Champions League Welcomes Its Most Northern and Eastern Clubs in History

The upcoming UEFA Champions League group stage promises fresh storylines and historic firsts, as four debutants — FC Kairat, Bodø/Glimt, Pafos FC, and Union Saint-Gilloise — join Europe’s elite for the first time. But it's Kairat and Bodø/Glimt who are truly breaking new ground.

FC Kairat, based in the former Kazakh capital of Almaty, has become the most easterly club ever to compete in the Champions League group stage. Nestled near the Chinese border, Almaty lies far beyond UEFA’s traditional geographic footprint — pushing the tournament further into Central Asia than ever before. The previous holder of this title? Fellow Kazakh club FC Astana.

Meanwhile, Norway’s Bodø/Glimt have taken the crown as the northernmost team to ever feature in the Champions League. Hailing from the Arctic city of Bodø, located well above the Arctic Circle, the club has eclipsed the previous record held by Rosenborg BK, whose home city of Trondheim lies significantly further south.