Kazakhstan national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kazakhstan

Nickname(s)	Қаршығалар / Qarşyğalar (The Hawks)
Association	Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF)
Confederation	AFC (Asia): 1994–2002 UEFA (Europe): 2002–present
Head coach	Stanislav Cherchesov
Captain	Askhat Tagybergen
Most caps	Samat Smakov (76)
Top scorer	Bakhtiyar Zaynutdinov (14)
Home stadium	Astana Arena
FIFA code	KAZ
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	117 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest	83 (September 2016)
Lowest	166 (May 1996)
Elo ranking
Current	123 2 (3 March 2019)
Highest	70 (18 October 1997)
Lowest	136 (September 2005)
First international
Kazakhstan 1–0 Turkmenistan  (Almaty, Kazakhstan; 1 June 1992)
Biggest win
Pakistan 0–7 Kazakhstan  (Lahore, Pakistan; 11 June 1997)
Biggest defeat
France 8–0 Kazakhstan  (Paris, France; 13 November 2021)
WAFF Championship
Appearances	1 (first in 2000)
Best result	Group stage (2000)

The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international football matches for men. It is managed by the Kazakhstan Football Federation. The team is often called "The Hawks" (Qarşyğalar).

After Kazakhstan became independent in 1991, their football team separated from the Soviet Union team. They first joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1994. Later, in 2002, they moved to UEFA, which is the football governing body for Europe. Even though they have played in many qualification tournaments, they haven't yet made it to a FIFA World Cup or a UEFA European Championship.

Team History: From Asia to Europe

Playing in Asia (1992–2002)

Kazakhstan became an independent country on December 16, 1991. Their national football team then left the Soviet Union team and joined the Asian Football Confederation. At that time, they were one of the strongest teams in Central Asia.

Their very first match was on June 1, 1992, against Turkmenistan. Kazakhstan won that game 1–0. They played other matches against new teams like Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, and they didn't lose any of those early games.

Kazakhstan first tried to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. They played against Pakistan and Iraq. Their first qualifying win was 3–0 against Pakistan in Almaty. A few days later, they beat Pakistan 7–0 in Lahore, which is still their biggest win ever! They won all their first-round matches. However, in the second round, they finished last in their group. Their only win was 3–0 against the United Arab Emirates.

For the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Kazakhstan played against Iraq, Nepal, and Macau. They started well, beating Nepal 6–0 and Macau 3–0. They also drew 1–1 with Iraq twice. Even though they had the same points as Iraq, Iraq moved forward because they had scored more goals.

Joining Europe (2002–Present)

Because Kazakhstan is a country that spans both Asia and Europe, they decided to join UEFA in 2002. They had to wait until the 2002 FIFA World Cup was over before they could switch. This meant they couldn't join the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2004.

Since joining UEFA, Kazakhstan has found it tough to qualify for major tournaments. They often finish near the bottom of their groups.

In the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Kazakhstan was in a tough group with strong teams like Turkey, Denmark, and Greece. Their first UEFA match was a 2–1 loss to Ukraine. They lost most of their games, but they did get one draw (0–0) against Georgia.

For UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, Kazakhstan started with two draws against Belgium and Azerbaijan. They got their first win as a UEFA member by beating Serbia 2–1. They finished 6th in their group with 10 points.

In the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Kazakhstan won 3–0 at home against Andorra. This was their only win in that campaign, and they finished 5th in their group.

The UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying saw Kazakhstan lose their first five matches without scoring. They then beat Azerbaijan 2–1. They finished last in their group.

For the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Kazakhstan got a 0–0 draw against Austria. Their only win was 2–1 against the Faroe Islands. They finished 5th in their group.

In the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, Kazakhstan had a 0–0 draw against Latvia. They later won 1–0 against Latvia away from home, finishing 5th in their group.

The 2018 World Cup qualifiers were tough, and Kazakhstan didn't win any matches. They had two home draws against Poland and Romania, but finished last in their group.

In the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, Kazakhstan was in the lowest division. They beat Andorra 4–0 but finished second in their group, behind Georgia.

The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying was their best Euro qualifying campaign so far, even though they didn't qualify. They earned 10 points, including a surprising 3–0 home win over Scotland!

Most recently, in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, Kazakhstan had their best qualifying campaign as a UEFA member. They came back from 2–0 down to beat Denmark 3–2 and also won away at Northern Ireland with a late goal. They almost qualified directly but lost to Slovenia in the final round. They made it to the play-offs, which was a big step, but lost 5–0 to Greece in the semi-finals.

Team Kits

Kit Suppliers

The Kazakhstan team has used kits from different sports brands over the years:

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
2012–2023	Adidas
2023–	Erreà

Team Rivalries

Even though Kazakhstan is now part of UEFA (Europe), their biggest rivalries are still with teams from Central Asia, especially Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. The matches against Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are especially important to many Kazakhs. This is because Kazakhstan doesn't have any major rivalries with European national teams yet.

Recent Matches

You can find a full list of recent match results for the Kazakhstan national football team.

Team Coaches

The current head coach for the Kazakhstan national football team is Stanislav Cherchesov. He leads the team along with other coaches and staff.

Technical Staff

Position	Name
Head Coach	Stanislav Cherchesov
Assistant Head Coach	Yevgeniy Kostrub
Assistant Coach	Ruslan Baltiyev
Goalkeeping Coach	Valeriy Sitalo
Physical Trainer	Yerlan Ibraiym Alman Syzdykov
Analyst	Elshad Hinizov

Player Records

These tables show the players who have played the most games and scored the most goals for Kazakhstan. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for the national team.

Most Games Played

Samat Smakov is Kazakhstan's most capped player with 76 appearances.

Top Goal Scorers

Baktiyar Zaynutdinov is Kazakhstan's top scorer with 14 goals.

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup

Kazakhstan has not yet qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Before 1991, they were part of the Soviet Union team.

FIFA World Cup record											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										Part of  Soviet Union
1994	Not a FIFA member										Not a FIFA member
1998	Did not qualify										12	5	3	4	22	21
2002											6	4	2	0	20	2
2006											12	0	1	11	6	29
2010											10	2	0	8	11	29
2014											10	1	2	7	6	21
2018											10	0	3	7	6	26
2022											8	0	3	5	5	20
2026	To be determined										To be determined
2030
2034
Total		0/7							-		68	12	14	42	76	148

UEFA European Championship

Kazakhstan has not yet qualified for the UEFA European Championship. They joined UEFA in 2002.

UEFA European Championship record										Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1960 to 1992	Part of  Soviet Union									Part of  Soviet Union
1996	Not a UEFA member									Not a UEFA member
2000 to 2004	Candidate member of UEFA									Candidate member of UEFA
2008	Did not qualify									14	2	4	8	11	21
2012										10	1	1	8	6	24
2016										10	1	2	7	7	18
2020										10	3	1	6	13	17
2024										11	6	0	5	16	17
2028	To be determined									To be determined
2032
Total		0/17	0	0	0	0	0	0		55	13	8	34	53	97

UEFA Nations League

Kazakhstan competes in the UEFA Nations League, a competition for European national teams.

UEFA Nations League record
Season	Division	Group	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK
2018–19	D	1	Group stage	2nd	6	1	3	2	8	7		47th
2020–21	C	4	Group stage	4th	8	2	1	5	7	11		45th
2022–23	C	3	Group stage	1st	6	4	1	1	8	6		36th
2024–25	B	3	Group stage	TBD	5	0	1	4	0	10	TBD	TBD
Total			Group stage	4/4	24	7	6	11	23	32	TBD

AFC Asian Cup

Kazakhstan was part of the AFC (Asia) until 2002, but they did not qualify for the AFC Asian Cup during that time.

AFC Asian Cup record									Qualification record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1956 to 1992	Part of  Soviet Union								Part of  Soviet Union
1996	Did not qualify								4	1	0	3	1	6
2000									4	3	0	1	8	3
2004 to present	Not an AFC member								Not an AFC member
Total	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8	4	0	4	9	9

Asian Games

The Asian Games football tournament is now for Under-23 teams. Kazakhstan's senior team played in 1998.

Asian Games record
Year	Result	M	W	D	L	GF	GA
1951 to 1990	Part of  Soviet Union
1994	Did not enter
1998	10th place	5	2	1	2	8	6
2002 to present	See national under-23 team
Total	1/13	5	2	1	2	8	6

WAFF West Asian Championship

Kazakhstan played in the WAFF Championship once when they were part of the Asian Football Confederation.

WAFF Championship record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2000	Group stage	3	1	0	2	3	9
2002 to present	Not a WAFF member
Total	1/1	3	1	0	2	3	9

Images for kids

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  Kazakhstan Football Federation logo

• Football in Kazakhstan