Celtic vs Kairat live streams: How to watch the Champions League play-off

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JANUARY 05: Nicolas Kuehn of Celtic celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's third goal during the William Hill Premiership match between Celtic FC and St. Mirren FC at Celtic Park on January 05, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

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.

Celtic vs Kairat key information

• Date: Wednesday, 20 August, 2025

• Kick-off time: 8pm BST / 3pm ET

• Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow

• TV & Streaming: Prime Video (UK), Paramount+ (US), Stan Sport (Australia)

• Free stream: RTÉ Player (Ireland)

• Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN risk-free

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.

Get 70% off NordVPN with this deal

Get 70% off NordVPN with this deal

"Excellent privacy and searing speeds make NordVPN the best VPN for most people," say Tom's Guide, who love its ability to unblock all manner of streams.

It works across a range of devices, you can try it risk-free with 24/7 support, and you save big on long-term plans.

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 the Champions League on TNT Sports and Discovery+

Watch the Champions League on TNT Sports and Discovery+

TNT Sports is the home of European football in the UK, with almost every Champions League and Europa League live stream. You can add TNT Sports to your TV package for around £25-£30 per month on a long-term contract, but the easiest way to watch is through the Discovery+streaming platform for £30.99 a month.

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.

Watch the Champions League on Paramount+

Watch the Champions League on Paramount+

Every single Champions League live stream for $7.99 a month? Sounds like a bargain to us...

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.

Watch the Premier League on Stan Sport

Watch the Premier League on Stan Sport

Stan Sport is your one-stop shop for football, with every single Premier League game and Champions League game live on the streaming platform, for AU$32 per month.

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.

Disclaimer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Patrick manages the How To Watch content across FourFourTwo and the other sports publications at Future. He's an NCTJ qualified journalist with a decade of experience in digital sports media. A lifelong Evertonian, he now plies his own footballing trade on the bobbly pitches of the famous Bristol Downs League.

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