Cyprus’ Pafos FC and Norway’s Bodo/Glimt will make their UEFA Champions League debuts this season after successfully navigating the qualifying play-offs, joining Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan and Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise in the competition’s group stage for the first time.
Pafos, founded just 11 years ago, secured their spot with a dramatic 89th-minute equaliser from Brazilian winger Jaja to draw 1-1 with Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday and complete a 3-2 aggregate win. The Cypriot champions began their European campaign on 22 July, defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dynamo Kyiv before their play-off triumph. They now become only the third club from Cyprus to reach the Champions League proper, after Apoel and Anorthosis Famagusta. Their recent high-profile signing of 38-year-old former Chelsea and Arsenal defender David Luiz further underlines their ambition.
Bodo/Glimt, meanwhile, progressed with a 6-2 aggregate victory over Austria’s Sturm Graz despite a 2-1 loss in the second leg. The club, based 200km north of the Arctic Circle, becomes the first Norwegian side to reach the competition since Rosenborg in the 2007–08 season. Their home, the 8,270-seater Aspmyra Stadion, will now host Champions League nights after the club’s impressive run to the Europa League semi-finals last season, where they were knocked out by eventual champions Tottenham.
Kairat Almaty also earned a maiden appearance in Europe’s top-tier tournament by knocking out Scottish champions Celtic in a penalty shootout after two goalless legs. The Kazakh side joins Astana as only the second team from the country to qualify for the competition. The journey to Almaty, located in central Asia, is set to be one of the most demanding for visiting teams, as evidenced by Chelsea’s 3,600-mile trip to Kazakhstan last season in the Conference League.
Union Saint-Gilloise, champions of Belgium, complete the quartet of debutants and will also be appearing in the group stage for the first time.
The draw for the Champions League league phase takes place on Thursday in Monaco, with the opening matchday set between 16 and 18 September.