From Serie D to the Champions League: Como Make Historic Debut Under Fabregas

Tonight Beijing time, Como will host RB Leipzig for their first-ever appearance in the Champions League league phase. On the final matchday of last season, they overtook AC Milan to secure a top-four Serie A finish and qualify directly for this season's Champions League.

From the fourth tier to Europe's top stage

In 2019, Como were still playing in Serie D. Now, the lakeside club have reached the highest stage in European club football. On the final day of last season, they surpassed AC Milan to finish fourth, marking the first time since the Champions League format change that both AC Milan and Juventus missed out.

Como were not considered favourites when they were promoted to Serie A in 2024. At the time, Dennis Wise was the CEO, but he left that summer. The team was coached by Cesc Fabregas, finishing 10th in their first Serie A season before achieving fourth place last season.

Small city, major investment and star shareholders

The city of Como has a population of only 84,000 and is located on the shores of Lake Como, known for its beautiful scenery and concentration of celebrities. Seven years ago, the Indonesian Hartono family acquired the club, and the family's net worth exceeds £30 billion.

In 2022, Thierry Henry invested in Como, and Fabregas later also became a shareholder, ending his playing career in Serie B. Fabregas then became head coach, leading the team to promotion to Serie A, a 10th-place finish in their first season and fourth place last season.

After promotion, Pepe Reina and Raphael Varane joined the club, and Alvaro Morata also arrived last summer. However, Como's progress has come more from targeted recruitment rather than relying on famous stars. Young Argentine attacking midfielder Nico Paz joined from Real Madrid, while Greek striker Anastasios Douvikas arrived from Celta Vigo.

Stadium upgrades and Champions League qualification

Whether the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium could meet UEFA requirements was once uncertain, and Como might have needed to use Sassuolo or Udinese's grounds, located around 120 and 200 miles away respectively. However, the club completed rapid renovations in 90 days and successfully obtained Category 4 stadium certification.

Fabregas made an impressive start to his coaching career, having rejected an offer from Inter Milan last year. Now, he has guided Como into the Champions League league phase for the first time.

Shakhtar Donetsk also reached the league phase, but for obvious reasons they cannot play their home matches at their own stadium. They discussed using Brentford's ground and also had a German alternative, but ultimately chose Stamford Bridge as their home venue.

Qualifying-stage dark horses fail to break through

This summer, several surprise champions began their campaigns from the qualifying rounds. Mjallby came from a fishing village with only 800 residents and won the Swedish top-flight title for the first time; Thun became Swiss champions for the first time; and Levski Sofia ended Ludogorets' run of 14 consecutive Bulgarian league titles. Ludogorets' name is a variation of the phrase meaning "good result," which now feels less fitting. They failed to match the world record of 15 consecutive league titles held by Vanuatu club Tafea.

All of those clubs failed to reach the league phase, but Como did.