GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - AUGUST 20: Ricardinho of Kairat Almaty reacts after the UEFA Champions League Play-offs Round First Leg match between Celtic and Kairat Almaty at Celtic Park on August 20, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - AUGUST 20: Ricardinho of Kairat Almaty reacts after the UEFA Champions League Play-offs Round First Leg match between Celtic and Kairat Almaty at Celtic Park on August 20, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Real Madrid will be looking to bounce back in the Champions League this season after an underwhelming 2024/25 campaign under Carlo Ancelotti.
As a result of the recent Champions League League Phase draw, Real Madrid have been paired alongside heavyweights such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Juventus.
Marseille, Olympiacos and AS Monaco also feature on the list. But a relatively less-known opponent that Real Madrid are going to face this season is Kazakhstan club Kairat Almaty.
With a market value of just €12.8 million, Kairat Almaty is one of the minnows of this season’s Champions League. They are also the first Kazakh team since Astana to feature in the competition.
Needless to say, all the Kairat players were closely watching the UCL draw, in the hopes of facing the biggest clubs in the world.
While the draw against Man City, Liverpool and Juventus did raise eyebrows, the players went berserk at the end when it was revealed that they would face Real Madrid.
An X user Scout in Eurasia shared the clip, where the majority of the Kairat players can be seen celebrating the Real Madrid tie joy rather than despair.
Real Madrid, after all, are set to visit Almaty to face Kairat later this season, which will be quite an achievement for Kazakh football.
This will also be the first time Kairat takes on Real Madrid in the club’s history. In fact, this will be the first time the Kazakh outfit takes on any Spanish club, so it is bound to be a special occasion for both the teams involved.
NAPLES, ITALY - DECEMBER 01: Medhi Benatia of Juventus looks on before the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Juventus at Stadio San Paolo on December 1, 2017 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images
MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 11: Medhi Benatia of Juventus battles for possesion with Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg match between Real Madrid and Juventus at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 11, 2018 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Medhi Benatia facing Real Madrid as a Juventus player. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)