From the Arctic to the Mediterranean: the three Champions League debutants

There are memorable days, but there are also memorable days that become historic. And this Tuesday, in the Champions League, there was a historic day: Pafos, Kairat Almaty, and Bodø/Glimt qualified for the main draw of the millionaire league for the first time , winning their respective playoffs and securing a qualification they had never achieved before.

But let's take it step by step—and by chapter. In Cyprus, Pafos drew with Red Star after beating the Serbians in Belgrade in the first leg, securing their place in the Champions League league stage. The team coached by Juan Carlos Carcedo, who signed David Luiz in the summer transfer window but has yet to count on the Brazilian center-back for this playoff , includes several well-known names in Portuguese football: Domingos Quina, formerly of Vizela and a Portugal U-21 international; Pêpê, formerly of V. Guimarães and Famalicão, also a U-21 international; João Correia, formerly of Chaves; and Bruno Langa, also formerly of Chaves.

???????????? ?????????????????????????????? | Pafos FC have qualified for the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League for the FIRST time in their history! ✈️✅

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— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) August 26, 2025

With this unprecedented qualification, Pafos became the ninth Cypriot club to reach the Champions League, with APOEL being the most successful with 16 appearances and even a historic quarter-final appearance in 2011/12, after eliminating Lyon in the round of 16. Before eliminating Red Star, the Cypriots eliminated Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Dynamo Kyiv, having to go through both qualifying rounds despite being national champions last season.

Something similar happened with Bodø/Glimt. After thrashing Sturm Graz at home in the first leg, the Norwegian team lost in the return leg in Austria but still managed to qualify, reaching the Champions League for the first time. Now two-time national champions, Bodø/Glimt had already surprised everyone last season by reaching the Europa League semi-finals— where they lost to Tottenham and then eliminated Twente, Olympiacos, and Lazio, on a run that also included a victory against Vítor Bruno's FC Porto in the early stages of the competition.

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— FK Bodø/Glimt (@Glimt) August 26, 2025

Bodø/Glimt's qualification, however, also brings a geographical record to the Champions League. Bodø, which despite being in Norway already lies within the Arctic Circle, will thus be the northernmost city to host a match in Europe's premier competition— in a complex meteorological environment, with temperatures below freezing and snowfall on the Norwegians' hybrid pitch.

Finally, the night was also historic in Kazakhstan. After a goalless draw in Scotland, Kairat Almaty and Celtic again drew a blank in the second leg and had to decide the playoff on penalties: where goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov, just 21 years old, became a hero by saving three penalties and securing the Kazakhs' unprecedented qualification.

More than qualifying, Kairat Almaty also became the first team to reach the Champions League main draw after entering in the first qualifying round, beating Olimpija, Kups, and Slovan Bratislava along the way. The team, which features Portuguese players Jorginho and Luís Mata, is the second Kazakh club to reach the competition, after Astana, and also set a geographical record: it is the most eastern team to ever participate in the Champions League, with Almaty being 6,907 kilometers from Lisbon, a 14-hour flight.

Kairat made history and qualified for the Champions League for the first time

⚠Kairat entered the 1st qualifying round of the Champions League – they were the only team that entered that round to reach the regular stage of the competition and had to eliminate 4 opponents: Olimpija??????????? Kups

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— Playmaker (@playmaker_PT) August 27, 2025