Shahmar Hajiyahyayev: WorldSkills Shanghai among most prestigious cybersecurity competitions

The WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 international professional skills competition on cybersecurity, which will be held in Shanghai, China on September 22-27, 2026, is one of the most prestigious youth competitions in the world.

Shahmar Hajiyahyayev, the head of the Information Security Department at the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA), made the remark in an interview with Report.

According to Shahmar Hajiyahyayev, the main goal of the competition is to evaluate young people's knowledge and skills in various professional fields, to promote them at an international level, and to give impetus to their future professional development: "WorldSkills is not limited to just one area – it covers dozens of different professional directions including industry and education. In recent years, cybersecurity has also been included in this list, becoming one of the most relevant and strategic areas of the competition. Against the backdrop of the expanding digital world, the importance of this direction has rapidly increased and has already become an integral part of WorldSkills."

Shahmar Hajiyahyayev added that the selection stage of the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 international competition has been launched, and the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center has started the preparation process within the framework of joint cooperation between IDDA and the State Agency for Vocational Education to prepare specialists who will represent Azerbaijan at the international event, which will bring together more than 1,000 participants and experts from 89 countries: "In order to successfully represent Azerbaijan in the international arena, all cybersecurity activities within the framework of WorldSkills Azerbaijan will be carried out at the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center operating under IDDA. Activities in this direction will cover the registration, selection, and preparation process for the competition. Young specialists under the age of 25, with technical English language skills at the intermediate level, studying cybersecurity or working in this field, can apply to participate in the competition. A 3-stage CTF (Capture The Flag) competition will be held for registered candidates, including First Round CTF, Semi-Final CTF, and Final CTF. Each stage will take place on different dates. The 5 teams that advance to the final (with 2 people per team) will be invited to an intensive preparation stage and will receive special training from leading specialists in the field."

The event will create valuable opportunities for the development of local education, economy, tourism, and international relations, as well as contribute to the promotion of intercultural exchange. Participants will demonstrate their skills in various technical and professional fields, supporting technical knowledge exchange.

Registration link is here.