At the end of last year, Kazakhstan entered the top 3 countries for holidays for Russians. Tourists from the Russian Federation are attracted by: geographical proximity, visa-free regime, absence of a language barrier and natural attractions.
Sports fans do not miss the opportunity to attend local tournaments in football, tennis, hockey and other disciplines. Betting specialist Arayik Tonyan will talk about competitions in Kazakhstan in 2023.
What sport is popular in Kazakhstan?
As in most countries, the most popular sport in Kazakhstan is football. Hockey, basketball, volleyball, tennis, cycling are not particularly popular, but tournaments for them are held regularly.
Alt: Fans of the Kazakhstan national football team
Boxing is quite popular, in which Kazakhstani athletes have achieved great success. Golovkin, Saliev, Zhirov are known to boxing fans all over the world. Martial arts include MMA, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling—fighting tournaments are organized every year.
One of the most popular bookmakers in Kazakhstan is Ubet. Some tournaments are not always present in the line of Russian and international bookmakers, but local bookmakers accept bets on most competitions held in Kazakhstan. In addition to the wide line, new bookmaker clients can count on Ubet bonuses.
Футбол
The new season of the OLIMPBET-Kazakhstan Championship starts in early March and will last until November. In the summer and possibly in the fall, home matches of local teams in European competitions will take place.
In the 2023/24 Champions League qualification, Kazakhstan will be represented by Astana, and 3 teams will compete in the Conference League:
- Aktobe - silver medalist of the championship;
- Tobol - bronze medalist of the championship;
- Ordobasy is the winner of the Kazakhstan Cup.
Almaty Kairat missed out on European competition for the first time in 9 years: the team took only fourth place in the championship.
| Team | The stadium | City |
| Astana | Astana Arena | Astana |
| Kairat | Almaty Central | Almata |
| Aktobe | Central | Aktobe |
| Tobol | Central | Kostanay |
| Order | them Hadjimukana Munaitpasova | Shymkent |
| Aksu | Central | Pavlodar |
| Shakhter Karaganda | Miner | Karaganda |
| Appreciate | Alpamis Batyr | Agent |
| Caspian Aktau | Young people | Aktau |
| Kyzyljar | Central | Petropavlovsk |
| Atyrau | Munayshi | Atyrau |
| Taraz | Central | Taraz |
| Okzhetpes | Torpedo | Kokshetau |
| Kaysar | them. Gani Muratbaeva | Kyzylorda |
The Kazakhstan national team will compete on the international stage in 2023, when the Euro 2024 qualification begins.
| Tour | Contender | date |
| 1 | Slovenia | 23.03.23 |
| 2 | Denmark | 26.03.23 |
| 5 | Finland | 07.09.23 |
| 6 | Northern Ireland | 10.09.23 |
| 9 | San Marino | 17.11.23 |
The schedule of matches of the League of Nations for the 2023/24 season is not yet known. In 2022, the Kazakhstan national team won the group and will now play in League B, so the tournament promises to be interesting for local fans.
The home stadium of the Kazakhstan national team is Astana Arena, which seats 30 spectators.
Tennis
From September 25 to October 3, the capital of Kazakhstan will host a tennis tournament - ATP 250 Astana Open. Venue: National Tennis Center (Beeline Arena), Turan Ave. 4/2.
It is possible that instead of the ATP 250, the ATP 500 will be held again, as was the case in 2022. Then such stars as Danil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas took part in the tournament.
Of the less significant tennis competitions, ITF, ATF, Almaty Tour, Astana Masters and others tournaments are held every year in Kazakhstan. The schedule for the next couple of months is available on the website of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation. Venues:
- Astana;
- Almaty;
- Atyrau;
- Aktobe;
- Shymkent;
- Ust-Kamenogorsk;
- Karaganda.
Хоккей
The season of the Kazakhstan hockey championship will end at the end of April, when a new champion will be determined in the playoffs. For 2 years in a row, HC Saryarka Karaganda has won gold, and this season the team is leading even more confidently, so a sensation is unlikely here.
| Team | The stadium | City |
| Saryarka | Karaganda Arena | Karaganda |
| Nomad | Barys Arena | Astana |
| Beybars | Ice Palace | Atyrau |
| Arlan | DS Burabai | Kokshetau |
| Aktobe | Ice Palace | Aktobe |
| Kulager | Palace of Sports | Petropavlovsk |
| Miner | Ice Palace | Ore |
| Almaty | Almaty Arena | Almaty |
| Irtysh | Ice Palace | Pavlodar |
| Torpedo | DS named after Boris Aleksandrov | Ust-Kamenogorsk |
| Snow leopards | Palace of Sports | Astana |
After the summer break, the new season - 2023/24 - will begin in September.
Баскетбол
There are 5 clubs in the local basketball league, each of which is based in different cities of Kazakhstan.
| Team | The stadium | City |
| Tobol Kostanay | SRK Kostanay | Kostanay |
| Aktobe | SK Koleshek | Aktobe |
| All Atyrau | Jysan Arena | Atyrau |
| Irbis Almaty | USC Friendship | Almaty |
| Astana | Cycling track "Saryarka" | Astana |
The 2022/23 group stage matches will take place from January to April, followed by the knockout stages in May. The new season 2023/24 starts at the end of September.
MMA
The main MMA promotion in Kazakhstan, Naiza Fighting Championship, regularly holds tournaments in the southern capital at the Almaty Arena.
Naiza FC President Nurbek Karabala said that negotiations have begun with the UFC to hold the tournament in Kazakhstan. Perhaps it will take place at the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024.
Among the pop MMA promotions in Kazakhstan, only 1 tournament has reached a high level so far - RUH Fighting.
Bicycle racing
Between February and October, 60+ cycling races are planned in Kazakhstan:
- Highway - 28 tournaments from March 22 to October 15;
- Track - 12 tournaments from February 9 to October 24;
- MTV - 21 tournaments from March 9 to October 15;
- BMX - 6 tournaments from April 27 to August 25.
Most of the competitions will be held in the cities of Astana, Almaty, Kyzylorda, Shymkent, Taldykorgan, Talgar. The schedule and venues of the races can be found on the website of the Kazakhstan Cycling Federation.
Jujutsu
According to the International Martial Arts Association, Kazakhstan is the second most developed jiu-jitsu. There are about 10 followers in the country, including dozens of world champions.
From March 11 to March 31, the Zharys 2023 tournament will take place in Astana. The Kazakhstan Jiu-Jitsu Cup among adults is planned for the end of the year, which will be held in Astana. Also at the end of 2023, a republican tournament among juniors will be held in Aktobe.
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