Kairat Almaty Overview

A total of five Premier League clubs secured automatic qualification for the Champions League last 16, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City all finishing in the top eight while Newcastle United missed out. The Magpies must now navigate a treacherous play-off round alongside giants Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain after a chaotic final matchday.

The final round of league phase fixtures in the 2025-26 Champions League is finally upon us, and it promises to be the most dramatic yet. Only table toppers Arsenal and Bayern Munich have already secured automatic qualification for the round of 16, with the former boasting a 100 percent record through their first seven games, while just four clubs have been eliminated so far: Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Villarreal and Kairat.

Kazakhstan isn't a nation known for its love of football. That doesn't mean it's non-existent, however, and with a new teenage sensation emerging as one of the country's best players already, the nation sandwiched between Europe and Asia could be on the verge of a golden generation.

Brendan Rodgers' Celtic suffered an embarrassing exit from the Champions League play-off round after they went down in penalties against Kazakh side Kairat Almaty. After both legs ended in goalless draws, the tie was taken to the penalty shootout, where Kairat emerged victorious 3-2 and progressed to the league stage. The Kazakh club will be placed in Pot 4 during the draw.