Fans in Xinjiang can watch the Champions League in just 55 minutes as Kairat eliminates Celtic, marking their first-ever Champions League appearance in history.

The nearest Chinese football supporters to the Champions League are in Xinjiang—quite unexpected! They can watch the Champions League with just a 2-hour flight. What’s the story behind this?

In the early morning of August 27 Beijing time, during the second leg of the Champions League playoff, Kairat Almaty from Kazakhstan’s Premier League beat Scottish champions Celtic in a penalty shootout to qualify. This marks Kairat’s debut in the Champions League group stage and is the second team from Kazakhstan to reach this level, the first being Astana ten years ago.

Almaty Kairat Club is based in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, which is famous for its abundant apple production, earning Almaty the nickname “Apple City.”

Following Kairat Almaty’s qualification for the Champions League group stage, some fans have already planned trips combining a visit to Xinjiang with watching the Champions League in Kazakhstan. Flight data shows direct flights to Almaty from Beijing, Shanghai, and Urumqi, with the Urumqi-Almaty flight taking only 2 hours, and from Yining in Xinjiang to Almaty less than 1 hour (55 minutes). There are also direct buses to Almaty, taking 12 hours from Urumqi, costing 460 yuan. This has excited Chinese fans eager to watch the Champions League live, making a Xinjiang trip plus an Almaty Champions League visit a wonderful journey for football lovers.