Kazakhstan national football team

The Kazakhstan national football team (Kazakh: Қазақстан Ұлттық футбол құрамасы, Qazaqstan Ulttyq Fýtbol Kuramasy) represents Kazakhstan in men's international football and it is governed by the Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central Asian Football Federation. After failing to qualify for the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups, they joined UEFA, but are yet to qualify for a FIFA World Cup or a UEFA European Championship.

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Kazakhstan women's national football team.
Kazakhstan
Nickname(s)Қаршығалар (The Hawks)
AssociationKazakhstan Football Federation (KFF)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachMichal Bílek
CaptainBauyrzhan Islamkhan
Most capsSamat Smakov (76)
Top scorerRuslan Baltiev (13)
Home stadiumAstana Arena
FIFA codeKAZ
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 118 (16 July 2020)[1]
Highest83 (September 2016)
Lowest166 (May 1996)
First international
Kazakhstan 1–0 Turkmenistan 
(Almaty, Kazakhstan; June 1, 1992)
Biggest win
 Pakistan 0–7 Kazakhstan 
(Lahore, Pakistan; June 11, 1997)
Biggest defeat
 Kazakhstan 0–6 Turkey 
(Almaty, Kazakhstan; June 8, 2005)
 Russia 6–0 Kazakhstan 
(Moscow, Russia; May 23, 2008)
WAFF Championship
Appearances1 (first in 2000)
Best resultGroup stage (1 times)

History

AFC Member (1992–2002)

The country of Kazakhstan declared independence from the Soviet Union on December 16, 1991. Its national team then split from the Soviet Union national football team (a UEFA member) and joined the Asian Football Confederation. At the time, they were one of strongest teams in Central Asia, and one of the most improving teams in Asia.

The team played their first match against another former-Soviet debutant, Turkmenistan, on June 1, 1992, as part of a Central Asian tournament. Kazakhstan won 1–0. The tournament also saw the footballing debuts of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. After beating Libya in a friendly in North Korea on July 3, Kazakhstan played the remainder of its Central Asian fixtures and avoided defeat in all of them. They beat Uzbekistan 1–0 at home on July 16, then drew 1–1 away in Turkmenistan on September 14, in Kyrgyzstan on September 26 and Uzbekistan on October 14. The final match was a 2–0 home victory over Kyrgyzstan on October 25.[2]

Kazakhstan entered qualification for the first time in the attempt to reach the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In the first round they were placed in Group 9 alongside Pakistan and Iraq. Kazakhstan's first qualifying match was won 3–0 at home in Almaty on May 11, 1997, against Pakistan. On June 6 they travelled to Baghdad to face Iraq and won 2–1, then five days later won an away match against Pakistan, 7–0 in Lahore. The result remains Kazakhstan's biggest-ever international win. They retained their 100% start to World Cup football by beating Iraq at home 3–1 on June 29.

In the second and final round of qualification, Kazakhstan came last in the group. Their only victory was on October 18, 1997, when they beat the United Arab Emirates 3–0 at home. Kazakhstan drew three other games – all at home (versus Uzbekistan, Japan and South Korea).

In the first round of Asian qualifying, Kazakhstan were placed in Group 6 alongside Iraq, Nepal and Macau. All games in the group were to be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, after Nepal failed to organise matches in Kathmandu in March 2001. After an Iraqi protest, the first three games for each team were moved to Baghdad, Iraq.

Kazakhstan started off well in Baghdad by beating Nepal 6–0 with two goals by Oleg Litvinenko on April 12, and Macau 3–0 two days later. On April 16 they held Iraq to a 1–1 draw in front of 50,000. Ruslan Baltiev put the Kazakhs in front in the 6th minute and Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail equalised with a penalty in the 31st.

In Almaty Central Stadium, Kazakhstan beat Nepal 3–0 with two goals by Maksim Igorevich Shevchenko on April 21. Two days later they beat Macau 5–0, Dmitriy Byakov and Igor Avdeyev scored two each after a goalless first half. The final game on April 25 saw a 1–1 draw against Iraq in front of 25,000. Litvinenko put Kazakhstan ahead in the 32nd but Iraq equalised ten minutes later. Despite being level on points, Iraq advanced on goal difference mainly due to a 9–1 victory over Nepal.

UEFA Member (2002–present)

Being a transcontinental country, Kazakhstan joined UEFA in 2002. They had to wait until the 2002 FIFA World Cup finished on June 30 before making the switch, as they had entered the tournament as an AFC member. Kazakhstan therefore could not enter qualification for UEFA Euro 2004, as the draw had been made on 25 January 2002. Since joining UEFA, Kazakhstan has been a relatively minnow force in the continent, with most of their qualifications being unsuccessful and often finish near dead last or bottom.

In the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification, now as members of UEFA, Kazakhstan was placed in the last drawing pot with Andorra and Luxembourg,[3] being placed in Group 2 alongside Turkey, Denmark, future UEFA Euro 2004 winners Greece, Ukraine, Georgia and Albania.[4]

Their first official UEFA match was on 8 September 2004 and ended in a home defeat by 2–1 against Ukraine. Kazakhstan lost their next 9 matches, including a 6–0 home defeat against Turkey, their tied-biggest defeat up to 2018 and conceding a home defeat to Greece into four minutes of the stoppage time. Their sole point of the qualifying came in the next match, on 8 October 2005, in a 0–0 away draw against Georgia played behind closed doors, before losing the last match at home against Denmark.[5]

For the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, Kazakhstan was once again placed in the last drawing pot. Their campaign started with two away draws against Belgium (0–0) and Azerbaijan (1–1). They lost the next three matches before getting their first official win as UEFA members in a 2–1 home triumph against Serbia with goals from Kairat Ashirbekov and Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev. After a home loss against Armenia, Kazakhstan got their sixth and seventh points after drawing again with Azerbaijan (1–1) and Belgium (2–2), both at home. Losses against Poland and Portugal were followed by their second win, this time away from home, with Sergei Ostapenko scoring the winning goal against Armenia. Their last match was a delayed game against Serbia, ending in defeat. In the end, Kazakhstan finished with 10 points and in 6th out of the 8 Group A teams.[6]

The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification had Kazakhstan in the 5th of 6 drawing pots, drawn in Group 6 with Croatia, England, Ukraine, Belarus and Andorra.[7] They started the campaign with a 3–0 home win against Andorra on 20 August 2008.[8] However, that was the only opponent they managed to get points from, after they won the reverse fixture 3–1 on 9 September 2009 and losing all the other group matches. Kazakhstan finished in 5th, ahead only of Andorra, who lost all of their matches.[9]

Kazakhstan was drawn in the Group A of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying and lost the first five matches without managing to score a single goal before defeating Azerbaijan on 3 June 2011 by 2–1 with two goals from Sergey Gridin. They lost their next three games before ending the qualifying with a goalless home draw against Austria. They ended in the last place with 4 points, three behind Azerbaijan.[10]

Following recent unimpressive qualifying campaigns, Kazakhstan was once again in the last drawing pot for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification. Their campaign in Group C started with two defeats before getting their first point in a goalless home draw against Austria on 12 October 2012. Losses to Austria and twice to Germany were followed by their first and only win of the qualification by 2–1 against Faroe Islands on 6 September 2013. They still got a fifth point in a 1–1 away drawn against the same opponents. Kazakhstan finished in 5th place, ahead only of the Faroese.

The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying had Kazakhstan once more in the last drawing pot. Their first match was a home 0–0 draw against Latvia on 9 September 2014, followed by six consecutive losses before another goalless draw, away from home, against Iceland. After their seventh defeat of the qualifying, Kazakhstan ended the campaign with a 1–0 away win against Latvia on 13 October 2015. The goal scored by Islambek Kuat got the Kazakhs the 5th place, tied in points with the Latvians, but with a better head-to-head record.[11]

Once again in the last drawing pot, Kazakhstan had an unimpressive 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, failing to win a single match. After two home draws against Poland and Romania in their first three matches, Kazakhstan lost their following six matches, ending the qualifying with a 1–1 home draw against Armenia and finishing last in Group E.[12]

For the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, Kazakhstan was in Pot 3 of League D, the fourth and lowest division of the UEFA Nations League. Drawn in Group 1 with Georgia, Latvia and Andorra, their campaign started with a 2–0 home loss against group winners Georgia. Away draws against Andorra and Latvia had Georgia with 9 points after the three first matches, with all the other teams tied with 2 points. Kazakhstan defeated Andorra by 4–0 on 16 October, but the Georgia win against Latvia got the Georgians promoted to League C with two matches still to be played. Their sixth and last point came in a 1–1 home draw against Latvia, before being defeated by Georgia in the last group match and finishing in the second place of the group.[13]

The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying for Kazakhstan once again was unsuccessful, with the team continued to fail in the qualification due to being inferior to Russia and Belgium. However, Kazakhstan won ten points in the qualification, its best performance up to date in any Euro qualifications, including a shock 3–0 home win over Scotland,[14] and a 1–1 away draw over Cyprus, though they still finished fifth at the end.[15]

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup record
FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1990 Part of  Soviet Union
1994 Did not enter
1998 Did not qualify125342221
2002 6420202
2006 120111629
2010 102081129
2014 10127621
2018 10037626
2022 To be determined------
2026 ------
Total 0/21 - 60 12 11 37 71 128

UEFA European Championship record
UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W 1 D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
1960 to 1992 Was part of Soviet Union (UEFA member)
1996 Not a member of UEFA
2000 to 2004 Candidate member of UEFA[n 1]
2008 Did not qualify142481121
201210118624
201610127718
2020103161317
2024 To be determined------
Total 0/15000000 4478293780
  1. In 2000, the Football Federation of Kazakhstan became a candidate member of UEFA and obtained its full membership a couple of years later.

UEFA Nations League record
UEFA Nations League record
Year Division Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA
2018–19 D Group stage
Promoted		 2nd 6 1 3 2 8 7
2020–21 C To be determined
Total Group stage
League C		 1/1 6 1 3 2 8 7

AFC Asian Cup record
AFC Asian Cup record AFC Asian Cup qualification record
Year Result GP W D* L GS GA GP W D* L GS GA
1956 to 1992 Was part of Soviet Union (UEFA member)
1996Did not qualify 410316
2000 430183
2004 Not a member of AFC
Total0/12000000 840499

Asian Games record
Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.
Asian Games record
Year Result GP W D* L GS GA
1951Did not exist
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994Did not enter
199810th place521286
2002–present See Kazakhstan national under-23 football team
Total1/13521286

Coaches
As of match played 19 November 2019
Manager Nat. Period Played Won Drawn Lost Win %
Bakhtiyar Baiseitov 1992 7 4 3 0 057.14
Bauyrzhan Baimukhammedov 1994 4 1 2 1 025.00
Serik Berdalin 1995–1997 20 6 4 10 030.00
Sergei Gorokhovadatskiy 1998 5 2 1 2 040.00
Vait Talgayev 2000 9 5 0 4 055.56
Vladimir Fomichyov 2000 1 0 0 1 000.00
Vakhid Masudov 2001–2002 9 4 4 1 044.44
Leonid Pakhomov 2003–2004 9 0 2 7 000.00
Sergey Timofeev 2004–2005 13 0 1 12 000.00
Arno Pijpers 2006–2008 36 7 11 18 019.44
Bernd Storck 2008–2010 9 2 0 7 022.22
Miroslav Beránek 2011–2013 24 5 6 13 020.83
Yuri Krasnozhan 2014–2015 11 2 4 5 018.18
Talgat Baysufinov 2016–2017 8 2 3 3 025.00
Aleksandr Borodyuk 2017–2018 7 0 1 6 000.00
Stanimir Stoilov 2018 9 3 3 3 033.33
Michal Bílek 2019– 10 3 1 6 030.00

Coaching staff

Currently approved:

Head coach Michal Bílek
Coach Michal Hipp
Coach Talgat Baysufinov
Goalkeeping coach Nikolay Rodionov

Results and fixtures
Main article: Kazakhstan national football team results

2019
6 September 2019 UEFA Euro 2020 QualificationCyprus 1–1 KazakhstanNicosia, Cyprus
19:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: GSP Stadium
Referee: Mattias Gestranius (Finland)
9 September 2019 UEFA Euro 2020 QualificationRussia 1–0 KazakhstanKaliningrad, Russia
21:45 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Kaliningrad Stadium
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (Montenegro)
10 October 2019 UEFA Euro 2020 QualificationKazakhstan 1–2 CyprusNur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
20:00 UTC+6
Report
Stadium: Astana Arena
Referee: Craig Pawson (England)
13 October 2019 UEFA Euro 2020 QualificationKazakhstan 0–2 BelgiumNur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
19:00 UTC+6 Report
Stadium: Astana Arena
Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (Lithuania)
16 November 2019 UEFA Euro 2020 QualificationSan Marino 1–3 KazakhstanSerravalle, San Marino
18:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: San Marino Stadium
Referee: Ali Palabıyık (Turkey)
19 November 2019 UEFA Euro 2020 QualificationScotland 3–1 KazakhstanGlasgow, Scotland
19:45 UTC±0
Report
Stadium: Hampden Park
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (Netherlands)

2020
30 March 2020 FriendlyKazakhstan Cancelled LithuaniaKazakhstan
Report
30 March 2020 FriendlyKazakhstan Cancelled ArmeniaKazakhstan
Report
TBD Brasil Global TourBrazil v KazakhstanYokohama, Japan
Stadium: International Stadium Yokohama
4 September 2020 2020–21 UEFA Nations LeagueLithuania v KazakhstanVilnius, Lithuania
21:45 UTC+3 Stadium: LFF Stadium
7 September 2020 2020–21 UEFA Nations LeagueKazakhstan v BelarusNur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
20:00 UTC+6 Stadium: Astana Arena
10 October 2020 2020–21 UEFA Nations LeagueKazakhstan v AlbaniaNur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
19:00 UTC+6 Stadium: Astana Arena
13 October 2020 2020–21 UEFA Nations LeagueBelarus v KazakhstanBelarus
21:45 UTC+3
12 November 2020 2020–21 UEFA Nations LeagueAlbania v KazakhstanAlbania
20:45 UTC+1
15 November 2020 2020–21 UEFA Nations LeagueKazakhstan v LithuaniaNur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
20:00 UTC+6 Stadium: Astana Arena

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for Euro 2020 qualifying games against San Marino on 16 November and against Scotland on 19 November 2019.
Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2019, after the game against Scotland.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Stas Pokatilov (1992-12-08) 8 December 1992 15 0 Kairat
12 1GK Dmytro Nepohodov (1988-02-17) 17 February 1988 11 0 Ordabasy
22 1GK Igor Shatskiy (1989-05-11) 11 May 1989 1 0 Shakhter Karagandy
23 2DF Yuriy Logvinenko (1988-07-22) 22 July 1988 51 5 Astana
18 2DF Dmitri Shomko (1990-03-19) 19 March 1990 45 2 Astana
2 2DF Serhiy Malyi (1990-06-05) 5 June 1990 40 0 Tobol
16 2DF Gafurzhan Suyumbayev (1990-08-19) 19 August 1990 34 4 Kairat
11 2DF Yan Vorogovskiy (1996-09-07) 7 September 1996 10 1 Beerschot
21 2DF Dmitri Miroshnichenko (1992-02-26) 26 February 1992 9 0 Tobol
3 2DF Temirlan Erlanov (1993-07-09) 9 July 1993 7 1 Ordabasy
15 2DF Aleksandr Marochkin (1990-07-14) 14 July 1990 7 0 Kaisar
13 2DF Nuraly Alip (1999-12-22) 22 December 1999 1 0 Kairat
4 2DF Olzhas Kerimzhanov (1989-05-16) 16 May 1989 1 0 Zhetysu
9 3MF Bauyrzhan Islamkhan (1993-02-23) 23 February 1993 43 3 Al-Ain
5 3MF Islambek Kuat (1993-01-12) 12 January 1993 31 4 Unattached
8 3MF Askhat Tagybergen (1990-08-09) 9 August 1990 23 0 Kaisar
10 3MF Georgy Zhukov (1994-11-19) 19 November 1994 15 0 Wisła Kraków
19 3MF Baktiyar Zaynutdinov (1998-04-02) 2 April 1998 13 6 Rostov
14 3MF Yuriy Pertsukh (1996-05-13) 13 May 1996 12 1 Astana
6 3MF Aybol Abiken (1996-06-01) 1 June 1996 4 0 Kairat
7 4FW Aleksey Shchotkin (1991-05-21) 21 May 1991 31 3 Ordabasy
20 4FW Maxim Fedin (1996-06-08) 8 June 1996 12 1 Tobol
17 4FW Abat Aimbetov (1995-08-07) 7 August 1995 6 0 Aktobe

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Kazakhstan's squad in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Abzal Beisebekov INJ (1992-11-30) 30 November 1992 27 0 Astana v.  San Marino, 16 November 2019
DF Viktor Dmitrenko (1991-04-04) 4 April 1991 19 1 Tobol v.  Belgium, 13 October 2019
FW Sergei Khizhnichenko (1991-07-17) 17 July 1991 48 8 Astana v.  Belgium, 13 October 2019
FW Toktar Zhangylyshbay (1993-05-25) 25 May 1993 5 0 Ordabasy v.  Belgium, 13 October 2019

PRE Preliminary squad.
INJ Injured after call up squad.
RET Retired from the national team.

Head to head records

As of 19 November 2019.

Statistics
As of match played 19 November 2019 Players in bold are still active at international level.
Most capped players
# Player Career Caps Goals
1 Samat Smakov 2000–2017 76 2
2 Ruslan Baltiev 1997–2009 73 13
3 Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev 2001–2014 58 7
4 Andrei Karpovich 2001–2014 55 3
5 Yuriy Logvinenko 2008–present 51 5
6 Sergey Khizhnichenko 2009–present 47 8
7 David Loria 2000–2019 46 0
8 Dmitri Shomko 2011–present 45 2
9 Bauyrzhan Islamkhan 2012–present 43 3
10 Sergei Ostapenko 2007–2014 42 6
Top goalscorers
Rank Name Period Goals Caps Average
1Ruslan Baltiev1997–200913730.18
2Viktor Zubarev1997–200212180.67
3Dmitriy Byakov2000–20088330.24
Sergei Khizhnichenko2009–present8470.17
5Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev2001–20147580.12
6Igor Avdeyev1996–20056270.22
Oleg Litvinenko1996–20066280.21
Sergei Ostapenko2007–20146420.14
Baktiyar Zaynutdinov2017–present6130.46
10Kairat Nurdauletov2003–20135350.14
Andrei Finonchenko2003–20145200.24
Yuriy Logvinenko2008–present5510.10

Kits

Kit suppliers
Period Kit Provider
1994–1996 Adidas
1996–1998 Puma
1998–1999 Grand Sport
1999–2000 Adidas
2000–2002 Nike
2002–2003 Umbro
2003–2004 Nike
2004–2005 Puma
2005–2008 Diadora
2008–2012 Umbro
2012–present Adidas

Source: FootballShirtsVoltage.com[16]

Rivalry

Though currently an UEFA member, Kazakhstan's best rivalries are mostly with fellow AFC members from Central Asia's Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan; two most important are against Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, dated back from early USSR rule. This has remained in interests for many Kazakhs, due to its inferiority in the UEFA qualification stages contrast to their previous strong image in the AFC competitions.

See also

References
  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  2. "Kazakhstan – List of International Matches". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  3. "Wayback Machine" (PDF). 7 April 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2005.
  4. FIFA.com. "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany ™ – Qualifiers – Europe". FIFA.com.
  5. "World Cup 2006 Qualifying". www.rsssf.com.
  6. uefa.com. "UEFA EURO 2008 – History – Standings". UEFA.com.
  7. "TheFA.com – Qualifying fixtures agreed". archive.vn. 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008.
  8. FIFA.com. "2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ – Matches – Kazakhstan-Andorra". FIFA.com.
  9. FIFA.com. "2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ – Qualifiers – Europe". FIFA.com.
  10. UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group A
  11. uefa.com. "UEFA EURO 2016 – History – Standings". UEFA.com.
  12. FIFA.com. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ – Qualifiers – Europe". FIFA.com.
  13. UEFA.com. "UEFA Nations League – Standings". UEFA.com.
  14. "Kazakhstan 3-0 Scotland: Alex McLeish's side humiliated in Euro 2020 opener". March 21, 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  15. "UEFA.tv". www.uefa.tv.
  16. "Kazakhstan National Football Team Kit". FootballShirtsVoltage.com. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
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