Four Champions League debutants have officially sealed their spots in the draw and could be potential opponents for the six English clubs in the competition.
Cypriot side Pafos FC and Norway’s Bodo/Glimt will make their first appearances this season after sealing impressive victories through the qualifying play-offs.
Pafos, who were founded just 11 years ago, scored an 89th-minute equaliser to draw 1-1 with Red Star Belgrade last night, clinching a dramatic 3-2 win on aggregate.
Bodo/Glimt made light work of their tie, progressing courtesy of a 6-2 aggregate thumping of Austrian outfit Sturm Graz, despite losing the second leg 2-1.
Both clubs will be joined in the prestigious tournament by Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty, who shocked Celtic on penalties, and Belgian giants Union Saint-Gilloise.
Celtic’s Champions League dreams were dashed over two agonising goalless legs, before they blew their chance by missing three spot-kicks in the decisive shootout, ensuring Kairat became only the second Kazakh side to qualify after Astana in 2015.
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Whoever is drawn alongside the minnows faces an arduous 3,600-mile trip out to central Asia, a gruelling eight-hour flight experienced by Chelsea before they faced Astana on their way to winning the Conference League last season.
The Blues played the arduous away fixture in Almaty, in the south of Kazakhstan, instead owing to renovations to the stadium originally down to host.
They avoided adapting to the time zone, which is five hours ahead of the UK, and were forced to brave brutal sub-zero temperatures in a 3-1 victory.
Pafos, meanwhile, began their Champions League campaign in the second qualifying round in mid-July before beating Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dynamo Kyiv.
Taking a 2-1 lead into the second leg, Jaja scored an equaliser one minute from time to seal their progression, after Mirko Ivanic had given Red Star the lead on the night.
The Cypriot champions have become just the third side from the country to reach the Champions League, following in the footsteps of Apoel and Anorthosis Famagusta.
Former Chelsea, Arsenal and PSG defender David Luiz is on their books, having joined the club earlier this month after leaving Fortaleza at the start of 2025. His arrival was hailed as a ‘landmark’ and ‘the most historic moment in Cypriot football’.
‘David Luiz Moreira Marinho is a true titan of modern football,’ Pafos said. ‘For over 15 years, he has competed at the pinnacle of the sport, earning admiration around the globe for his commanding presence, technical brilliance, and unmistakable charisma.
‘Throughout his illustrious career, he has left a lasting legacy at every club.’
Elsewhere, Bodo/Glimt, four-time winners of the Eliteserien, became the first Norwegian outfit to reach the tournament proper since Rosenborg in 2007.
The club, located 124 miles north of the Arctic Circle, memorably reached the Europa League semi-finals last season, before being knocked out by winners Tottenham.
The draw for the league phase of the Champions League will take place on Thursday at 5pm BST in Monaco, and the pots have all but been confirmed.
Once again, all 36 competitors will be separated into four pots before playing eight different opponents – four matches at home and four away.
The three Premier League sides in Pot 1, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, will each have to play two of PSG, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona, a tricky start to the tournament.
The first matchday will take place between 16 and 18 September.
