Scotland's Celtic embarked on their longest ever journey for a European Cup match, traveling to Almaty, Kazakhstan. After a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the playoff, manager Brendan Rodgers' team endured another 120 minutes of regular and extra time without scoring against Kairat, ranked 311th by UEFA.

Despite only 33% possession, Kairat compensated with determination and grit. They made more tackles and interceptions, winning 75 duels compared to Celtic's 63. The home side at Central Stadium also had the advantage of playing in familiar high-altitude conditions, nearly 900 meters above sea level, with high humidity.

Kairat players celebrate after defeating Celtic in the Champions League qualifying round. Photo: Reuters

Kairat players celebrate after defeating Celtic in the Champions League qualifying round. Photo: Reuters

In the penalty shootout, Temirlan Anarbekov etched his name into Kairat's history books. The 21-year-old goalkeeper, who replaced the injured first-choice keeper Aleksandr Zarutskiy, made three crucial saves. He denied Adam Idah, Luke McCowan, and Daizen Maeda, securing Kairat's historic first-ever Champions League group stage qualification.

Reaching the 2025-2026 Champions League group stage alone guaranteed Celtic 33 million USD, four times the prize money of the Europa League, the tournament they will now contest. Last season, Rodgers' team reached the Champions League knockout playoff round, losing to Bayern Munich. This defeat raises questions about the Northern Irish manager's future.

For Kairat, founded in 1954, history beckons. As Kazakhstan's most iconic club, Kairat was Central Asia's sole representative in the former Soviet Top League. After Kazakhstan's independence in 12/1991, Kairat won the inaugural national league in 1992 and now boasts four more league titles and 10 national cups.

Kazakhstan, one of the world's largest countries, lies between Europe and Asia, with 85% of its territory in Asia. Its football federation joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1994 but switched to UEFA in 2002. Only Astana, in the 2015-2016 season, has previously reached the Champions League group stage from Kazakhstan. Kairat played in the Conference League group stage in 2021-2022.

Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, is closer to the Chinese border (about 400 km) than the capital, Astana. Celtic's flight from Glasgow to Almaty covered 5,693 km (4,947 km by sea), lasted 17 hours, and crossed four time zones.

Kairat's qualification makes them the easternmost European team to reach the Champions League group stage, surpassing Astana's previous record. This means some top European clubs could face long journeys to Almaty in the coming months.

The 2015-2016 Champions League group stage set a European football travel record, with Benfica and Astana making journeys of around 6,173 km.

In European sports history, the record belongs to Portuguese futsal team Sporting, who traveled 6,911 km to Almaty in 2017. A similar scenario could unfold if Sporting's football team draws Kairat away in the Champions League group stage.

Flight distances from Almaty to major European cities: Munich (Germany, 4,900 km), Paris (France, 5,500 km), London (England, 5,600 km), Manchester (England, 5,650 km), Liverpool (England, 5,700 km), Barcelona (Spain, 5,900 km), Madrid (Spain, 6,400 km). A flight from Almaty to Tokyo (Japan) is shorter, around 5,300 km.

Kairat will also face long trips, but they will likely be exciting ones for manager Rafael Urazbakhtin and his team.

Ha Phuong