Cypriot side Pafos FC will make their Champions League debut on Wednesday - just 11 years after their formation.
The club have made waves in recent years, playing in Europe for the first time last season and reaching the Conference League last 16, as well as winning their first league title.
This season they have reached another huge milestone in coming through three rounds of qualifying to reach the Champions League proper - one of only two teams, alongside Kazakh outfit Kairat Almaty, to feature for the first time.
Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Dynamo Kyiv and Red Star Belgrade were all dispatched by Pafos through qualifying.
Their reward is eight matches in the league phase, including a home game against Bayern Munich and trip to Chelsea, but they start with a trip to Greece to face Olympiakos on Wednesday.
Everybody was in ecstasy, former Brazil and Chelsea defender David Luiz, who joined the club in August, told BBC Sport about the moment Pafos qualified.
Everybody was totally happy because we did something amazing. Nobody expected us to be in the Champions League this season.
In June 2023, Pafos appointed Spaniard Juan Carlos Carcedo, a former assistant to Unai Emery. Under his leadership, the club achieved its first major title, winning the 2023–24 Cypriot Cup and later clinching the league title, paving their way to the Champions League.
I think we can do something special, Luiz expressed, highlighting the potential of the team in Europe. Pafos FC's journey exemplifies how passion, community spirit, and ambitious vision can create sustainable success in sport.
