Kazakhstan is producing one of its most exciting generations of young footballers in years and Football Manager 2027 gives you the chance to find them before the rest of Europe does.
From Kairat’s prolific academy to youngsters already breaking through elsewhere in the Kazakhstan Premier League and even moving abroad, there are plenty of players worth adding to your FM27 shortlist. Some can be picked up cheaply, others will require a bigger investment, and a few may have to sit on your scouting list until they become available.
This list picks out 10 of the best Kazakhstan wonderkids and young players to sign or monitor in FM27.
A quick guide to CA and PA
You will see Current Ability (CA) and Potential Ability (PA) referenced throughout the list. Both are measured on a scale of 1-200. CA represents roughly how good a player is right now, while PA represents the maximum level they could potentially reach.
For context, Kylian Mbappé has a CA of 192 in FM27.
Some younger players are given a variable PA range rather than one fixed number. That means their potential can differ from save to save, while actually reaching that ceiling will depend on development, playing time, training, injuries and other factors.
If some of these players do not appear when starting your save, I have also put together a quick guide to loading Central Asian players and leagues in Football Manager.
Olzhas Baibek
Club: Qairat Almaty | Position: DM,MC
Current Ability: 100 | Potential Ability: 110-140
The first of several Kairat players on this list, Baibek comes from Kazakhstan’s most productive academy, which has gained even more international attention since Dastan Satpayev’s move to Chelsea. He has steadily risen through Kairat’s system, impressed at youth and second-tier level and has now completed his second full season around the senior side, while also making 15 appearances for Kazakhstan’s U21s.
In FM27, he looks like a very sensible low-cost midfield option. His 15 determination stands out alongside 14s for aggression, teamwork and work rate, while passing, tackling and technique are all rated 12. At around £750,000, Baibek offers a useful mix of first-team experience, defensive reliability and room to develop.
Amirbek Bazarbayev
Club: Qairat Almaty | Position: DM,MC
Current Ability: 85 | Potential Ability: 120-150
Another product of the Kairat system, Bazarbayev has just completed his second season of professional football with Kairat-Zhastar in Kazakhstan’s second tier, playing almost 2,000 minutes and earning his Kazakhstan U21 debut. The underlying numbers are particularly impressive: among regular centre-backs in the division, the 19-year-old ranks among the league’s best for defensive duels and aerial duels won, while also progressing the ball well from the back.
Bazarbayev already has 13 tackling, 12 marking and passing, 15 aggression and an excellent 17 determination, while being naturally left-footed only adds to his appeal. With his contract entering its final year, you can potentially get him for around £375,000 or gamble on waiting and try to pick him up for free at the end of the season.
Aldiyar Nurgali
Club: Levante B | Position: AM,RL
Current Ability: 89 | Potential Ability: 120-150
Nurgali came through Kairat’s system before taking the unusual route to Spain, initially joining Historics Valencia and later entering Levante’s academy. Now 18, he has stepped up to Levante B in 2026/27, who compete in Group VI of the Tercera Federación, the fifth tier of Spanish football, while remaining part of Kazakhstan’s U19 setup. His Levante contract runs until 2029.
In FM27, he already looks made for a direct wide role. Nurgali has 14 acceleration and flair, 13 dribbling, pace and agility, and can operate from either flank. He is still raw technically in places, but at around £450,000, he is a fairly low-risk option with plenty of upside.
Azamat Tuyakbaev
Club: Qairat Almaty | Position: AM,RLC
Current Ability: 100 | Potential Ability: 120-150
Tuyakbaev is one you may have to wait for. His promotion from Kairat’s reserve side to the first team is treated as a move to a new club in FM27, meaning he cannot be signed immediately. After scoring 11 goals in 19 games for Kairat-Jastar, he stepped up this season and produced four goals and five assists in 20 senior appearances, mostly from the bench, while also featuring in European qualifying and making his Kazakhstan debut.
His FM27 profile combines 14 dribbling and technique with 13 first touch, flair and several useful set-piece attributes, alongside traits to curl the ball and use the outside of his foot. Despite playing only around 830 league minutes, Tuyakbaev ranked among the division’s leading midfielders for progressive carries, acceleration with the ball, assists, smart passes and a number of shooting metrics.
Maksat Abraev
Club: FK Astana | Position: AM,RL,ST
Current Ability: 105 | Potential Ability: 120-150
Sadly another player you will have to wait to sign, having only recently joined Astana, but his rise has been unusually quick. Unlike several names on this list, he skipped Kazakhstan’s second tier entirely: after scoring nine goals in 18 QJ League appearances at U18 level, his first full season of professional football came in the Kazakh Premier League. Despite Astana enduring a turbulent year off the pitch, he produced three goals and three assists in 26 appearances, has already got two senior Kazakhstan caps.
Abraev is a direct right-footed winger who likes to attack defenders, with 14 dribbling and acceleration, 13 agility and technique, and traits to run with the ball often and try tricks. His slight frame is the obvious weakness, strength is only six, but his low centre of gravity and explosiveness make him dangerous in space. With clubs in Belgium and the Netherlands already showing interest in real life, he feels like a player whose reputation could grow very quickly.
Zhasulan Amir
Club: Ordabasy | Position: M RC, AM RLC, ST
Current Ability: 105 | Potential Ability: 120-150
Zhasulan is already well beyond the “promising youngster” stage. He finished his breakthrough season with eight goals and five assists in 28 league appearances as Ordabasy won the Kazakhstan Premier League, was named the league’s Young Player of the Year and has already collected five senior Kazakhstan caps. His versatility is a huge part of the appeal too, with Amir comfortable across the front line and capable of playing wide, behind the striker or through the middle. Plenty of growing overseas interest in him, including Norwegian scouts urging Rosenborg to make a move.
His contract is shown as expiring at the end of 2026, although Ordabasy are still asking for a meaningful fee and a bid around £1.1 million can be enough to start negotiations. You are getting 14 acceleration, 13 finishing and technique, 16 determination and 15 natural fitness, alongside enough dribbling, vision and off-the-ball movement to use him in several attacking roles. For a player already producing at senior level, winning trophies and breaking into his national team, that price still looks very reasonable.
Ismail Bekbolat
Club: Qairat Almaty | Position: AM R, ST
Current Ability: 100 | Potential Ability: 130-160
Kairat’s long-term investment in its academy, coaching and youth infrastructure is bearing fruit, and the club’s 2008 generation may be the clearest evidence yet. Satpayev is the headline name, but Bekbolat is another serious prospect. After prolific youth and reserve seasons, he broke into the first team in 2026, made his senior Kazakhstan debut and also impressed in Europe, recording a goal and two assists during Kairat’s Champions League campaign before later scoring in the Conference League. UEFA lists him with one goal and two assists across six Champions League appearances in 2026/27.
A forward who simply makes things happen. Bekbolat has 13 finishing, technique, acceleration and pace, 14 flair and an excellent 16 determination, while he can play from the right or through the middle. His real-world data backs that attacking output up, ranking highly for assists, expected assists, progressive carries and touches in the box. At around £2.8 million he is one of the more expensive Kazakh-based players here, but at just 18 that’s not bad.
Vitaliy Laturnus
Club: FK Aqtobe | Position: AM RL, ST
Current Ability: 105 | Potential Ability: 130-160
Kazakh-German forward Laturnus is one of the more entertaining prospects on this list. In his first real taste of Premier League football, he managed four goals and an assist from just 13 appearances and a little over 300 minutes before injury disrupted his season in late July. His first professional league goal was an overhead kick and remarkably, so was his 2nd.
FM27 reflects that unpredictability with 15 flair, 14 technique and agility, 13 dribbling and acceleration, plus traits to use the outside of his foot, try tricks and attempt overhead kicks. He has only just joined Aktobe, so this is not an immediate transfer to chase, but he is absolutely one to keep on your shortlist and revisit later in the save.
Daulet Orynbasar
Club: Qairat Almaty | Position: ST
Current Ability: 90 | Potential Ability: 140-170
The youngest player on this list, Orynbasar could eventually challenge the reputation of the man sitting at No.1. The Kairat striker has dominated Kazakhstan’s U18 QJ League, finishing as top scorer with 20 goals in 20 appearances last season before repeating the feat with another 20 in 18 this year. For comparison, Dastan Satpayev scored 19 goals in 12 QJ League appearances during his standout 2024 campaign, making Orynbasar another example of just how productive Kairat’s academy has become.
At only 161cm, his physical development is the obvious question mark, and FM27 reflects that with just four strength and five stamina. What he already has, though, is explosive movement: 16 acceleration and balance, 17 agility, 14 finishing and 13 dribbling, first touch and technique. Kairat will not let him go cheaply, with a deal likely to cost somewhere in the £2.3-3 million range, but at 17 his ceiling makes him one of the most exciting long-term bets on this list.
Dastan Satpayev
Club: Burnley (On Loan) | Position: AM RL, ST
Current Ability: 125 | Potential Ability: 150-180
Satpayev is undoubtedly the player most readers will already know. His move from Kairat to Chelsea made him Kazakhstan’s most high-profile young export and the clearest example yet of what the Almaty academy can produce. He sits comfortably at No.1 here because his ceiling is on another level: in the right save, Satpayev can develop towards the kind of Current Ability associated with elite Premier League attackers such as Bukayo Saka.
The downside is that, just like in the previous Football Manager, you cannot simply buy him at the start of the game. Satpayev belongs to Chelsea and begins FM27 on loan at Championship side Burnley, so you will need to wait before even thinking about a permanent move. With 16 acceleration, 14 finishing, composure, natural fitness and pace, plus 17 determination at just 17, though, he is comfortably the standout Kazakh wonderkid in the database.
That wraps up our pick of the best Kazakhstan wonderkids in FM27. Next up: Uzbekistan, with another list of young players worth scouting in Football Manager 2027.