Celtic Faces Kairat Showdown: Uncover the Secret to Watching the Champions League Play-Off Live!

Tonight’s showdown at Celtic Park sets the stage for a crucial battle in the race to the UEFA Champions League group stage. The seasoned Scottish champs, Celtic, are locking horns with Kairat Almaty, a determined Kazakhstani side eager to carve their name alongside the likes of Astana as Champions League debutants. This two-legged playoff isn’t just a game—it’s a test of grit, strategy, and ambition as both teams vie for a coveted spot in Europe’s premier competition kicking off next month. Whether you’re watching from Glasgow, the States, Australia, or anywhere in between, we’ve got the lowdown on how to catch every moment live, streaming or on TV. Ready to dive into the details? LEARN MORE

Watch Celtic vs Kairat tonight as the Scottish champions host Kazakhstani opposition in a two-legged scrap for Champions League football, with all the details here on live streams and TV broadcasts globally.

This is the first leg in a two-legged tie that will send one of these two sides through to the Champions League proper, which begins next month with 32 teams competing in the opening league phase.

Kairat Almaty are hoping to become the second Kazakhstani side to feature in the Champions League, following in the footsteps of Astana. Celtic, meanwhile, are hoping to book their place in the main competition for a fourth season in succession.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information on how to watch Celtic vs Kairat online, on TV, and from anywhere.

Can I watch Celtic vs Kairat for free?

You can watch Celtic vs Kairat for free in Ireland, where public broadcaster RTÉ is showing the game on TV and online.

TV viewers will find the game on RTÉ 2, while the Celtic vs Kairat free live stream is on RTÉ Player, which is a simple browser player with no requirement to sign in.

Coverage is geo-restricted but a good VPN will unblock things if you are abroad at the moment – more on that below.

Watch Celtic vs Kairat from anywhere

Away from home for the game? That doesn’t mean you have to miss out on watching Celtic vs Kairat. All you need is a VPN, a handy a piece of software that makes your devices appear to be in a different location.

Assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs, you can use a VPN to bypass geo-restrictions and unblock your usual streaming services when abroad. It’s also brilliant for your general internet security.

FourFourTwo’s colleagues TechRadar have tested hundreds of VPNs, and they say NordVPN is the best VPN you can get.

Watch Celtic vs Kairat in the UK

In the UK, Celtic vs Kairat is being shown on TNT Sports and Discovery+.

TV viewers will find the game on TNT Sports 1 from 7:30pm, while a live stream will be available at the Discovery+ streaming platform.

Watch Celtic vs Kairat in the US

In the USA, Paramount+ has the rights to the UEFA Champions League and will be streaming Celtic vs Kairat live and in full.

How to watch Celtic vs Kairat in Australia

Fans down under can watch Celtic vs Kairat through Stan Sport, which is where you’ll find every single Champions League and Premier League game in Australia.

FIXTURES: Interactive 2025/26 calendar for all competitions

Celtic vs Kairat: Match Preview

As the Scottish champions, Celtic are only now making their entry into the Champions League qualification process, with this two-legged playoff tie standing between them and a place in the main draw.

Kairat Almaty, meanwhile, have already had to battle through two rounds of qualification, toppling Olimpija Ljubljana and Kuopion Palloseura over two legs. This represents uncharted territory, with the Kazakh side never having qualified for the Champions League before.

As such, Celtic are the heavy favourites, and they’ll be hoping they can do as much damage as possible tonight at Celtic Park, wary of the long journey to central Asia next week. That trip comes just a few days before Celtic play Rangers in the Old Firm Derby in the Scottish Premiership, so manager Brendan Rogers will want to rest as many players as possible next week.

Celtic, though, are starting the season with question marks over their squad. Rogers has made little secret of his desire for fresh blood to bolster the squad, while he has acknowledged that some of his current squad may also be on their way out before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

“It’s important to set the narrative for them, because there’s so much noise,” Rogers said in a press conference this week.

“I’ve been in enough changing rooms to know how stability can be lost in this moment, because some players will be thinking are they staying or are they going, but in the middle of that you’ve got really important games.

“It is a difficult part of the season. However, the money will be in your bank every month, and it’ll be from Celtic, and while it is you need to perform, you don’t need to worry about anything else.

“I respect and acknowledge it can be tough, but Celtic pay your wages and while they do you focus on trying your very best for Celtic. In fairness to the players they’ve been brilliant with that.”

FourFourTwo’s prediction

Celtic 3-0 Kairat

Despite the question marks over signings, Celtic should have enough quality, depth, and desire to win the game and be able to send a B team to Kazakhstan next week.