The league will be contested over 26 matches with the participation of 14 teams. The cup will be held this season in the same format (qualifying phase, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final). The qualifiers will be held on 20 and 21.12, and the quarter-finals on 10 and 11.01.

As for the UEFA Youth League, PAOK returns to Europe after a four-year absence. The opposition will be determined in the draw on 1 September.

The squad began training on 14.07, mainly at the facilities of N. Mesimvria and then continued in Volakas, Drama from 23 to 31 July. They played three friendlies (defeated Panserraikos 3-2 in Serres, drew 2-2 away with Eordaikos and beat PAOK Kristonis 4-1 in Souroti), and then went to the Heemskerk Cup tournament in the Netherlands, where they claimed third place.

Europe, four years later

The last run of PAOK’s U-19 team in the Youth League was not successful. The Double-headed Eagle suffered two defeats against Zilina in the 2021-22 season and focused on domestic competitions. Four years later, with the conquest of second place, which they secured with one matchday before the end by beating Panathinaikos at home, PAOK return to Europe, obviously to claim something more.

It is the first time that Greece has sent two youth teams to the Youth League. Normally, only the champions qualify for the competition, occupying a place in the Domestic Champions Path. However, since the Olympiacos men’s team won the championship and will be playing directly in the League Stage of the Champions League, the champion youth team also gets the ticket for the corresponding phase of the Youth League. Therefore, one ticket remains, which is transferred to the team who finished second in the U-19 league, since the men’s team has not secured its participation in the League Stage.

PAOK, therefore, as the second place team, participates in the Domestic Champions Path, which will start on September 17 with the first round (20 clubs from the lowest-ranked associations). PAOK and 29 other teams enter directly into the second round, where clubs from the 30 highest-ranked associations participate. Along the way, there will be a clash with the League Stage teams in the knockout phase.

The draw will be held on September 1 in Nyon, when PAOK will find out their opposition in the second round. The matches are double knockout (the first are scheduled for 22.10 and 05.11, and if PAOK qualifies for the third round, the matches are on 26.11 and 10.12).

The U-19 profile

The U-19 team of the 2025-26 season will be composed of the 2007 generation (the 2006 ones “move” to PAOK B), with the youngsters moving up from the U-17 team, plus possibly some even younger players. The majority of the youngsters have been training at PAOK since a young age, most of them are professionals and youth internationals.

Goalkeepers: Efstathios Beleris, Konstantin Malygin, Fyntanis Karakottas

Defenders: Konstantinos Vyrsokinos, Pavlos Tsiotas, Theodoros Kalpakis, Panagiotis Tsitskas, Georgios Lelekas, Charalambos Avgitidis, Dimitrios Kyriazidis, Efthymis Lyratzis, Ioannis Karagiannidis

Midfielders: Vasilios Eleftheriadis, Evangelos Giokas, Bedri Dunga, Dimitrios Kanios, Konstantinos Tasioulas, Athanasios Papanikopoulos, Konstantinos Toursounidis, Michael Papadopoulos, Nikolaos Stamos, Konstantinos Economou

Forwarders: Konstantinos Souvlatzis, Georgios Krommydas, Dimitrios Berdos, Ioannis Tsifoutis, Antonios-Panagiotis Tsitsilas, Paschalis Stylos, Antonios Aretis, Savvas Vamvakidis, Irineos Papadimitriou

Coach: Petros Tsiapakidis

Assistant Coach: Ebenezer Hagan

Fitness Coach: Vasilios Bilis

Goalkeeper Coach: Michael Psomiadis

Video Analysis: Konstantinos Boukouvalas

Doctor: Iraklis Giannaros

Physiotherapist: Vaios Papathanasis

Caregiver: Thomas Tseos

Team Manager: Alexandros Apostolopoulos