Europe is calling on Kuutio Homes Paphos, which tomorrow, Tuesday, October 20, will host the Croatian team Mladost Zagreb at the “Aphrodite” indoor arena (start time 7:00 p.m.), in the first match of the first qualifying round of the CEV Men’s Champions League, hosting a qualifying match for Europe’s top competition at home for the first time.
The Cypriot champions will aim to secure a strong result, turning the page after their loss in the Allwyn Super Cup, so they can head into next week’s rematch in Zagreb with a better chance of advancing. The winner of this matchup will then face Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia in the next round of the tournament.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Giorgos Platritis’s team, which is counting on the enthusiastic support of its fans, has been bolstered this year with experienced, high-level foreign players and hopes to make a notable run in Europe similar to that of the 2024–25 season, when it reached the CEV Cup playoffs.
Kuutio Homes Paphos has even announced that admission will be free for children from all sports academies in Cyprus. Any child who attends wearing the T-shirt or uniform of their sports academy, regardless of club or sport, will receive free admission to the West Stand of the “Aphrodite” indoor arena, along with their parents.
Mladost Zagreb is the top team in its country, with 24 Croatian league titles to its credit (including five of the last six, having lost only the 2025 title during that span), an equal number of Croatian Cups, as well as significant European achievements in the past: It has been a three-time finalist in the Champions Cup, the predecessor to the CEV Champions League (1964, 1984, 1985), once in the CEV Challenge Cup (2010), and has been a finalist in the MEVZA League three more times in recent years (2020, 2022, 2025).
The team is coached by Toni Kovačević, who took over as head coach last year after previously serving as an assistant coach for several years. The team’s roster includes seven players who have represented the Croatian Men’s National Team (setter Zukuski, outside hitters Andrić, Mičetić, middle blockers Perić and Jakopec, and outside hitters Marelić and Ivan Želiković), as well as three foreign players: Slovenian outside hitter Pokersnik, Japanese libero Kumagai, and Montenegrin middle blocker Jurović.
The match will be officiated by Antonella Verasina of Italy and Michalis Koutsoulas of Greece. The match will be broadcast on the subscription channel Cytavision Sports 8 HD.
PHOTO: A snapshot from last year’s European match between Kuutio Homes Paphos and Ferizaj from Kosovo, in the 2025–2026 CEV Challenge Cup qualifiers.
