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Cypriot team Pafos FC prepare for their historic Champions League entry this matchday – merely eleven seasons following the team’s founding.

In recent seasons, the squad has generated buzz by playing continental football for the very first occasion last season, reaching the Conference League knockout phase and claiming their first-ever top-flight trophy.

This season, they have attained yet a further huge feat by navigating multiple qualifiers of Champions League preliminaries to enter the main competition – joining only one other teams, alongside from Kazakhstan club Kairat Almaty, to make their debut.

Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Ukraine’s Dynamo and Red Star Belgrade were all overcome by Pafos during the entry stages.

What they earned is a series of fixtures in the main round, with a match at home against Munich and an away trip to Chelsea, starting off with a game in Greece against Olympiakos this midweek.

"Everybody was in ecstasy," said veteran Brazilian and Chelsea player Luiz, who arrived at the club in August, on the instant Pafos qualified.

"Everybody was overjoyed because we pulled off something incredible. No one anticipated us to qualify for the Champions League this campaign."

"I'm very happy to be here because I can see this emotion, with everyone’s desire, to accomplish something great."

Formed in 2014: An Overview

Pafos came into existence in eleven years back when a pair of teams from the district merged – AEK and AEP Paphos – who themselves had been created in a year 2000 union of additional teams in the district.

They began in the lower league and bounced around between first division until the 2017 takeover by a Russian entrepreneur, a entrepreneur from Russia with UK passport who had a spell as Portsmouth owner in 2011.

"The goal was straightforward – we set out to create something fresh, something strong, something long-lasting – not just a sports team but one that could give back to the public," he commented not long ago.

"The nation is a place with an immense affection for football and, in Pafos, we were confident that we had an chance to develop something from the very beginning."

Success did not come instant success, however.

"Total Sport Investment have revolutionized the club, entirely. It was a side that had difficulty to stay in the elite league."

"Across the Mediterranean, the emotion is intense. So, if the side performs, all will go to the ground. If the club fails, few supporters will come. It’s all or in the middle."

"They made some mistakes, expenditure that did not yield them results. They have been investing since that year. It involved experimentation to arrive at this stage."

British Managers Have a Crack

Scottish Pressley, currently Dark Blues manager, had 19 games in charge in 2018.

From Wales the coach took a brief spell in 2019-20.

England's the experienced manager coached the side for a brief period in three years ago.

A couple of ex-Blackburn stars tried, as well – ex- Manchester United man the Norwegian and former Real Madrid player Salgado, who was technical director but also had two interim periods.

And as a player, ex-Premier League midfielder the Englishman was at Pafos from three seasons.

The Turnaround Begins During Tenure of Former Arsenal Assistant

Fortunes shifted with the coming of Spaniard Carcedo in June 2023. He had been Unai Emery's right-hand man at multiple clubs, including North London club.

He coached the Spanish side and Zaragoza before switching to Cyprus.

The manager’s first season in charge ended with the club's first-ever trophy – the 2023–24 Cyprus Cup, with a convincing win over Omonia, who were on their own turf for the game.

In his second season Pafos navigated three stages of Conference League entry, placing in the top half in the group stage and then securing victory in the play-off round before losing to Djurgardens in the round of 16.

They concluded the term as domestic league winners for the first time – securing the league by a comfortable gap and opening up a route to the elite competition.

Jaja late goal in Pafos' match at home against the Serbian champions to equalize for one-all (on aggregate) confirmed their spot in the main competition.

"Cyprus’ leader of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides is a very big Pafos FC fan who attends the stadium."

"He was at the match. He watched it with nerves. At the conclusion he was celebrating like a youngster. He was overjoyed. There was a online footage of him cheering like a kid."

"It feels like winning the league in Cyprus, it's that big a achievement."

"It is a milestone you mark next to your legacy – one championship, a domestic cup and one elite appearance. It's a very big matter here."

'We Believe It’s Possible Do Something Special'

In the recent transfer window, Pafos completed the unexpected capture of star the Brazilian, who at the his late thirties had been playing for {Fortaleza|Fort