Kairat Almaty pushing Kazakhstan futsal to new heights
Friday, December 5, 2025
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As they compete in a record 22nd consecutive European campaign, Kairat Almaty continue to set the standard for futsal in Kazakhstan.
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In Kazakhstan, where the conditions in winter push talent indoors towards futsal, Kairat Almaty have long been the standard-bearers for the five-a-side format.
Now, with the UEFA Futsal Champions League adopting a two-legged last 16 and quarter-finals for the first time, the Almaty club return to familiar territory: a record 22nd consecutive European campaign, another knockout challenge, and the pressure that comes with being expected to deliver.
Kairat are now one step from yet another finals appearance after knocking out Sporting Anderlecht 12-6 on aggregate. In last week's first leg they secured an impressive 7-3 away win against the 2022/23 semi-finalists as despite falling to 3-1 deficit after ten minutes, Kairat soon found their rhythm and netted six unanswered before a 5-3 success in the Almady return on Friday.
To reach the last four again, Kairat must win a tie in the new two-legged quarter-finals against the club they pipped in the 2024/25 semis, Cartagena Costa Cálida. But the sense of expectation around Kairat is nothing new – it is rooted in a domestic record that has made them the benchmark at home and a familiar name on the European stage.
A history of success
Kairat are the undisputed dominant force of Kazakhstani futsal. Founded in 1995 as Kainur, the Almaty club have won an incredible 21 of a possible 22 national championships since 2003/04.
In Europe, Kairat have become a regular in the latter stages of European club competition since reaching the two-legged semi-finals of what was then known as the UEFA Futsal Cup in 2005/06. The following season the four-team final tournament was introduced and Kairat made it for the first time in 2007/08. They were hosts in 2010/11, claiming a second bronze in three years as Sporting CP became the first team of any sort to lift a UEFA trophy in Kazakhstan.
Kairat themselves won the UEFA Futsal Cup for the first time in 2012/13, defeating FC Dynamo 4-3 in a dramatic final in Tbilisi, coach Cacau's line-up including charismatic outfield-roaming goalkeeper Higuita. Two years later, the Almaty side claimed a second title, edging out holders Barça 3-2 in Lisbon and confirming their place amongst futsal’s elite.
Kairat remain a formidable force in Europe to this day, twice more hosting the finals in 2016/17 and then 2018/19, (the first season after the tournament took Champions League branding, when they defeated Barça in the semis in front of a competition record crowd of 12,090 at Almaty Arena, but lost the decider to Sporting CP). Last season Kairat made their fourth final in Le Mans, losing to Illes Balears Palma but confirming their continued elite status.
Raising the level
Kairat’s European achievements have played a significant role in boosting the popularity of futsal in the country, complemented by the strong results of the national team, historically built primarily around Kairat players (and often sharing a head coach): Kazakhstan won a bronze on debut at UEFA Futsal EURO 2016 and finished fourth at the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup. They will also host their first national team UEFA tournament in 2027 in the shape of Under 19 Futsal EURO in Astana.
Kazakhstani domestic futsal has also taken great strides in recent years. A decade ago, only five teams played in the national league, while in 2025/26, the title will be contested by 12 clubs.
The clearest example of the growing level and competitiveness of futsal in Kazakhstan came in 2023/24 as Semey won the league title to break Kairat’s 20-season winning streak.
European success in futsal and football
The strength of Kazakh futsal is also having an impact on football in the country, which continues to grow alongside the indoor format. Notably, Kazakhstan’s second all-time top scorer, Ruslan Baltiev, and Rafael Urazbakhtin, now head coach of the football club Kairat Almaty – a separate entity to the futsal club, who are named after their founder and president Kairat Orazbekov – began their careers in the small-sided game.
This season, Urazbakhtin led his team to a historic first appearance in the group stage or league phase of the UEFA Champions League, overcoming former European champions Celtic in the qualifying play-off round.
Kairat breaking new ground in Europe is the latest proof of the momentum of Kazakh football, but it is their futsal namesakes that have been the reference point all along as they seek a third triumph on the European stage this season.