QJ League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Founded | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Country | Kazakhstan |
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) |
| Number of clubs | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| International cup | UEFA Youth League |
| Current champions | Kairat (3rd title) (2025) |
| Most championships | Kairat (3rd title) |
| Broadcaster(s) | Qazsport, QSport |
| Website | qjl.kz |
| Current: 2025 QJ League | |
The QJ League (Kazakh: Футболдан Қазақстан жасөспірімдер лигасы, Futboldan Qazaqstan jasöspırımder ligasy) — Kazakhstan Youth Football League, in which youth teams of professional football clubs in Kazakhstan take part. The official name according to the regulations from the 2023 season is Freedom QJ League. One of the ways to decipher the name — Qazaqstan Junior League.
Founded in 2023. In February of that year, at a meeting of the executive committee of the KFF, QJ League was granted exclusive organizational and commercial rights to conduct part of the youth competitions in the senior age categories. Under a memorandum signed with the KFF, the project's генеральным партнером (general partner) is Freedom Holding. The QJ League Board of Trustees is chaired by Kazakhstani entrepreneur and financier Timur Turlov, while the league president is well-known Kazakhstani and Russian football official Rokhus Shokh.[1] The project received approval and support from the President of the KFF, Adilet Barmenkulov. During his working visit to Kazakhstan on May 3, 2023, FIFA President Gianni Infantino meet with the league project, expressed full support, and wished it successful development.[2]
In 2024, the league expanded with the launch of competitions for boys under 17. In addition to Division A, which mirrors the U-18 tournament in structure, Division B was also established. As a result, eight new cities joined QJ League.[1]
In total, in 2025, 1,620 players from 54 teams representing 18 cities of Kazakhstan participated in Freedom QJ League tournaments. A total of 542 matches were played — significantly more than in the two previous seasons combined.[3]
