 | ||||
| Full name | Pafos Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 10 June 2014 | |||
| Ground | Stelios Kyriakides Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 9,300[1] | |||
| Chairman | Roman Dubov | |||
| Head coach | Albert Celades | |||
| League | First Division | |||
| 2024–25 | First Division, 1st of 14 (champions) | |||
| Website | pafosfc | |||
|
| ||||
Pafos Football Club (Greek: Πάφος F.C.) is a professional football club based in Paphos, Cyprus. Founded on 10 June 2014 following the merger of AEP Paphos and AEK Kouklia, the club represents the wider Paphos region in the Cypriot First Division. Pafos play home matches at the Stelios Kyriakides Stadium, which has a capacity of 9,394, though their European home matches are played at the Alphamega Stadium (capacity 10,830) due to the former falling short of UEFA standards.
The club won their first major honour, the Cypriot Cup, in 2024 and secured a first league championship in 2024–25. Pafos made their European debut in the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2024–25, reaching the round of 16, and entered the UEFA Champions League qualifiers for the first time in 2025–26 as domestic champions.[2] After surviving two 2025–26 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, Pafos also won their subsequent play-off against Red Star Belgrade and advanced to the league phase.[3]
History
Early years (2014–2017)
Pafos FC was formed to consolidate senior football in the Paphos district. AEP Paphos and AEK Kouklia voted to combine operations in June 2014; the new club played its first season in the Cypriot Second Division.[4][5] Pafos won promotion in 2014–15 as Second Division runners-up, were relegated in 2015–16, and returned to the top flight at the first attempt in 2016–17.[6][7][8]
Investment and consolidation (2017–2023)
In 2017 the club came under the control of Total Sports Investments, linked with British-based businessman Roman Dubov, and began a programme of professionalisation across the first team and academy. The training centre in Paphos underwent significant renovation in 2020.[9][10] Spanish coach Juan Carlos Carcedo was appointed head coach in June 2023.[11]
First honours and European debut (2023–present)
Pafos won the 2023–24 Cypriot Cup—the club's first major trophy—by defeating Omonia 3–0 in the final on 18 May 2024 at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia.[12] The victory qualified the club for European competition for the first time.
In 2024–25 Pafos entered the UEFA Europa Conference League in the second qualifying round, overturning a first-leg defeat to Žalgiris with a 3–0 home win to advance 4–2 on aggregate.[13][14] They eliminated CSKA 1948 (after extra time) and CFR Cluj (on penalties) to reach the league phase, where they recorded home wins over Astana and other positive results against seeded opposition.[15][16]
In February 2025, Pafos faced Omonia in what was billed as the first all-Cypriot tie in UEFA competition; after a 1–1 first leg in Nicosia, Pafos won the return in Limassol to advance 3–2 on aggregate to the round of 16, where they were eliminated by Djurgårdens IF.[17][18][19]
Pafos secured the 2024–25 league title—their first—by beating Aris Limassol 4–0 on 5 May 2025 and were officially crowned champions later that month.[20][21]
As Cypriot champions, Pafos entered the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League in the second qualifying round and defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 2–1 on aggregate (1–1 home, 1–0 away at a neutral venue in Serbia).[22][23] In the third qualifying round they beat Dynamo Kyiv 3–0 on aggregate (1–0 away in Lublin, 2–0 home at Alphamega Stadium) to reach the play-off round for the first time.[24][25][26] In the play-offs, Pafos eliminated Serbian side Red Star Belgrade with a 3–2 aggregate victory, securing their first-ever place in the UEFA Champions League league stage.[27][28]
On 5 January 2026, Pafos announced that Head Coach Juan Carlos Carcedo had bought out his contract, and the contracts of Sergio Domínguez Cobo and Sebastián Corona, and had left the club for a new project.[29] Four days later, on 9 January 2026, Pafos announced the appointment of Albert Celades as their new Head Coach on a contract until 2027.[30]
Domestic
European
Honours
| Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | Cypriot First Division | 1 | 2024–25 |
| Cypriot Cup | 1 | 2023–24 |
UEFA club coefficient ranking
UEFA Team Ranking (2025/26)
UEFA Club ranking
| Rank | Country | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 91 |  |
CFR Cluj | 17.500 |
| 92 |  |
Pafos | 17.125 |
| 93 |  |
Nice | 17.000 |
| 94 |  |
Bologna | 16.932 |
Last update: 3 September 2025
Source: [1]
Club's identity
The logo of Pafos FC is a variation of AEP Paphos's logo and a refresh of Pafos FC's first logo, including the name of the team and town and the classic figure of the Cypriot hero Evagoras Pallikarides. The logo also includes the team's colours, blue, white, and gold.[31][32] The emblem was renewed during the period 2018–19, making the depiction of the hero Evagoras Pallikarides more prominent.
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
From 2019 to 2023, Pafos FC's kits were manufactured by Jako. Starting with the 2023–24 season,[33] Pafos FC transitioned to Puma, both for the Main Team and for Academy, as their official kit supplier, though the club retained its core sponsors — Korantina Homes,[34] LF Group,[35] and Cablenet.[36]
Players
- As of 5 February 2026[37]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Current staff
| Senior Management | |
|---|---|
| Vice President | George Ioannou
|
| CEO | Charis Theocharous
|
| COO |  Rustam Khafizov
|
| Sporting Director | Cristiano Giaretta
|
| Head Scout |  Rodolfo Filipe Aniceto Vaz
|
| Senior Scout |  Pedro Henrique
|
| CFA Representative | Filippos Georgiou
|
| Technical staff | |
| Head coach |  Albert Celades
|
| Assistant Coach | Raúl Valbuena
|
| Fitness Coach | Juan José del Ojo López
|
| Goalkeeping Coach |  Silvije Čavlina
|
| Strength Coach | Daniel Caraça
|
| Doctor |  Ivan Akimov
|
| Physio | Nicolas Gonçalves
|
| Physio | Kyriakos Kesidis
|
| Sports Scientist | Luis Vita
|
| Video Analyst | Kaio Fonseca
|
| Team Manager | Xenofon Onisiforou
|
| Nutritionist |  Max Bogaert
|
| Kit Manager | Laurentiu Lungu
|
| Kit Manager | Marius Mihalcea
|
| Other staff | |
| Director of Finance | Egor Tkachenko
|
| Commercial Director | Andrey Finerman
|
| Head of Media and Communications | Christoforos Matheou
|
| Head of Football Operations | Michalis Kiriakou
|
| Media officer | Raphael Michael
|
| Social Media | Alia Spyropoulou
|
| Photographer |  Andrii Lichko
|
Records
Most appearances
- As of match played 1 March 2026
| Name | Years | League apps | League goals | Cup apps | Cup goals | Super Cup apps | Super Cup goals | Europe apps | Europe goals | Total apps | Total goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vlad Dragomir |
2021–Present | 140 | 16 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 4 | 190 | 22 |
| 2 | Jairo |
2021-2025 | 127 | 55 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 162 | 60 |
| 3 |  Onni Valakari |
2020–20225 | 136 | 40 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 158 | 46 |
| 4 | Bruno Felipe |
2023–Present | 98 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 2 | 141 | 12 |
| 5 |  Josef Kvída |
2020–2025 | 124 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 136 | 4 |
| 6 |  Muamer Tanković |
2022–2025 | 96 | 28 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 4 | 134 | 34 |
| 7 | Pêpê |
2023–2024, 2024–Present | 85 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 126 | 8 |
| 8 | Ivica Ivušić |
2023–2025 | 79 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 111 | 0 |
| 9 | David Goldar |
2023–Present | 70 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 110 | 12 |
| 10 | Jajá |
2024–2025, 2025–Present | 62 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 6 | 102 | 14 |
Top goalscorers
- As of match played 1 March 2026
| Name | Years | League apps | League goals | Cup apps | Cup goals | Super Cup apps | Super Cup goals | Europe apps | Europe goals | Total apps | Total goals | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jairo |
2021-2025 | 127 | 55 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 162 | 60 | 0.37 |
| 2 | Onni Valakari |
2020–2025 | 136 | 40 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 158 | 46 | 0.29 |
| 3 | Muamer Tanković |
2022–2025 | 96 | 28 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 4 | 134 | 34 | 0.25 |
| 4 | Anderson Silva |
2024–2025, 2025–Present | 57 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 5 | 95 | 30 | 0.32 |
| 5 | Kévin Bérigaud |
2018-2022 | 68 | 22 | 3+ | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71+ | 24 | 0.34 |
| 6 |  Adam Nemec |
2018–2020 | 42 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 22 | 0.46 |
| 6 | Vlad Dragomir |
2021–Present | 140 | 16 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 4 | 190 | 22 | 0.12 |
| 8 |  João Correia |
2024–Present | 44 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 5 | 74 | 16 | 0.22 |
| 9 | Jajá |
2024–2025, 2025–Present | 62 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 6 | 102 | 14 | 0.14 |
| 10 |  Nassir Maachi |
2015–2016 | 31 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 13 | 0.41 |
Managers
- As of match played 1 March 2026
| Manager name | From | To | Duration | P | W | D | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Radmilo Ivančević
|
1 July 2014 | 14 October 2014 | 105 days | |||||
| Sofoklis Sofokleous
|
1 November 2014 | 9 November 2015 | 1 year, 8 days | |||||
| José Manuel Roca
|
17 November 2015 | 14 December 2015 | 27 days | |||||
| Apostolos Makridis
|
16 December 2015 | 31 May 2016 | 167 days | |||||
| Dimitris Ioannou
|
14 June 2016 | 31 May 2017 | 351 days | |||||
 Luka Elsner
|
30 June 2017 | 21 January 2018 | 205 days | 23 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 26.09 |
 Steven Pressley
|
31 January 2018 | 9 October 2018 | 251 days | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 36.36 |
| Željko Kopić
|
19 October 2018 | 6 November 2019 | 1 year, 18 days | 41 | 16 | 11 | 14 | 39.02 |
| Jeremy Steele (Caretaker)
|
6 November 2019 | 13 December 2019 | 37 days | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 60 |
 Cameron Toshack
|
13 December 2019[38] | 20 October 2020[39] | 312 days | 21 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 38.1 |
| Dmytro Mykhaylenko
|
20 October 2020[40] | 31 January 2021[41] | 103 days | 16 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 25 |
| Stephen Constantine
|
4 February 2021[42] | 30 June 2021[43] | 146 days | 18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 66.67 |
| Darko Milanič
|
30 June 2021[44] | 10 May 2022[45] | 314 days | 33 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 33.33 |
| Míchel Salgado (Caretaker)
|
14 May 2022[46] | 22 May 2022 | 8 days | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
 Henning Berg
|
11 June 2022[47] | 3 April 2023[48] | 296 days | 33 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 51.52 |
| Míchel Salgado (Caretaker)
|
3 April 2023 | 24 June 2023 | 82 days | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 33.33 |
| Juan Carlos Carcedo
|
24 June 2023[11] | 5 January 2026[29] | 2 years, 195 days | 129 | 74 | 25 | 30 | 57.36 |
 Sofyane Cherfa (Caretaker)
|
5 January 2026 | 9 January 2026[30] | 4 days | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Albert Celades
|
9 January 2026[30] | 56 days | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 41.67 |
References
- ^ "Στάδιο Στέλιος Κυριακίδης (πρώην Παφιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο)". Cyprussports.org. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ "El Paphos de Carcedo entra en otra dimensión: "Debemos ser humildes"". AS (in Spanish). Diario AS. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ "Pafos, Bodo/Glimt join Kairat among CL debutants". BBC. BBC. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "Stelios Kyriakides Stadium – Pafos FC". Stadium Journey. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "About – Pafos FC". Pafos FC. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Cyprus 2014/15 Second Division". RSSSF. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Cyprus 2015/16". RSSSF. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Cyprus 2016/17". RSSSF. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Foreign investment turned a football underdog into a champion". Cyprus Mail. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "An online tour of Pafos FC Training Centre (2020)". Pafos FC. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ a b "PAFOS FC new head coach – Juan Carlos Carcedo". Pafos FC. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Καρτσάκης, Νίκος (18 May 2024). "Ομόνοια - Πάφος 0–3: Έγραψαν ιστορία οι Παφίτες, κατακτώντας το πρώτο Κύπελλο της ιστορίας τους". Gazzetta.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Žalgiris 2–1 Pafos – match page". UEFA.com. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Pafos 3–0 Žalgiris – match page". UEFA.com. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "CSKA 1948 – Pafos: as it happened". FotMob. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "CFR Cluj vs Pafos – play-off". UEFA.com. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Omonia and Pafos FC draw 1–1 in first all-Cypriot European match". Cyprus Mail. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Omonoia 1–1 Pafos – match page". UEFA.com. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Djurgården beats Pafos in Europa Conference League Round of 16". News 20. 14 March 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
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- ^ "Pafos 1–1 Maccabi Tel-Aviv – match page". ESPN. 22 July 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Maccabi's Champions League campaign ends with 1–0 defeat to Pafos". Maccabi Tel Aviv FC. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Dynamo Kyiv 0–1 Pafos – match page". UEFA.com. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Pafos 2–0 Dynamo Kyiv – match page". UEFA.com. 12 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Pafos near maiden appearance in Champions League proper after knocking off Dynamo Kyiv". Flashscore. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Champions League play-off second legs round-up: Bodø/Glimt, Kairat Almaty, Pafos through to league phase". UEFA. 26 August 2025.
- ^ "Champions League debut and David Luiz - the rise of Pafos". BBC Sport. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Pafos FC confirms that Head Coach Juan Carlos Carcedo has exercised the contractual clause allowing him to buy out his and 2 of his assistants contracts and has decided to leave the club for a different project". instagram.com/pafosfc. Pafos FC Instagram. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ a b c "Pafos FC appoints Albert Celades as Head Coach". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
- ^ "Πάφος FC: Με διαγωνισμό το έμβλημα του νέου σωματείου". sentragoal.philenews.com. 3 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ "Δείτε το νέο έμβλημα της Πάφος F.C!". protathlima.com. 7 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ @pafosfcofficial (13 July 2023). "We are proud to announce the continuation of our cooperation with Korantina Homes as the Official Main Sponsor of Pafos FC" (Tweet). Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ "«PAFOS FC REACHES RECORD BREAKING DEAL WITH KORANTINAHOMES – CONTRACT EXTENDED FOR 5 YEARS» - Pafos FC - The Official website of Pafos FC!". 5 May 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ "Blog". Thelfgrp. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ "PAFOS FC & CABLENET UNTIL 2027 - Pafos FC - The Official website of Pafos FC!". 13 June 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
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- ^ "DMYTRO MYKHAYLENKO – nEW HEAD COACH". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 20 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ "CONTRACT TERMINATION WITH DMYTRO MYKHAILENKO". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 31 January 2021. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "STEPHEN CONSTANTINE / NEW HEAD COACH OF PAFOS FC". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 4 February 2021. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "END OF CONTRACT WITH STEPHEN CONSTANTINE". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "DARKO MILANIC APPOINTED AS HEAD COACH". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Darko Milanic has been relieved of his duties as Pafos FC Head Coach, effective immediately". facebook.com/fcpafos. FC Pafos Facebook. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Pafos FC football advisor Michel Salgado will be in charge for the last two games of the season as an Interim Head Coach". facebook.com/fcpafos. FC Pafos Facebook. 14 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "HENNING BERG JOINS PAFOS FC AS NEW HEAD COACH". pafosfc.com.cy. Pafos FC. 11 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
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