Now, the Champions League has kicked off for the 25/26 season, and the regular names are amongst the competition. Real Madrid, Liverpool, Barcelona and so on. Then you see the name, Pafos FC, who? You may be thinking. Who is this team that has made it to the Champions League proper?

A Brief History

You may be forgiven for not knowing who Pafos are, but now that they are here, they cannot be forgotten. Pafos are a Cypriot side competing in the Cypriot First Division. The club were formed in 2014 after a merger between AEP Paphos and AEK Kouklia, representing the Paphos region of Cyprus.

First Taste Of Europe

The club, domestically, play out of the Stelios Kyriakides Stadium. In their home, they have begun to punch well above their weight for a club that has recently turned 11 years old. A first honour came in the 23/24 season with victory in the Cypriot Cup. Leading the club into European competition for the first time. Losing in the 1st Europa League qualifying round comfortably to Elfsborg of Sweden, Pafos turned it around and made it through the three following rounds to reach the Conference League proper. Finishing 12th and eventually being knocked out by Djurgården of Sweden.

Once Pafos got their first taste of European football, they wanted more, and they wanted it quickly. The 24/25 season was one to remember. Defying the odds and investing wisely, Pafos won the Cypriot First Division, the first in their history, and many think it may be the first of many to come.

A Champions League Journey Begins

With Cyprus being relatively low in the UEFA coefficient rankings, this did not guarantee safe passage to the Champions League, instead placing them straight into the 2nd qualifying round. Now comes the real test. Experienced top-level teams provide the stern obstacles blocking the path of Pafos to the Champions League. First up, Israeli giants, Maccabi Tel Aviv. Already a game, Pafos are underdogs, but this becomes a theme in their qualification run.

A hard thought 1-1 draw in Cyprus, perhaps, isn’t the result that filled the fans with hope. An away trip to Serbia was next, as Maccabi Tel Aviv currently cannot play in Israel due to UEFA deeming Israel unsafe for continental competition, with the club needing a result. The Pafos boys, however, were up for the challenge. Brazilian winger Jajá but the allocated away side in front after 40 minutes, and that’s where the score line remained, a 1-0 win away in Serbia in front of just 400 fans, a historic moment.

Next up to the plate, the Ukrainian side, Dynamo Kyiv. Another situation similar to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Unable to play in their home nation due to outside circumstances that have led UEFA to deem the country unsafe for continental competition. 1st leg away in Poland, the Cypriots steal a win in the 84th minute. A 1-0 lead going into a home leg. Quietly confident. With all right to be, a comfortable 2-0 win with journeyman Mislav Oršić scoring the opener.

Will the fairy tale become reality? Standing in the way are European Cup winner Red Star Belgrade. Away in Belgrade, fans must have been pinching themselves, a 1st minute goal, stunning the Serbian giants. Pafos played their own game and didn’t fear the occasion. Scoring again and seeing the game out with a 2-1 win. Leading 2-1 going into the second leg in Cyprus, many fans would probably have been pessimistic about coming out with a positive result. This looked to be the case when Ivaníc gave Red Star a 1-0 lead in the 60th minute, tying the game on aggregate. What happened next, though, would have been beyond the wildest dreams of any Pafos fan. Brazilian Jajá stepping up again. An 89th-minute goal sent the Pafos faithful into raptures and saw them reach the Champions League for the first time in their history.

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Can Pafos cause problems for the regulars? Possibly. A very difficult draw awaits them, beginning with an away trip, just across the Mediterranean to Greece, where they will play Olympiacos. Games in which Pafos may aim to win could be the first game in Greece, as well as Slavia Prague of the Czech Republic, and fellow new boys Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan. If Pafos were to progress past the League Phase, they would need some positive results against these clubs, as it is unlikely they will take points from Bayern Munich, Juventus or Chelsea.

If it wasn’t already difficult for the debutants, UEFA have deemed their home stadium unfit for purpose in the Champions League and falls short of UEFA standards. Therefore, the home games will be held at the Alphamega Stadium in the Limassol District.

A Big Signing Or A Marketing Stunt?

In positive news, and perhaps a story the reader may have seen, Pafos have completed the signing of ex-Premier League defender and Brazil centre back David Luiz. He has come out in a press release stating that he will give it all for his new club, particularly when asked about his upcoming game against his former club, Chelsea. Many see his move to Cyprus as a marketing strategy to attract more players to this region of the world, but who can blame them? The league is improving with better players moving to the Mediterranean island more frequently than before.

Will Pafos be successful in the Champions League? Perhaps not. But the club are not here to be the easy draw. They will go into every game with the intention of winning. Not a team to sit behind the ball and soak up pressure. A team full of attacking intent and striving to outscore their opponents in every game, as opposed to playing for a draw. The long-term plan is to ensure that this isn’t a once-in-a-lifetime Champions League appearance, but the beginning of a dynasty that will hopefully see them become the driving force behind Cypriot football, as opposed to fellow Cypriots APOEL FC or Omonia Nicosia. Bookmark this, Pafos will qualify for multiple European League Phases in the next 10 years. This club is here to stay.

Written and Researched by BSc Cavan Campbell

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