In Uralsk, a tender for the design and construction of an indoor football stadium with a capacity of 12 thousand spectators has been announced again. The cost of the project is 33.34 billion tenge, but an application for its financing from the Infrastructure Development Fund was rejected. At the same time, the final sources of financing for the construction have not yet been determined.
WHY THE TENDER WAS ANNOUNCED AGAIN
Previous tenders for the construction of the stadium were cancelled several times due to the absence of participants. The results of the new tender are to be summed up on 12 November 2026, reports Uralskaya Nedelya.
The regional maslikhat took the decision to include the facility in the list of projects implemented under turnkey construction contracts on 12 August 2026. 1 million tenge was allocated from the regional budget for conducting the tender procedures.
WHERE THE AUTHORITIES INTEND TO GET THE MONEY
According to the response from the Construction Department of the West Kazakhstan Region (WKR), the republican budget commission rejected the akimat's application for financing the stadium from the Infrastructure Development Fund.
At the same time, the head of the WKR Construction Department, Nurken Moldashev, denied this information. According to him, the funds for construction are expected to be requested from the republican budget, the Infrastructure Development Fund and other sources.
The WKR Finance Department also named the Special State Fund, which accumulates funds from the sale of assets returned to the state, among the possible sources.
HOW THE AUTHORITIES JUSTIFY THE NEED FOR THE STADIUM
Uralsk already has the Petr Atojan Stadium and the Akzhayik Stadium. According to the WKR Finance Department, both facilities have technical and infrastructural limitations and do not fully meet modern requirements for hosting high-level competitions, including UEFA standards.
As one of the arguments in favour of the new construction, the authorities cite the Round of 16 match of the Kazakhstan Cup between Zhaik and Kairat, which took place on 8 April 2026. According to the department, the game was attended by 8,800 spectators, whereas the stated capacity of the Petr Atojan Stadium is 8,320 seats.
WHAT COSTS ARE EXPECTED AFTER CONSTRUCTION
According to the finance department, the new stadium is expected to be used for holding 80–120 events annually. The creation of 30–50 permanent jobs has also been announced.
WHAT THE SCP WILL CHECK
Separately, the question of the justification for the construction was raised by one of the residents of Uralsk. He applied to the Supreme Chamber of Audit (SCP) with a request to check the effectiveness of budget planning, the feasibility study and the design and estimate documentation.
The applicant also proposed comparing the need for a new stadium with the condition of the region's roads, bridges and utility networks.
The SCP's response states that an audit of the effectiveness of the use of budget funds and state assets allocated to the WKR has been included in the state audit plan for the fourth quarter of 2026. The main stage of the inspection is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
The issues raised by the resident regarding the expediency of building the stadium will be taken into account within the framework of the approved audit programme.
