Kairat Almaty will make longest trip in Champions League history
Baku, August 29, AZERTAC
The fixtures for the League Phase of the upcoming Champions League have been set, and the debut of Kairat Almaty, a team from Kazakhstan, will bring several anecdotes—among them the longest trip in the history of the competition, the BeIN Sports reported.
Sporting CP of Portugal is one of the clubs set to face Kairat in Lisbon. To do so, the Kazakh side will undertake a 6,900-kilometer journey, the longest distance ever traveled by a team in the tournament’s history.
To play their match, Kairat Almaty will spend nearly an entire day on a plane, as the flight, both outbound and return, exceeds 12 hours. Logistical planning will also represent a challenge for UEFA.
Real Madrid will be another club facing a similar trip, as they too will meet the debuting side—this time as visitors. Their journey from Madrid to the city of Almaty will cover 6,400 kilometers, a flight that takes almost 12 hours.
UEFA is well aware of these challenges, which stem from the inclusion of more teams in its competitions. A similar case occurred last year with Chelsea, when the English side traveled to Kazakhstan to face Astana in a Conference League group-stage match.
Along with Sporting CP and Real Madrid, Kairat Almaty will also take on clubs such as Arsenal, Inter, Olympiacos, and Copenhagen, marking their historic debut in the Champions League.
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