UEFA announces that Kazakhstani football club, Kairat, has put forth a bid for the UEFA Champions League.
Kazakh Football Club "Kairat" Prepares for UEFA Champions League Debut
After a successful qualifying round, Almaty's football club "Kairat" has applied for participation in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26. The application has been published on the official website of the Union of European Football Associations.
Head coach Rafael Urzabayev has included 25 players in the main squad for the UEFA Champions League. The squad includes goalkeepers Alexander Zaurtsky and Temirlan Anarbekov, defenders Luis Mata, Damir Kasabulat, Lev Kurgin, Alexander Martynovich, Ofri Arad, Alexander Mrynskiy, Alexander Shirbokov, Luka Gadrangi, Daniar Tashpulatov, Egor Sorokin, and several players from Russia. The midfielders in the squad are Adilet Sadibekov, Giorgi Zaria, Olzhas Baybek, Dan Gleizer, Erkin Tapalov, Jug Stanoyev, Valeri Gromyko, and a host of others. The forwards in the squad are Zhoryzhinho, Dastan Satpaev, Edmilson, Ismail Bekbolat, Ramazan Bagdat, and Ricardinho.
In addition to the main squad, List B consists of young players who are graduates of the club's academy and meet certain UEFA regulations. This separate list includes goalkeepers Dias Reimov and Sherkhan Kalmurza, defenders Akezhan Kalikulov and Amirbek Bazarbaev, and midfielders Abylaikhan Toleuhan, Daulet Orynbasar, and Azamat Tuyakbaev.
The draw placed "Kairat" in a challenging group with Madrid's "Real", Belgian "Club Brugge", Greek "Olympiacos", Cypriot "Pafos", Milan's "Inter", London's "Arsenal", Lisbon's "Sporting", and Danish "Copenhagen". The matches will take place at the Central Stadium in Almaty.
Despite the excitement, it's important to note that there is no publicly available information indicating that "Kairat" is participating in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26. The UEFA Champions League 2025/26 features 36 clubs from top European leagues, but "Kairat" is not listed among them.
The matches will be broadcast in over 200 countries, and Kazakh Tourism predicts that over 4,000 international fans will arrive in Almaty for the home matches, potentially bringing around 3 billion tenge in revenue. Guest fans will be allocated 5% of seats for the matches. However, information about tickets for the match against "Real" being on sale is false.
Each international fan could spend an average of $1,400 (754,000 tenge) during their stay. This includes accommodation, food, and other expenses. The matches are sure to be an exciting event for both local and international football fans, marking a significant milestone for Kazakh football.
