UEFA Champions League: Four debutant clubs reach league phase, draws hold on Thursday
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Cypriot side Pafos FC and Norway’s Bodo/Glimt sealed historic qualifications through the playoffs. Pafos, a club founded only 11 years ago, earned their ticket with a dramatic 3-2 aggregate victory over Red Star
Femi Fabunmi
Four clubs will be making their debut when the draw for this season’s UEFA Champions League league phase is conducted on Thursday.
Cypriot side Pafos FC and Norway’s Bodo/Glimt sealed historic qualifications through the playoffs. Pafos, a club founded only 11 years ago, earned their ticket with a dramatic 3-2 aggregate victory over Red Star Belgrade after a 1-1 draw in the second leg.
Bodo/Glimt advanced despite losing 2-1 to Sturm Graz in Austria, progressing 6-2 on aggregate after a convincing first-leg win.
They will be joined by Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium and Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan, who stunned Celtic on penalties. Kairat’s qualification makes them only the second Kazakh club in history to reach the group stage, following Astana’s feat in 2015.
The quartet’s inclusion underlines the growing competitiveness of European football, as fans eagerly await Thursday’s draw to see how these new entrants will fare against Europe’s elite.
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