of their group, which included
Al Hilal,
Shabab Al Ahli and
AGMK, qualifying for the
knockout stage where they faced
Persepolis. On 21 June 2021,
Ryota Noma scored the club's 800th
league goal. On 21 November 2021, Istiklol defeated
Dushanbe-83 8–0 to secure their 10th league title, and 8th in a row. On 27 June 2022,
Vitaly Levchenko and his coaching staff left Istiklol after their contracts expired, with Assistant Manager
Alisher Tukhtaev being placed in interim charger. On 29 October 2022,
Alisher Tukhtaev guided Istiklol to their ninth
Tajik Cup title with a 5–3 victory on penalties over
Kuktosh Rudaki after the match finished 2–2. Six days later, 4 November 2022, Istiklol beat
Khatlon 1–0 to secure their 11th
Tajikistan Higher League title, and 9th in a row. in the
2023 AFC champions league at
Azadi Stadium. On 18 January 2023,
Igor Cherevchenko was appointed as the new Head Coach of Istiklol on a one-year contract. On 1 November 2023, Istiklol defeated
Ravshan Kulob 4–2 on penalties in the
2023 Tajikistan Cup Final, after an initial 1–1 draw, to claim their 10th
Tajikistan Cup title. A month later, on 1 December 2023, Istiklol defeated
Kuktosh Rudaki 4–1 to secure their 10th league title in a row, and 12th overall. On 11 February 2024, Istiklol announced that
Igor Cherevchenko,
Yuri Baturenko,
Alisher Tukhtaev and Lilia Sidorkina had all left the club after their contracts had expired. On 15 March 2024, Istiklol announced that
Nikola Lazarevic had been appointed as their new Head Coach on a one-year contract. On 19 June 2024,
Ehson Panjshanbe scored the club's 1,000th
league goal. On 4 October 2024, Istiklol announced the return of
Igor Cherevchenko as their Head Coach after
Nikola Lazarevic had left his role as Head Coach in mid September 2024. On 1 November 2024, Istiklol were crowned Champions of Tajikistan for the thirteenth time, after closest challengers
Khujand were defeated 1–0 by
Vakhsh Bokhtar. On 8 December 2025, Istiklol secured their 14th
Tajikistan title after a 1–1 draw with
Vakhsh Bokhtar, and qualified for the
2026–27 AFC Challenge League in the process. On 29 December 2025, Istiklol announced that the contracts of
Igor Cherevchenko and his coaching staff had expired and that they had left the club. On 3 February 2026, Istiklol announced the appointment of
Vitaly Levchenko as their new Head Coach on a contract until the end of 2026.
Sponsorship Domestic history Continental history ==Controversy==