Como have qualified for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.The Italian side, who were only promoted to Serie A in 2024, finished fourth in Serie A and confirmed their Champions League qualification via a 4-1 victory away at Cremonese on Sunday. Como headed into the final day of the Serie A season outside the Champions League places but the victory, alongside Milan’s 2-1 home defeat to Cagliari and Juventus’ 2-2 draw with Torino, ensured that Cesc Fabregas’ side will compete in the highest competition in European club football.In an on-field speech to his players, Como head coach Fabregas said: “This is all up to you. You are the reason that this is so beautiful. I will thank you for all my life because this will be the best group I’ve ever coached.“I have no doubt that you will be remembered forever. Have a good holiday and enjoy a big party.”
“You are the reason this is so beautiful. I thank you for the rest of my life because this is probably the best group I will ever coach in my future. I have no doubt you will be remembered forever.” – @cesc4official full time speech 🥹💙 pic.twitter.com/QFivDBhnvy
— Como1907 (@Como_1907) May 24, 2026Champions Inter, Napoli and Roma will join Como in next season’s Champions League. Sixth-placed Juventus and fifth-placed Milan will play in the Europa League. Atalanta, who finished seventh, will compete in the Conference League.This is an historic achievement for Como, a club who were playing in Serie D (the fourth tier of Italian football) as recently at 2019. As detailed by The Athletic in March, the Italian side have built a brand connected with a community and assembled a competitive team. Aside from Pepe Reina, the now-retired Raphael Varane and Sergi Roberto in 2024, and then Alvaro Morata last summer, they have not bought stars but have paid for potential instead, identifying talent early. Nico Paz, Assane Diao, Jayden Addai, Martin Baturina and Jesus Rodriguez, for instance, moved to Italy with little to no experience at senior level.Former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder Fabregas joined Como in 2022. Following his retirement in the summer of 2023, he became Como manager initially on a caretaker basis in November 2023 before taking over permanently in the summer of 2024. The 39-year-old is also a minority shareholder in the club alongside Varane and Thierry Henry. In the summer of 2025, The Athletic reported that Inter had targeted Fabregas to replace Simone Inzaghi, but the Spaniard stayed at the club.May 25, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
