Kairat, Bodø/Glimt, Pafos, Union. Who are the debutants in the league phase of the Champions League?

The 2025-2026 season is set to be truly unique, as four teams will make their debut in the league phase of the Champions League. The Dailysports team invites you to get acquainted with those tasting elite European football for the first time.

Kairat (Almaty, Kazakhstan)

On their third attempt, the easternmost club in European competitions has finally reached the Champions League. Back in the 2005-2006 season, Kairat crashed out of the Champions League after losing to Slovakia’s Artmedia, and their next try came a full 16 years later. That time, Kairat fell to Crvena Zvezda but made their first appearance in the group stage of the Conference League, finishing fourth in their group.

This season, Kairat defeated Olimpija Ljubljana, KuPS, Slovan, and Celtic—remarkably, the Kazakh giants were unseeded in every round. Notably, Kairat is the first Champions League participant to have previously competed in Asian tournaments, having played in two editions of the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup.

Kairat has long been considered one of Kazakhstan’s football powerhouses, dating back to Soviet times. The team’s seventh-place finish in the Soviet Top League and a run to the cup semifinals remain the highest achievements among all Kazakh clubs.

An away match against Kairat is a serious test for Western European sides. For example, Celtic had to travel a staggering 5,500 kilometers for their match in Almaty!

Bodø/Glimt (Bodø, Norway)

Unlike Kairat, Bodø/Glimt has long been on the radar of European football fans. This club, located north of the Arctic Circle, twice stumbled in the Champions League play-off round, losing to Dinamo Zagreb and Crvena Zvezda.

Back then, the path to the league phase required overcoming many opponents, but this season Bodø/Glimt only needed to defeat Sturm Graz—a task they accomplished comfortably.

The Norwegian side made headlines last season with a memorable Europa League run, becoming the first Norwegian club to reach a European semi-final. Along the way, Bodø/Glimt knocked out the likes of Beşiktaş, Porto, Olympiacos, and Lazio.

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Pafos (Pafos, Cyprus)

Unlike the previous and next teams, Pafos are making their Champions League debut this season. And what a debut—knocking out Maccabi Tel Aviv, Dynamo Kyiv, and Crvena Zvezda. The Cypriot side didn’t lose a single one of their six qualifying games!

This is just Pafos’s second season in European competition. Last year, they reached the Round of 16 in the Conference League, so the European story of this team is still being written.

Union Saint-Gilloise (Brussels, Belgium)

And finally, the last debutant—though this time, no need for qualifiers—Belgium’s Union. You might recognize this team for their three consecutive seasons in the Europa League group stage. But in both the 2022-2023 and 2024-2025 campaigns, they dropped in after being eliminated in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.

The third qualifying round proved a stumbling block, with defeats to Rangers and Slavia Prague. Yet Union made a real impact in the Europa League, reaching the quarter-finals in 2022-2023.