ALMATY – Kairat football club will play its upcoming UEFA Champions League home matches against FC Olympiacos on Dec. 9 and FC Brugge on Jan. 20 at Astana Arena, after UEFA agreed to relocate both fixtures due to severe winter conditions in Almaty.
FC Kairat, established in 1954 from the former Dynamo Almaty team, is among the country’s oldest and leading football clubs. Photo credit: fckairat.com
According to the official information, holding matches at Almaty’s Central Stadium during the winter months has repeatedly proven challenging, as weather conditions complicate field maintenance and create discomfort and safety risks for players.
“To ensure fans’ comfort and to guarantee proper pitch conditions, the decision was made to move the matches to the indoor stadium in Astana,” reads the statement from FC Kairat’s press service.
Ticket prices will range from 15,000 tenge (US$28) to 50,000 tenge (US$95), with sales opening on Nov. 28 through the Qairat SuperApp and Freedom SuperApp platforms. Each person may purchase a maximum of two tickets.
Season ticket holders will be contacted directly by Ticketon specialists ahead of the general sale to receive detailed guidance on priority access and the procedure for securing their seats.
The relocation of fixtures comes as Kairat continues its Champions League journey, completing four league-phase matches so far, starting with heavy defeats to Sporting (1:4), Real Madrid (0:5) and Inter Milan (1:2). Kairat earned its first point with a resilient scoreless draw against Pafos, moving the club to 34th place out of 36 teams in the overall standings.
Kairat’s next UEFA Champions League match is scheduled for Nov. 26 in Copenhagen for what could prove a decisive game for its standing in the league-phase table.
