🔗 Share this article

Mediterranean team Pafos FC are set to make their historic UEFA Champions League entry this Wednesday – merely 11 years after the club’s formation.

Lately, the club has generated buzz by entering European tournaments for the very first occasion last term, making it to the UECL round of 16 and winning their first-ever domestic championship.

Now, they have attained yet one more significant milestone by navigating three rounds of Champions League preliminaries to reach the league phase – among just two sides, together with from Kazakhstan team Kairat Almaty, to appear for the first time.

Israeli side Maccabi, Kyiv and Red Star Belgrade were all overcome by Pafos during the preliminary stages.

What they earned is eight matches in the group stage, featuring a fixture on their turf against German champions Bayern and an away trip to Chelsea, but they begin with a fixture in Hellenic soil against Olympiakos this midweek.

"Everybody went wild," said former Brazilian and Chelsea defender David Luiz, who arrived at the team in last month, regarding the moment Pafos secured entry.

"All of us was totally happy because we pulled off something amazing. Nobody predicted us to be in the UCL this season."

"I'm very happy to be here because I can see this atmosphere, with the squad’s ambition, to achieve something special."

Established Eleven Years Ago: An Overview

Pafos were formed in the year 2014 when a pair of teams from the district combined – Kouklia FC and Paphos AFC – who in turn had been set up in a year 2000 union of two other sides in the area.

They commenced in the lower league and moved between between first division until the acquisition in 2017 by Dubov, a Russian businessman with dual nationality who was once as Pompey chairman in 2011.

"The aim was straightforward – we set out to establish something fresh, something competitive, something sustainable – not just a soccer side but one that could give back to the public," he commented not long ago.

"Cyprus is a country with an immense passion for football and, in Pafos, we were confident that we had an chance to grow something from the foundation."

Success did not come overnight achievement, though.

"The investment group have transformed the club, without a doubt. It was a side that had difficulty to survive in the first tier."

"In this region, the enthusiasm is over the top. So, if the club performs, everyone will go to the arena. If the team fails, hardly any fans will show up. It’s all or in the middle."

"They have done some mistakes, expenditure that failed to bring them anything. They have been spending since that year. There was some learning from mistakes to arrive at this stage."

British Managers Take a Turn

Scottish Steven Pressley, currently Dundee boss, had nineteen matches in control in six years ago.

Welshman the coach took twenty-one fixtures in 2019-20.

English the experienced manager led the squad for eighteen matches in 2021.

A couple of ex-Blackburn defenders tried, as well – ex- Manchester United defender the Norwegian and once at Madrid player the Spaniard, who was sporting director but also had two interim periods.

During his playing days, former Premier League player Puncheon was at Pafos from 2019 until 2022.

Progress Arrives With Former Arsenal Assistant

The tide turned with the appointment of Spanish Carcedo in summer of 2023. He had been the Aston Villa boss’ right-hand man at multiple sides, such as the Gunners.

He managed the Spanish side and Zaragoza before switching to Mediterranean football.

The manager’s initial term in control ended with the squad’s inaugural honor – the 2023–24 domestic cup, with a comprehensive win over AC Omonia, who were on their own turf for the match.

Next term Pafos came through three stages of UECL preliminaries, placing twelfth in the league phase and then securing victory in the knockout phase before losing to Djurgardens in the knockout stage.

They finished the campaign as champions of Cyprus for the first occasion – winning the title by a comfortable gap and creating a path to the elite competition.

The midfielder’s late finish in Pafos' fixture on their ground against the Serbian champions to make it one-all (on aggregate) sealed their spot in the main competition.

"Cyprus’ leader of Cyprus Christodoulides is a huge Pafos FC enthusiast who visits the arena."

"He watched the match. He watched it with tension. At the end he was celebrating like a youngster. He was uncontained. There was a online footage of him celebrating like a kid."

"It’s equivalent to winning the league in Cyprus, it's such a huge a accomplishment."

"You can compare it to a milestone you put next to your club’s history – one top honor, a domestic cup and a UCL group stage entry. It's a huge matter here."

'I Think It’s Possible Do Something Special'

In the recent transfer window, Pafos pulled off the shock acquisition of defender Luiz, who at the his late thirties had been playing for {Fortaleza|Fort