Kazakhstan football celebrated a historic day yesterday. The country’s famous club “Kairat” for the first time secured a spot in the UEFA Champions League group stage, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the nation’s football.
It should be recalled that until now, only “Astana” had reached such a milestone among Kazakh clubs. In the 2015/2016 season, they competed in Group “C” of the Champions League alongside “Atletico Madrid,” “Galatasaray,” and “Benfica.” Although they did not manage to win a single match, they drew 4 out of 6 games and lost 2. That participation became an important experience for Kazakhstan football, especially since their home matches showed serious resistance against strong opponents and remained memorable for the fans.
Now, a new hero has emerged — “Kairat.” In the playoff round against Scotland’s “Celtic,” both matches ended goalless. In the penalty shootout, Kairat triumphed 3:2, thus qualifying for Europe’s most prestigious club tournament. This result is seen as a major victory not only for the team but for Kazakhstan football as a whole.
Interestingly, from a financial perspective, this achievement is also highly significant. For example, the Uzbekistan national team would earn approximately 12–13 million euros for qualifying for the World Cup and participating in the group stage, while “Kairat” will receive a guaranteed 20.18 million euros just for reaching the Champions League group stage.
In addition, the club will play 8 group-stage matches, 4 of them at home, which also means extra revenue.
According to experts, this success of “Kairat” could mark the start of a new era in Kazakhstan football. Fans are eagerly waiting to see how the team performs in Europe.
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