In 2026, Kazakh authorities sold several professional football clubs through online auctions. According to data from the auctions analyzed by TASS, the cheapest deal was for Turan, a club relegated from the Premier League last year. It was sold for 1.1 million tenge (approximately $2,300) on the second attempt, after the starting price was reduced by 30%. The highest amount fetched was for Aktobe, which brought in 364 million tenge (over $790,000).
In February, Turan was put up for auction by its owner, the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the Turkestan Region, with an initial price of 1.05 million tenge (about $2,100 at that month’s exchange rate). According to the E-Qazyna trading platform, the auction allowed a sale even to a single bidder, but no bids were received, and the auction was declared void.
For the second auction, the starting price was lowered to 737,800 tenge ($1,600). Two bidders participated, and the auction was deemed successful, with the final sale price reaching 1.1 million tenge. The identities of the bidders were not disclosed in the lot card, but Kazakhstan’s investment company Ordabasy Group earlier stated that it was the winner, calling the deal a “strategic social initiative aimed at developing and strengthening sports infrastructure in the south of the country.”
The most expensive club sold this year was Aktobe, which finished fifth in the 2025 Premier League table. Its 100% shares were sold for 364 million tenge (over $790,000) to a single bidder, who offered no more than the starting price. The seller was the Finance Department of the Aktobe Region, and the club had previously been owned by the regional Department of Physical Culture and Sports. The buyer was not disclosed in the lot card, but the club itself confirmed that the new owner is construction company Qazaq Stroy Properties.
Under the sale conditions, the new owner must retain at least 70% of the staff for one year, develop the main, women’s, and futsal teams, as well as the children’s football academy, and organize tryouts for teenagers. The seller also imposed specific requirements, such as expanding the club’s brand by creating “football club corners in museums of Aktobe,” publishing an encyclopedia, and maintaining the team’s archive.
The sales of Atyrau and Taraz also took place. Atyrau, which narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League last year (13th place), was sold only on the fourth attempt and at a price three times lower than initially planned. The Department of Public Procurement of the Atyrau Region first listed it for 250 million tenge ($542,000), but no one bid. After two more auctions with reduced starting prices of 175.5 million tenge ($380,000) and then 125.4 million tenge ($272,000), still no buyers emerged. On the fourth try, the starting price was cut to 75.2 million tenge ($163,000), and a single bidder purchased the club for 77 million tenge ($167,000). According to the regional administration, the buyer was Caspian Football Group. The auction terms require the new owner to keep all jobs, ensure no debts to players or staff, field a team of at least 25 professional players, invest 1 billion tenge (nearly $2.2 million) in building a football academy, and secure the team’s participation in the Kazakhstan championship.
In the Zhambyl Region, the administration sold Taraz, a club playing in the First League (8th place in 2025), for 10.8 million tenge ($23,400). The club had debts that, as noted in the lot card, were estimated at over 442 million tenge (nearly $1 million) in September last year. The new owner is SD Family.