Archive September 30, 2025

No team faces greater travel demands or will be asked to upset the odds more this Champions League campaign than Kairat Almaty, as the debutants host Real Madrid in a historic first home fixture on Tuesday.

Kairat crossed three time zones and a record-breaking 6,900km for their first match, losing 4-1 to Sporting in Lisbon, Portugal two weeks ago.

However, facing 15-time European champions Real Madrid is even more daunting, though their location could now level the playing field.

Xabi Alonso’s visitors will themselves travel 6,441km to play at the 24,000-seater Ortalyq Stadion, which is technically in central Asia.

“Flying to Kazakhstan is not easy,” defender Damir Kassabulat told BBC Sport. “Home games in Almaty will be a big advantage, and – with our fans – it will be like a fortress.”

Almaty, Kazakhstan’s former southern capital, is closer to Beijing than Madrid. The Spanish giants, meanwhile, have to fly for 13 hours to reach Almaty, a flight five hours longer than it would take to reach New York.

Yet, Kazakhstan has been part of European football since Uefa granted them membership in 2002.

“It’s historic that a Kazakh club qualified for the Champions League for the first time in a decade,” club president Kairat Boranbayev told BBC Sport. “It’s important financially and the entire country is behind us.

He then joked: “We congratulate Europe for expanding its borders to allow Kairat to play in these matches,” adding: “We believe we will make a bit of noise in Europe.”

Kairat remain massive underdogs with a squad valued at just £10.9m, while Real Madrid’s – featuring Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham – is worth a competition-high £1.2bn, according to Transfermarkt.

No team faces greater geographical challenges than Kairat, who must travel about 25,000km for their four away matches – far more than any other team in the 36-team league phase.

“When we got into the Champions League, we understood there would be travel but it is a reward rather than a problem,” manager Rafael Urazbakhtin added.

The three most famous players who played for Kairat are former Arsenal winger Andrey Arshavin, former Bayern Munich midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Brazilian striker Vagner Love.

In Kazakhstan, Kairat are nicknamed The Nation’s Team, as they were the country’s only representative in the Soviet Top League from 1960 to 1991, before gaining independence in 1991.

In recent decades, Kairat have won four league titles and eight domestic cups. They compete against rivals Astana, who were previously the only Kazakh team to play in the Champions League proper, 10 years ago.

Kairat have won two Asian Cup Winners’ Cup titles. Yet Kairat’s greatest prior success in Europe was reaching the Conference League group stage.

Having failed to qualify for the Europa League or Champions League group stage before, Kairat’s 3-2 penalty shootout win over Celtic in a play-off after goalless home and away legs last month was a huge achievement.

“This shows Kazakh clubs can succeed with long-term planning involving young players,” Boranbayev said.

The achievement was so significant that one couple went viral after interrupting their wedding to watch 21-year-old goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov save two Celtic penalties (Adam Idah another), securing Kairat’s Champions League qualification.

Much attention will focus on 17-year-old striker Dastan Satpaev, who has five caps for Kazakhstan and is set to join Chelsea in a £4m move next summer.

Chelsea scouts spotted Satpaev starring for Kairat’s Under-17 team as they won the Helvetia Cup in Switzerland against teams including Paris St-Germain and Marseille.

Talks began soon after and were finalised in February 2025, which could lead him to become the first Kazakh to play in the Premier League.

Satpaev also had a two-week trial at Cobham training centre, where he took photos with Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Christopher Nkunku and club legend John Terry.

Club president Boranbayev told the Russian-language documentary Nobel that Satpaev played in a behind-closed-doors under-21 friendly, scoring a hat-trick and adding an assist.

In the same film, Satpaev acknowledged interest from Zenit St Petersburg, Real Sociedad, Benfica, Salzburg and Marseille, and club officials said they had rival offers from Benfica and Hoffenheim. There is also a clip of a former youth coach saying he scored 54 goals in 19 league games during the 2021 academy season.

Satpaev already speaks some English having anticipated a move to Europe, learning even before Chelsea’s approach, and one of his parents is expected to accompany him to London.

In the meantime, Kairat and Chelsea have an arrangement to support Satpaev while he remains in Kazakhstan, with Blues scouts providing feedback during his final season at his boyhood club. They will have been impressed with his 12 goals and seven assists in 26 domestic matches this season.

Satpaev is a fast striker, often compared by team-mates to Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero. He became the second-youngest goalscorer in Champions League qualifying history by netting against Olimpija Ljubljana at 16 years, 10 months and 26 days old.

In his first UK interview with BBC Sport, Satpaev said: “As a child, I loved football and often played with boys older than me with my brother’s friends. My parents worried I’d get injured, as I played on sandy and rocky pitches against bigger boys.

“We only took breaks to drink juice. Others noticed my speed, and eventually my grandfather suggested I take trials at Kairat, where my career began.

“Kairat greatly supported me with its infrastructure, coaches and player development approach. It also helped me become mentally strong, stay focused, and embrace hard work from an early age.

“We performed well at international youth tournaments, which attracted an offer from a club like Chelsea.”

When discussing Satpaev, people quickly mention his work ethic. Having managed him at youth and senior levels, Urazbakhtin explained: “We had to forbid him from training.

“He was always sneaking out into the gym or back on to the pitches after sessions. We’d laugh because [we would] see him practising in the dark through the window and we had to tell him to stop, but he now understands the importance of recovery.”

Satpaev is a reluctant poster boy for Kazakh football.

“God willing, my ambition is to become a professional football player who is competitive at the European level, to show that Kazakhstan also has many talented players, and never to stop after what I’ve already achieved,” he added.

Tyreek Hill, who injured his knee in the 27-21 victory over the New York Jets, will miss the rest of the season.

Hill, a standout receiver, suffered a dislocated knee and numerous torn ligaments, including his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which were brought off the field in the third quarter on a buggy.

Miami coach Mike McDaniel remarked, “It’s just such a terrible experience when you go out and see guys who have issues like that.”

Hill may not be ready for the start of the 2026 season because of an operation, according to reports.

Prior to the injury, Hill, who won the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, had six receptions for 67 yards.

In Denver, the Denver Broncos defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 28-3 in the same game.

The Miami Dolphins won their first game of the season in Florida despite Tyreek Hill’s injury.

With two touchdown passes to Darren Walker, Tua Tagovailoa contributed greatly to the 27-21 victory.

Hill, a standout receiver, suffered a knee injury during the third quarter, and Miami later confirmed that he was receiving care in a hospital for more testing.

Miami coach Mike McDaniel remarked, “It’s just such a terrible experience when you go out and see guys who have issues like that.”

“That’s what I know about it,” I said. I’m confident that more information will be provided to me tomorrow besides that.

Prior to picking up the injury, Hill, who won the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, had six receptions for 67 yards.

In Denver, the Denver Broncos defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 28-3 in the same game.