Kairat are one of Kazakhstan’s established names, founded in 1954 and based at Almaty Central Stadium. They finished first in the Premier League in the completed campaign, with a run of six straight league wins underlining the point: Ordabasy were beaten 2-1, Atyrau 3-1, and Okzhetpes 5-0 in a sequence that was efficient rather than accidental.
The squad is sizeable, with 35 players and an average age of 25, and is valued at around £11.5m by Transfermarkt. Dastan Satpaev led their scoring with four goals, followed by Jorge Gabriel “Jorginho” Costa Monteiro on two, with Ofri Arad, Olzhas Baybek and Ismail Bekbolat also contributing.
Their European calendar included the Champions League second qualifying round and the Champions League league phase, giving Celtic supporters a clear enough frame of reference: this is not a novelty opponent, but a settled domestic force from a different football landscape.
Kairat enter 2026-27 in pre-season, with no new league fixtures yet played. Their relevance is straightforward: champions at home, experienced in Europe, and carrying enough structure to merit proper attention.
