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Cypriot team Pafos FC prepare for their historic UEFA Champions League debut this matchday – just a decade plus after the team’s founding.

Over the past few years, the club has made waves by competing in Europe for the initial instance last term, advancing to the Europa Conference League knockout phase and claiming their inaugural league title.

In the current campaign, they have achieved yet one more huge feat by coming through multiple qualifiers of elite European play-offs to reach the group stage – joining only one other sides, together with from Kazakhstan club Kairat Almaty, to make their debut.

Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Ukraine’s Dynamo and Serbian giants Red Star were all defeated by Pafos during the qualifying phase.

Their reward is a series of fixtures in the group stage, featuring a match at home against Munich and an journey to Chelsea, but they begin with a game in Hellenic soil against Greek side Olympiakos this Wednesday.

"Everybody went wild," commented ex- Brazilian and Chelsea defender David Luiz, who joined the team in last month, on the moment Pafos qualified.

"Everybody was elated because we achieved something incredible. No one anticipated us to qualify for the top tournament this term."

"I'm very happy to be here because I can experience this feeling, with everybody's hunger, to accomplish something significant."

Established Eleven Years Ago: An Overview

Pafos were formed in 2014 when two entities from the area merged – AEK and AEP – who also had been created in a merger in 2000 of additional clubs in the district.

They started in the lower league and alternated the second and first division until the 2017 purchase by a Russian entrepreneur, a investor with British citizenship who had a spell as Portsmouth FC proprietor in 2011.

"The aim was clear – we aimed to establish something innovative, something competitive, something long-lasting – not just a football club but one that could contribute to the local area," he commented in a recent interview.

"Cyprus is a country with a profound affection for soccer and, in Pafos, we felt that we had an opportunity to build something from the very beginning."

It wasn’t immediate triumph, though.

"Total Sport Investment have revolutionized the team, 100%. It was a team that had difficulty to remain in the first tier."

"Across the Mediterranean, the emotion is extreme. So, if the team goes well, everybody will attend the ground. If the squad doesn't go well, not a lot of supporters will come. There is nothing in the middle."

"They made some errors, spending that did not yield them results. They have been spending since that year. It involved trial and error to come to this stage."

British Managers Try Their Hand

Scotland's Steven Pressley, now Dundee gaffer, had 19 games in control in 2018.

Welshman the coach had a brief spell in 2019-20.

England's Constantine took the side for eighteen matches in three years ago.

Two former Blackburn Rovers stars took charge, too – ex- Man Utd defender the Norwegian and ex-Real Madrid star the Spaniard, who was technical director but also had brief stints as temporary boss.

During his playing days, ex-Premier League star Puncheon was at Pafos from three seasons.

Success Starts During Tenure of One-Time Gunners Staff

Fortunes shifted with the arrival of Spanish the coach in June 2023. He had been Emery’s assistant manager at several teams, including Arsenal.

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

Carcedo's initial term in command ended with the team’s maiden honor – the last season’s Cyprus Cup, with a comprehensive win over AC Omonia, who were hosting the final for the match.

The following campaign Pafos navigated multiple qualifiers of Europa Conference League entry, finishing in the top half in the league phase and then advancing in the play-offs before being eliminated by the Swedish side in the round of 16.

They ended the season as domestic league winners for the maiden time – securing the title by a clear margin and creating a opportunity to the UCL.

Jaja late finish in Pafos' home game against the Serbian champions to equalize for one-all (on aggregate) confirmed their berth in the league phase.

"The head of state of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides is a massive Pafos FC supporter who visits the arena."

"He attended the game. He saw it with anxiety. At the end he was ecstatic like a youngster. He was overjoyed. There was a viral video of him celebrating like a kid."

"It’s equivalent to winning the title in Cyprus, it's that significant a deal."

"It is a record you put next to your name – one championship, one cup and one elite appearance. It's a major deal here."

'I Think There’s a Chance Achieve Greatness'

This summer, Pafos secured the shock acquisition of centre-back Luiz, who at the age of 38 had been playing for {Fortaleza|Fort