AEK Larnaca took a significant step toward the UEFA Europa League group stage with a 2–1 victory over Celje in the second qualifying round on Thursday, 31 July 2025. The match kicked off at 16:30 UTC under the supervision of English referee Chris Kavanagh, and the Cypriot side held a 1–0 lead at half-time. The result at the AEK Arena gave the home team a narrow but vital advantage to take into the second leg of this two-legged tie.

For AEK Larnaca, the win was essential to keeping their...