The League's flagship competition is approaching its conclusion. The champions and runners-up have already been decided – and now they face each other. Meanwhile, the bronze medal winners could be confirmed as early as this Saturday. We take a look at what to expect from the U-18 fixtures.
Irtysh vs Ordabasy
The matchweek kicks off in Pavlodar, where the bronze medal race could be settled in the very first fixture. Ordabasy sit third with 34 points, four ahead of Tobyl. A victory would secure bronze for the Shymkent side with a match to spare. A draw, however, would leave them waiting until Sunday: only a Tobyl victory over Zhas Kyran could keep the race alive until the final matchweek.
The visitors are not in the best form, though, having gone three matches without a win, including a 2-2 draw against Taraz in the previous round. Their away record consists of five wins and five defeats, with not a single draw all season.
Ordabasy will be without defender Shyngys Kozhakhmetov, who is suspended for accumulating yellow cards. Their attacking leader Adilbek Turdakh (14 goals and six assists) is also at risk of missing the final matchweek, having already received three bookings. Turdakh scored twice in the reverse fixture as Ordabasy claimed a 3-0 victory. Fantasy QJ League managers should keep an eye on him: Irtysh have conceded more goals than any other team in the competition so far (57).
The hosts need points just as badly. Irtysh are 11th with 15 points, level with bottom-placed Caspiy and one point behind Astana. Their final fixture will be a direct clash with the Aktau side. Notably, Irtysh have collected 12 of their 15 points at home.
The hosts will be looking to Madiyar Yesen (6+4), who has scored in two of the last three matchweeks, and goalkeeper Arseniy Katyetov, whose 93 saves are the most by any goalkeeper in the competition. Can Irtysh delay Ordabasy's celebrations?
Astana vs Kaisar
Last season, Astana finished as runners-up while Kaisar ended up bottom of the table. This time, the Wolves sit eighth, five points ahead of their opponents.
Their tally of 21 points equals Kaisar's best-ever result in the flagship competition, achieved in 2023. Any points earned in Astana would set a new club record. The visitors arrive on the back of two consecutive victories, both by a 1-0 scoreline, with Bekzhan Shatai keeping a clean sheet on each occasion. Their main attacking threats are Yernar Parda (7+4 in goals and assists) and Madi Zhenisuly (7+1).
Astana, meanwhile, have gone 11 matches without a victory, recording three draws and eight defeats. Their last win came in the summer, and they failed to score in either of their previous two fixtures, losing 1-0 to Tobyl and 4-0 to KFF Academy. The hosts will be without Khaidar Togimov, who received his fourth yellow card. Astana's leading creator is Amandyk Khamidullin with seven assists, while Arsen Ispanov is their top scorer with five goals.
There is plenty at stake for the hosts. A victory would almost certainly eliminate the threat of finishing bottom, with only simultaneous wins for Irtysh and Caspiy keeping that possibility alive. A defeat under those circumstances, however, would send Astana down to 12th place.
The reverse fixture ended 1-1. Can the capital side finally end their prolonged winless run?
Aktobe vs KFF Academy
Two teams no longer in contention for medals but still battling for a place immediately behind the podium finishers meet in Aktobe. The Red and Whites sit fifth with 28 points and are unbeaten in five matchweeks, although their last two fixtures ended in draws. In Kostanay, for example, they conceded an equaliser in stoppage time. Bronze is already beyond Aktobe's reach: even if they draw level on points with Ordabasy, the Shymkent side would finish above them after winning both head-to-head encounters 2-1.
KFF Academy (26 points, seventh place) thrashed Astana 4-0 in the previous round, avenging a defeat by the same scoreline in the reverse fixture. The youngest team in the League trail Aktobe and Zhas Kyran by two points, meaning a victory would lift them above the hosts. However, Yuri Markhel's side have managed just three away wins so far. Their leading scorer is Radmir Khizmetov (6+3), who also found the net in the reverse fixture, which ended 2-2.
The hosts have two standout performers this season. Ayan Amanzhulov (9+9) leads the assists chart, one ahead of Kairat's Alikhan Ramazanov, while Ibragim Bauyrzhanov has recorded 8+7.
Aktobe's matches have been among the most entertaining in the competition, producing 85 goals across 20 games – a total surpassed only by Kairat's fixtures. Will this encounter continue the trend?
Taraz vs Caspiy
At the same time, Taraz will host a meeting between two teams whose most recent victories came on the same weekend – in Matchweek 15, back in mid-August. Both have since gone five matches without a win.
Taraz sit ninth with 20 points and can no longer finish bottom. They have collected 14 points at home and held Ordabasy to a 2-2 draw in the previous round. Their main attacking threat is Rasul Nurmanbai (9+3).
The stakes are higher for Caspiy, who sit bottom with 15 points, currently trailing Irtysh on head-to-head results. The visitors will travel to Taraz without Alikhan Zhumabai, the midfielder who has provided seven assists but is suspended after receiving his fourth yellow card. Caspiy have won just once away from home – a 5-1 victory in Astana.
However, the Aktau side won the reverse fixture against Taraz 3-1. Can they repeat that result ahead of their decisive showdown with Irtysh?
Tobyl vs Zhas Kyran
The match in Kostanay could prove decisive in the bronze medal race – or lose its medal implications before kick-off, as both teams will already know Ordabasy's result.
If the Shymkent side win in Pavlodar, bronze will be decided with a match to spare. If they draw, Tobyl will need a victory to keep their hopes alive. Should Ordabasy lose, however, a draw would be enough for the Kostanay side to remain in contention. Zhas Kyran, meanwhile, must win – and even that will only keep their chances alive if Ordabasy lose.
Tobyl sit fourth with 30 points and are unbeaten in five matchweeks, while Kairat remain the only team to have beaten them at home. Their matches are the lowest-scoring in the competition: Tobyl have scored just 23 goals, fewer than any other side, while their 22 goals conceded represent the third-best defensive record.
Much of that defensive success is down to goalkeeper Daniil Nurzhanov, who has made 92 saves. His save percentage of 81% is the highest among goalkeepers who have played at least ten matches. In the previous round, captain Ruslan Zhetenov rescued a point in stoppage time as Tobyl drew 1-1 with Aktobe. The hosts must now cope without defender Nikita Lisokhmar, who provided a crucial assist in that match but had earlier received his fourth yellow card.
Zhas Kyran (28 points, sixth place) are unbeaten in seven matches, although their last four have all ended in draws. In the previous round, they came back from 2-0 down against Kairat.
The reverse fixture ended in a goalless draw. The visitors' standout performers are Alan Lukanin (10+5) and Sergey Sharunov (8+3), but both have three yellow cards to their names. Another booking would rule them out of the final match against Shakhter.
Shakhter vs Kairat
At the same time, Karaganda will host a meeting between the champions and runners-up. Both teams have already secured their final positions: Kairat have claimed their fourth consecutive title and a place in the UEFA Youth League, while Shakhter have guaranteed themselves the first silver medals in their history.
But this will be anything but a formality. Shakhter have won all ten home matches this season, scoring 31 goals and conceding just three. Kairat, meanwhile, have recorded eight away wins and two draws, and are unbeaten in 64 matches in the flagship competition since the beginning of 2024. One of these streaks must come to an end.
History favours the visitors. Across four seasons, Shakhter have never beaten Kairat in the flagship competition. The seven previous meetings have produced six victories for the Almaty side and a goalless draw in 2024.
Kairat won the reverse fixture 3-1, with Abylai Zhylkaidar, Alikhan Zhumabek and Roman Chernomorets on the scoresheet. That remains Shakhter's only defeat of the season.
Records are at stake for Kairat. If they avoid defeat in their remaining two fixtures, they will complete a third consecutive unbeaten season. Two victories would also see them equal their own records from 2024 – 62 points and 20 wins. A new defensive record is also within reach: the champions have conceded just eight goals, while the competition's all-time best mark is nine, set by Kairat in 2023.
Can Shakhter beat Kairat for the first time and complete a perfect home campaign?
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