Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Thursday, August 21, 2025, 19:25 / Updated Thursday, August 21, 2025 19:25
Kairos Almaty dreams of a qualification in the main phase of the Champions League, but the road to Kazakhstan, thousands of kilometers, is a real obstacle to opponents, according to abola.pt. Wednesday, Kairat obtained a great result on the field of Celticscore 0-0, in the play-off round. The return takes place on August 26.
Although it cannot be considered a colossus of European football, Kairat Almaty they intimidate their opponents through an extrasport aspect: distance.
Located in Kazakhstan, on the border with China, the club is over 5,000 kilometers from central Europe. For the opponent in the play-off, Celtic, the road will be even longer, 5,692 kilometers between Glasgow and Almaty.
The teams in the Champions League do not want to hear a travel in Kazakhstan
In the past, neither Benfica nor Sporting have been exempt from this demanding experience. The confrontation of the “vultures” in the UEFA Champions League groups, in the 2015-2016 season, set a distance record traveled in European interclub competitions: no less than 6.173 kilometers.
Even so, despite the accumulated fatigue, Benfica prevailed on his own ground 2-0 and obtained a draw, score 2-2.
The “lions” had such an experience in the Europa League, in the 2017-2018 season, when they met the Astana band. Sporting drew on his own ground, in Lisbon, 3-3, but managed to prevail in Kazakhstan by 3-1.
The movement is not generally easy: in addition to the huge distance, the players have to face extreme conditions, with temperatures that can go down to -30 degrees.
Such a trip is undoubtedly one that qualified teams would prefer to avoid, hoping that Celtic will achieve qualification.
The presence of teams in Kazakhstan is possible after the Kazakhstan football federation became a member of UEFA in 2002, integration justified by about 5% of Kazakh territory is on the European continent.
