Faroe Islands vs Kazakhstan: A New Nations League Chapter With Little Room for a Slow Start

The opening match in Group C3 brings together two sides beginning a fresh Nations League campaign with different stories behind them. Faroe Islands enter the meeting at Tórsvøllur after a period in which their performances have given the squad greater belief, while Kazakhstan arrive with John van ’t Schip preparing for his first competitive match in charge. The Kazakhstan coach has had only a short period to establish his ideas, and the federation confirmed that several players suffered injuries before the camp began. For the hosts, the challenge is to make their home advantage count without allowing the visitors to control the rhythm from the opening exchanges. The match therefore carries an immediate tactical question: can the Faroese turn their defensive organization and set-piece threat into sustained pressure, or will Kazakhstan’s greater attacking options create the decisive moments? UEFA lists the fixture as the opening Group C3 game on 26 September, with Slovakia and Moldova completing the section.

Faroe Islands have also made some notable changes to their attacking group before this tournament begins. Páll Andrasson Klettskarð withdrew because of a minor injury, with Jørgen Nielsen called into the squad as his replacement by Eyðun Klakstein. The Faroese federation’s current squad, updated on 23 September, includes experienced figures such as Bárður á Reynatrøð, Gunnar Vatnhamar, Viljormur Davidsen and Jóannes Bjartalíð, while 20-year-old Mattias Hellisdal is receiving his first senior call-up. Bjartalíð adds an unusual layer to the contest because he has spent the past year playing for Kazakhstan club FC Kyzylzhar, giving him direct familiarity with football in the visitors’ country. The Faroese preparation has therefore mixed established international experience with an opportunity for younger players to step into a new Nations League cycle.

Kazakhstan’s preparation has been shaped by a new coaching structure and confirmed absences rather than by a settled competitive lineup. Van ’t Schip said the team had been training for around a week and that players arrived gradually before the group was assembled, while he also acknowledged that injuries had forced changes to the original plans. Kazakhstan’s final squad contains 28 players, including Nuraly Alip, Yan Vorogovskiy, Islambek Kuat, Bauyrzhan Islamkhan, Ramazan Orazov and Galymzhan Kenzhebek. Islamkhan, returning to the national team after a period affected by injuries, has been appointed captain after discussions within the coaching staff. He also said Kazakhstan had studied the Faroe Islands and identified counterattacks and set pieces as important features of the hosts’ game, offering a clear indication of one tactical area the visitors have been preparing to manage.

The wider context makes the first 90 minutes particularly important because this group will be played across a compact international schedule, with both teams facing another away assignment only a few days later. Faroe Islands travel to Moldova on 29 September, while Kazakhstan head to Slovakia on the same date before the October fixtures reverse the home-and-away sequence. The two nations also know each other from a meeting in November 2025, when Faroe Islands won a friendly 1-0 in Pula, although that result came outside competitive Nations League football. This time the setting and stakes are different, and neither side can rely on that previous meeting as a guide to what happens here. With the official starting XIs not yet published, the clearest pre-match story is one of tactical adjustment, squad depth and how quickly each coaching staff can impose its intended approach.

🚑 Confirmed Absences Before Kick-Off

The official federation information confirms one Faroese withdrawal through injury. For Kazakhstan, the federation has confirmed that injuries forced changes before the camp, while KFF-linked reporting identifies Alibek Kassym and Islam Chesnokov as unavailable for the opening away fixtures. No officially confirmed long-term or questionable status has been established in the sources reviewed, so those categories are not being invented here.

Faroe Islands
Out / Ruled Out	Páll Andrasson Klettskarð	Minor injury; withdrew from the Nations League squad and was replaced by Jørgen Nielsen

Kazakhstan
Out / Ruled Out	Alibek Kassym	Injured; unavailable for the away matches against Faroe Islands and Slovakia
Out / Ruled Out	Islam Chesnokov	Injured; unavailable for the four September and October Nations League matches

The Faroe Islands confirmed Klettskarð’s withdrawal on 22 September, while Kazakhstan’s coach confirmed before the match that injuries had already forced changes to the squad. Reporting from Vesti.kz, citing a KFF statement, specifically identified Kassym and Chesnokov among Kazakhstan’s injured absences.

⭐ Matchday Personnel Before the Official XIs

The official starting elevens had not been published in the sources checked before this preview, so the tables below identify confirmed squad personnel rather than presenting predicted lineups as fact.

Faroe Islands — Key Personnel
Goalkeeper	Bárður á Reynatrøð	Named in the September–October senior squad
Defender	Gunnar Vatnhamar	Named in the September–October senior squad
Defender	Viljormur Davidsen	Named in the September–October senior squad
Midfielder	Jóannes Bjartalíð	FC Kyzylzhar player with direct knowledge of Kazakh football
Midfielder	Mattias Hellisdal	20-year-old first-time senior international call-up
Forward	Petur Knudsen	Named in the September–October senior squad

Kazakhstan — Key Personnel
Goalkeeper	Temirlan Anarbekov	Included in the official 28-player squad
Defender	Nuraly Alip	Senior defender and captain before the latest leadership decision
Defender	Yan Vorogovskiy	Included in the official 28-player squad
Midfielder	Bauyrzhan Islamkhan	Returned to the national team and confirmed as captain
Midfielder	Islambek Kuat	Included in the official 28-player squad
Forward	Galymzhan Kenzhebek	Included in the official 28-player squad

Kazakhstan’s official squad was announced by the federation on 14 September and contains 28 players. Faroe Islands’ current senior squad was updated on 23 September and includes Hellisdal, who is entering the senior setup for the first time.

🗞️ What the Camps Are Saying Before the First Whistle

• Kazakhstan: John van ’t Schip said the squad had worked with energy during its week of preparation and was looking forward to the first match of his competitive tenure with the team.
• Kazakhstan: Bauyrzhan Islamkhan said the team had studied Faroe Islands’ recent matches, specifically mentioning counterattacks and set pieces as features of the hosts’ approach.
• Faroe Islands: The FSF has highlighted Jóannes Bjartalíð’s unusual connection to the fixture, with the midfielder having played for FC Kyzylzhar in Kazakhstan during the previous year.
• Faroe Islands: The federation has also presented Mattias Hellisdal’s first senior call-up as a major opportunity for the young midfielder during the new Nations League campaign.

📌 Match Details & Key Points

• Competition: UEFA Nations League 2026/27 — League C, Group C3
• Fixture: Faroe Islands vs Kazakhstan
• Date: 26 September 2026
• Venue: Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn
• Kick-off: 18:00 CET according to UEFA’s fixture list
• Other Group C3 teams: Slovakia and Moldova
• Faroe Islands next Nations League match: Away to Moldova on 29 September
• Kazakhstan next Nations League match: Away to Slovakia on 29 September

The key variation for this preview is a tactical-contrast structure: rather than building the story around the venue or the date, the article follows how each side intends to deal with the other’s principal match characteristics, while keeping confirmed injuries and squad information separate from any predicted lineup. UEFA confirms the match as one of the League C fixtures on Matchday 1.

⚽Full Match
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⚽Highlights
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