Champions League draw: 4 teams qualify, set for debut appearance
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Football fans are in for fresh excitement as four new names enter the spotlight ahead of Thursday’s draw for the league phase of this season’s UEFA Champions League.
Among the debutants are Pafos FC of Cyprus and Norway’s Bodo/Glimt, two clubs whose journeys to this point have captured attention across Europe.
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For Pafos, the achievement is nothing short of remarkable. Founded only in 2014, the Cypriot side has climbed rapidly through the ranks to now stand among Europe’s elite.
Their historic qualification came at the expense of Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade. After earning a 1-1 draw in the second leg, Pafos edged through 3-2 on aggregate, sparking wild celebrations for a club making history barely a decade after its creation.
Bodo/Glimt, long admired as Norway’s rising powerhouse, also secured a maiden place in the competition. They swept aside Austria’s Sturm Graz with an emphatic 6-2 aggregate win, showcasing their attacking flair.
Although they lost 2-1 in the second leg, the damage had already been done in the first encounter, and their passage was never truly in doubt.
They will be joined by Union Saint-Gilloise, the Belgian side who continue their renaissance on the European stage, and Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan, who stunned Scottish champions Celtic with a penalty shootout victory.
Kairat’s success marks a historic moment for Kazakh football, making them only the second club from the nation to ever reach this stage, following Astana’s breakthrough in 2015.
With these four clubs entering the mix, the 2025/26 Champions League promises fresh storylines, underdog drama, and the chance for new heroes to be written into Europe’s football folklore.
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