Kazakhstan First League (Kazakhstan) - the second-tier professional club division in Kazakhstan, organised under the Kazakhstan Football Federation and the league system and serving as the main promotion pathway to the Kazakhstan Premier League. Regulations: the competition is run as a league, typically a double round-robin with home and away matches, the lineup and the number of clubs are approved for each season and recent seasons use a 14-team setup, with 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. If teams finish level on points, places are determined by the league rules in a defined order, starting with overall goal difference, then number of wins, then goals scored, followed by head-to-head metrics, then disciplinary criteria based on red cards and yellow cards, and if still level a drawing of lots is applied. At the end of the season, the top finishers earn the right to promotion to the Kazakhstan Premier League, while the exact number of promotion places and eligibility restrictions for reserve and youth teams linked to Premier League clubs are set by the applicable season regulations and federation decisions, and current practice provides promotion rights to the top three teams subject to those restrictions. The lowest-placed clubs are relegated to the Second League, with the number of relegation places and special cases defined by the season documents. The First League does not award direct UEFA slots, international qualification is allocated via the Premier League and national cup competitions.
Matches
