Pafos FC Celebrates Champions League Debut After Remarkable Rise

Thu Sep 18 2025 00:12:52 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Cypriot football team Pafos FC prepares to make its Champions League debut, marking a swift ascent in the football world just 11 years post-establishment. The club has achieved significant milestones, including a league title and impressive victories during the qualifiers.

Pafos FC will make its Champions League debut this Wednesday after forming just 11 years ago. The club has experienced rapid growth, winning their first league title and advancing through the qualifying stages to reach Europe's top competition. Star player David Luiz expresses confidence in the team's potential to make a mark in the tournament.

Cypriot side Pafos FC will make their Champions League debut on Wednesday - just 11 years after their formation.

The club has made waves in recent years, playing in Europe for the first time last season and reaching the Conference League last 16, as well as winning their first league title.

This season they have reached another huge milestone in coming through three rounds of qualifying to reach the Champions League proper - one of only two teams, alongside Kazakh outfit Kairat Almaty, to feature for the first time.

Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Dynamo Kyiv, and Red Star Belgrade were all dispatched by Pafos through qualifying.

Their reward is eight matches in the league phase, including a home game against Bayern Munich and a trip to Chelsea, but they start with a trip to Greece to face Olympiakos on Wednesday.

Everybody was in ecstasy, former Brazil and Chelsea defender David Luiz, who joined the club in August, told BBC Sport about the moment Pafos qualified.

Everybody was totally happy because we did something amazing. Nobody expected us to be in the Champions League this season.

I'm very happy to be here because I can see this feeling, with everybody's hunger to do something great.

Pafos was formed in 2014 through the merger of AEK Kouklia and AEP Paphos, with a vision to create a sustainable competitive football club in Cyprus.

After years of fluctuating performance, the club turned a new corner following the arrival of Spanish coach Juan Carlos Carcedo in June 2023, leading them to win their first major trophy and the league title.

Despite its growth, Pafos faces a challenging path ahead, but Luiz is optimistic about their chances in the Champions League. Nobody expected many things for us in the Champions League, but I think we can do something special, he remarked.