Pafos FC
| Full name | Pafos Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 10 June 2014 | |||
| Ground | Stelios Kyriakides Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 9,300[1] | |||
| Chairman | Roman Dubov | |||
| Manager | Juan Carlos Carcedo | |||
| League | First Division | |||
| 2023–24 | First Division, 5th | |||
| Website | pafosfc | |||
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Pafos F.C. (Greek: Πάφος F.C.) is a Cypriot professional football club based in Paphos. It was established in 2014 following the merger of two local clubs, AEP Paphos and AEK Kouklia, with the aim of creating a stronger and more competitive team to represent the Paphos region in the top tier of Cypriot football.
The club plays its home matches at the Stelios Kyriakides Stadium, a venue with a capacity of approximately 9,000 spectators. Pafos FC currently competes in the Cypriot First Division. In recent seasons, the club has attracted several international players and coaching staff.
In 2024, Pafos FC qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League for the first time in its history, marking its debut in European competition.[2]
History
Early years (2014–2017)
Pafos FC was formed by a merger between the strongest football forces of the province of Paphos. The club's emblem includes the name of the club and town, and features the figure of Cypriot revolutionary Evagoras Pallikarides. The shape and colours of the emblem (white, blue, and gold) refer to the historical clubs of APOP and AEK Kouklia. The emblem was renewed in the 2018–19 season, making the figure of Pallikarides more visible.
On 10 June 2014, the historic building of AEP Paphos FC hosted the first gathering for the supporters of the merged team, in the presence of politicians, active and veteran football players of Paphos, and hundreds of fans. The first president of the team was Christakis Kaizer, who was previously the president of AEK Kouklia and one of the main people in the effort to create the new team together with the then six-member managing committee of AEP.
As an official home stadium for its obligations in the championship of the first division, the team uses Stelios Kyriakides Stadium (Paphiako Stadium).
The purpose of the club is to promote noble rivalry, "fair play" and culture both through sports activities and through numerous cultural and educational events, and visits to schools, and educational institutions in Paphos. The team has projected a picture of renewal and full professionalism in all departments and levels. An important event is the complete renovation of the training center to the standards of European clubs.
The team's first coach was Radmilo Ivančević, who had served as AEP Paphos's coach in the past.[3]
Pafos FC competed in the 2014–15 Cypriot Second Division, in their first season as a club. The first match in the club's history was against Enosis Neon Paralimni, at the Municipal Stadium of Geroskipou which was the first home stadium of the team. The team finished in second place and was promoted to the first division. In the 2015–16 season, in the first participation of Pafos FC in the first division, the team finished in 12th place and was relegated. Their first victory and the team's first overall victory in the first division came on 12 September 2015 in the third game of the league when Pafos FC defeated Aris Limassol 3–0 at home. The team finished 2nd in the Second Division and was promoted to the First Division in the 2016–17 season.[4][5]
Dubov Era (since 2017)
The following season, Pafos FC remained in the top division, finishing in 10th place under the leadership of their new owner, Total Sports Investments, managed by British businessman Roman Dubov. Changes in the club's structure, the academy's operational processes, renovation of the Pafos FC Training Center along with resounding transfers significantly raised the level of the club which now appears to be one of the most modern and well-equipped teams in Cyprus.
Since Dubov's arrival, the team's placement in the league has improved or remained constant every year, from 2018 until 2023. On 25 February 2022, a new attendance record was set for Pafos FC, as over 4661 fans came to support the club in a 1–1 home draw against Aris Limassol, which secured a place in the championship playoffs for the first time in the club's history.[6] Pafos FC players were the top goalscorers of the Cypriot First Division in the 2018–19, 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons.
On 24 June 2023, Juan Carlos Carcedo was announced as the new Head Coach of Pafos.[7] In May 2024, Pafos won the Cypriot Cup, marking the club's first major honour.[8]
2024–25 season
The 2024–25 season was a landmark campaign for Pafos FC, highlighted by their first-ever appearance in European competition. After securing the Cypriot Cup title in the 2023–24 season—an historic first for the club—Pafos qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League, entering the tournament in the second qualifying round and winning their first league title.
Pafos FC made their debut in the UEFA Europa Conference League during the 2024–25 season. The club entered the competition in the second qualifying round and secured a 4–2 aggregate victory over Lithuanian champions FK Žalgiris, including an impressive 3–0 win at home.[9]
In the first-ever meeting between two Cypriot sides in major European competitions, Pafos FC beat AC Omonia 3–2 on aggregate to reach the last 16 of the 2024-25 UEFA Conference League. [10]
Pafos finished their Conference League performance of season 2024/25 with an average passing accuracy of 84.2%. [11] The team’s structured play and tactical discipline earned them praise domestically and abroad.
In the meantime, in the Cypriot First Division, Pafos continued to build on their momentum. With strong leadership from head coach Juan Carlos Carcedo, the team remained in contention for a top-three finish throughout the season, with a goal to return to European competition again in 2025–26, which was successful as they won their first ever league title and will qualify to the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Honours
| Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | Cypriot First Division | 1 | 2024–25 |
| Cypriot Cup | 1 | 2023–24 |
European history
- As of match played 13 March 2025
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Europa League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| UEFA Conference League | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 27 | 17 |
| Total | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 29 | 25 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q | Elfsborg | 2–5 | 0–3 | 2–8 |
| UEFA Conference League | 2Q | Žalgiris | 3–0 (a.e.t.) | 1–2 | 4–2 | |
| 3Q | CSKA 1948 | 4–0 (a.e.t.) | 1–2 | 5–2 | ||
| PO | CFR Cluj | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | ||
| LP | Petrocub Hîncești | — | 4–1 | 12th Place | ||
| 1. FC Heidenheim | 0–1 | — | ||||
| Astana | 1–0 | — | ||||
| Fiorentina | — | 2–3 | ||||
| Celje | 2–0 | — | ||||
| Lugano | — | 2–2 | ||||
| KPO | Omonia | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | ||
| R16 | Djurgården | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–3 | ||
| 2025–26 | UEFA Champions League | 2Q | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
- Notes
- 1Q: First qualifying round
- 2Q: Second qualifying round
- 3Q: Third qualifying round
- PO: Play-off round
- LP: League Phase
- KPO: Knockout phase play-offs
- R16: Round of 16
Domestic history
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 Pallikaridis. The logo also includes the team's colours, blue, white, and gold.[12][13] 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, marking a period of steady branding and visual identity as the club continued to grow its presence in Cypriot football.
Starting with the 2023–24 season,[14] Pafos FC transitioned to Puma, both for the Main Team and for Academy, as their official kit supplier, aligning the club with a globally recognized sportswear brand. The move was seen as a step toward strengthening the club’s commercial profile and aligning with more prominent European football standards. Despite the change in kit manufacturer, the club retained its core sponsors — Korantina Homes,[15] LF Group,[16] and Cablenet[17] — demonstrating ongoing commercial stability and sustained backing from key partners.
Players
- As of 11 July 2025[18]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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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 | Juan Carlos Carcedo |
| Assistant Coach | Sergio Domínguez Cobo |
| Assistant Coach | Sebastián Corona |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Silvije Čavlina |
| Head Analyst | Andreas Kattamis |
Records
Most appearances
- As of match played 24 May 2025
| Name | Years | League | Cypriot Cup | Super Cup | Europe | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jairo | 2021–2025 | 127 (55) | 16 (4) | 1 (0) | 18 (1) | 162 (60) |
| 2 | Onni Valakari | 2020–Present | 136 (40) | 15 (6) | - (-) | 7 (0) | 158 (46) |
| 3 | Vlad Dragomir | 2021–Present | 117 (12) | 14 (2) | 1 (0) | 18 (3) | 150 (17) |
| 4 | Josef Kvída | 2020–2025 | 124 (4) | 11 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (0) | 136 (4) |
| 5 | Muamer Tanković | 2022–Present | 96 (28) | 14 (2) | 1 (0) | 18 (4) | 129 (34) |
| 6 | Ivica Ivušić | 2023–Present | 79 (0) | 14 (0) | 1 (0) | 17 (0) | 111 (0) |
| 7 | Bruno Felipe | 2023–Present | 76 (5) | 9 (0) | 1 (0) | 18 (1) | 104 (6) |
| 8 | Moustapha Name | 2022–Present | 69 (6) | 11 (1) | 1 (0) | 12 (1) | 93 (8) |
| 9 | Pêpê | 2023–2024, 2024–Present | 61 (3) | 10 (2) | 1 (0) | 14 (0) | 86 (5) |
| 10 | David Goldar | 2023–Present | 58 (9) | 8 (1) | 1 (0) | 17 (2) | 84 (12) |
Top goalscorers
- As of match played 24 May 2025
| Name | Years | League | Cypriot Cup | Super Cup | Europe | Total | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jairo | 2021–2025 | 55 (127) | 4 (16) | 0 (1) | 1 (18) | 60 (162) | 0.37 |
| 2 | Onni Valakari | 2020–Present | 40 (136) | 6 (15) | - (-) | 0 (7) | 46 (158) | 0.29 |
| 3 | Muamer Tanković | 2022–Present | 28 (96) | 2 (14) | 0 (1) | 4 (18) | 34 (129) | 0.26 |
| 4 | Kévin Bérigaud | 2018–2022 | 22 (68) | 2 (3+) | - (-) | 0 (-) | 24 (71+) | 0.34 |
| 5 | Adam Nemec | 2018–2020 | 17 (42) | 5 (6) | - (-) | 0 (-) | 22 (48) | 0.46 |
| 6 | Vlad Dragomir | 2021–Present | 12 (117) | 2 (14) | 0 (1) | 3 (18) | 17 (150) | 0.11 |
| 6 | Anderson Silva | 2024–Present | 11 (35) | 3 (5) | 0 (1) | 3 (16) | 17 (57) | 0.3 |
| 8 | Nassir Maachi | 2015–2016 | 11 (31) | 2 (1) | - (-) | 0 (-) | 13 (32) | 0.41 |
| 9 | David Goldar | 2023–Present | 9 (58) | 1 (8) | 0 (1) | 2 (17) | 12 (84) | 0.14 |
| 10 | Daniel Sikorski | 2017–2018 | 7 (28) | 4 (?) | - (-) | 0 (-) | 11 (28+) | 0.39 |
| 10 | Brayan Angulo | 2018–2019 2020–2021 |
10 (45) | 1 (5) | - (-) | 0 (-) | 11 (50) | 0.22 |
| 10 | Jajá | 2024–Present | 6 (43) | 1 (7) | 0 (1) | 4 (16) | 11 (67) | 0.16 |
Managers
- As of match played 24 May 2025
| 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[19] | 20 October 2020[20] | 312 days | 21 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 38.1 |
| Dmytro Mykhaylenko | 20 October 2020[21] | 31 January 2021[22] | 103 days | 16 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 25 |
| Stephen Constantine | 4 February 2021[23] | 30 June 2021[24] | 146 days | 18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 66.67 |
| Darko Milanič | 30 June 2021[25] | 10 May 2022[26] | 314 days | 33 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 33.33 |
| Míchel Salgado (Caretaker) | 14 May 2022[27] | 22 May 2022 | 8 days | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| Henning Berg | 11 June 2022[28] | 3 April 2023[29] | 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[7] | 2 years, 17 days | 101 | 58 | 18 | 25 | 57.43 |
References
- ^ "Στάδιο Στέλιος Κυριακίδης (πρώην Παφιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο)". Cyprussports.org. Archived from the original on 2021-12-18. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
- ^ "El Paphos de Carcedo entra en otra dimensión: "Debemos ser humildes"". AS (in Spanish). Diario AS. 2024-08-01. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ ΣΥΜΦΩΝΙΑ ΜΕ ΡΑΤΜΙΛΟ ΙΒΑΝΤΣΕΒΙΤΣ (in Greek). pafosfc.com.cy. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ "Cypriot Second Division - Participating and promoted teams per season". 2016-06-24. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ "lucky88". Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "ΤΟΣΟΙ στην Πάφο!". Balla.com.cy. 2022-02-25. Archived from the original on 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
- ^ a b "PAFOS FC NEW HEAD COACH – Juan Carlos Carcedo". pafosfc.com.cy. Pafos FC. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ 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 May 19, 2024.
- ^ https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/live/c10l1yz094gt
- ^ https://cyprus-faq.com/en/south/news/pafos-obygral-omoniyu-v-pervom-kiprskom-derbi-ligi-konferentsii/
- ^ https://www.uefa.com/uefaconferenceleague/clubs/2609532--pafos/
- ^ "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 (2023-07-13). "We are proud to announce the continuation of our cooperation with Korantina Homes as the Official Main Sponsor of Pafos FC" (Tweet). Retrieved 2025-03-25 – via Twitter.
- ^ https://pafosfc.com.cy/pafos-fc-reaches-record-breaking-deal-with-korantinahomes-contract-extended-for-5-years/
- ^ https://www.lf-group.com/blog
- ^ https://pafosfc.com.cy/pafos-fc-cablenet-until-2027/
- ^ "Our Team – PAFOS FC". pafosfc.com.cy.
- ^ "Cameron Toshack". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ "CONTRACT TERMINATION WITH CAMERON TOSHACK". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 20 October 2020. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "DARKO MILANIC APPOINTED AS HEAD COACH". pafosfc.com.cy/. Pafos FC. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "PAFOS FC: HENNING BERG RELIEVED OF DUTIES". facebook.com/pafosfc/. Pafos FC Facebook. 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.