Small clubs, big dreams: The minnows trying to shock the Champions League giants

With the final Champions League play-offs matches concluding this week, we now know every club that will compete in this year's edition, one that will prove historic for the expanded competition.

We already know which of the usual contenders are in this year, with the likes of champions PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City awaiting Thursday's draw to discover just how difficult their 2025/26 campaign will be.

This year's competition promised to not just be outstanding because of the superstar teams involved but further interest and intrigue is added with some of the new and smaller clubs that will appear after impressive displays in the play-offs.

With the involvement of Bodø/Glimt and FC Kairat, this year's Champions League has it's biggest geographical stretch in history, with Bodø/Glimt sitting right next to the Artic Circle, while Kairat is in a country that has its border next to China.

While we know everything about the likes of Liverpool, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich, not much is known about some of these unexpected Champions League contenders.  

DAZN News's Rebecca Perez Taylor has everything you need to know about these clubs.

FK Bodø/Glimt - Norway

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The Norwegian team FK Bodø/Glimt secured a place in the Champions League proper for the first time in their history with an impressive 6-2 aggregate victory over Sturm Graz.

They are located north of the Arctic Circle and have dominated the Eliteserien league in recent years, winning the title four times in the last five years.

This will not be the first time the club has participated in a European competition, although appearances have been few and far between.

They first participated in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1976 when they were knocked out by Napoli, a team that they have a chance of meeting again this season.

FK Bodø/Glimt then had to wait until 2004 to taste European action again, this time in the UEFA Cup. They were eliminated in the first round by Beşiktaş.

Another long wait to 2020, where they found success in the UEFA Europa League, going further than ever before until a narrow 3-2 defeat to Italian giants AC Milan in the third round.

They backed up that success with a Champions League debut in 2021, but lost in the first qualifying round against Legia Warsaw in a 5-2 aggregate defeat.

They will hope their first appearance in the top tier of European football will inspire their form to some famous results.

Pafos FC - Cyprus

Pafos FC is one of the youngest clubs to ever participate in the Champions League, having only been founded in 2014 after a merger of AEP Paphos and AEK Kouklia.

Since their formation, they've had a bit of a bumpy ride. They began life in the Cypriot second division, but found instant success with promotion in their first season.

While they expected to kick on, rather than building in the top flight, they struggled and were immediately relegated.

A quick rebuild saw a return to the top table in 2017, where they have been ever since, slowly building on and off the pitch.

After eight years they finally completed their journey, winning their league in 2024 to pave the way to their first Champions League appearance.

After gaining important European experience in the Europa Conference League last season, they progressed to the Champions League proper with a 3-2 aggregate win over Crvena Zvezda in the play-offs.

FC Kairat - Kazakhstan 

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While FC Kairat would normally be considered the smallest and least known club in the Champions League, they are already the team on everybody’s' lips after their stunning victory over Champions League regulars Celtic.

Despite being overwhelming underdogs, the Kazakhstan outfit held the Scottish champions to 0-0 scoreline on aggregate over the two legs, holding their nerve to progress on penalties 3-2.

The oldest club in Kazakhstan, founded in 1954, they have taken many forms, originally known as Lokomotiv Alma-Ata, going through a series of name changes until finally being called Kairat in 1956.

Playing in the Kazakhstan Premier League, they face the additional pressure of representing the largest city in the country and delivered glory to their large fanbase in 2020, ending a sixteen year wait to lift the Kazakhstan Premier League trophy.

Flight times to cities such as London, Paris and Barcelona range from 9-13 hours. While that will take its toll on the Kairat squad for away games, the club will be hoping to take advantage of travel-jaded opponents when on home soil to claim some famous Champions League scalps in their first showing in the elite competition. 

How to watch the Champions League in Canada and New Zealand on DAZN

Soccer fans in Canada and New Zealand can watch every Champions League match during the 2025-26 season on DAZN.

For pricing information and to sign up to watch, click here.