How Como Is Prepping for Its Champions League Debut After Rising From Serie D to Fourth in Serie A in Two Years

Two years ago, Como players were changing in a bar before matches. Literally. Today the club is getting ready for its debut in the UEFA Champions League. Between those two points sits a promotion, a defense that was the best in Serie A, and a transfer market splurge worth close to 100 million euros. A jump this fast is rarely seen in European soccer.

The sporting summary sounds almost too good to be true, but it checks out: Cesc Fabregas's team finished fourth in the 2025/26 season with 71 points, 65 goals scored and just 29 conceded, finishing ahead of both Milan and Juventus. The campaign closed with a 4-1 rout of Cremonese on the final matchday, capping off a finish that still feels hard to believe back in Como. And instead of quietly enjoying the surprise, the club went out and reinforced the squad as if it had spent a decade playing in Europe.

From Survival Mode to Looking Up the Table

It helps to walk through the timeline, because it explains everything. In 2024, Como returned to Serie A after a long absence. The club closed out that first season back in tenth place, a more than respectable result for a newly promoted side. A year later, fourth. Fabregas was there for every chapter, first as a player and then as head coach, and nobody understands better than he does the distance between that makeshift locker room and the club's current facilities, backed by owners Robert and Michael Hartono, who are spending without limits.

That contrast came through in a line he offered after Como secured its spot in Europe: "This will probably be the best group I ever coach in my future, I have no doubt about that. You will be remembered forever."

Signings Built for Playing Every Three Days

The Champions League demands squad depth, and Como moved fast. Trevoh Chalobah arrived from Chelsea for a fee near 30 million euros plus add-ons, reuniting with Fabregas, with whom he shared a locker room in London. "I'm delighted and honored to be here at Como, it's an ambitious, growing project, and getting to work again with coach Cesc Fabregas is really special," the English defender said.

Also joining the squad is Alvaro Morata, who stays on with the club after his loan spell, plus the arrival of Luis Milla to add balance in midfield, and two forward-looking bets: Mattia Liberali, from Milan, and Kaiki Bruno, from Cruzeiro.

But if there's one name holding up the entire project, it's Nico Paz. The Argentine will stay at Como through the 2026/27 season after the club bought him outright for 60 million euros, with Real Madrid signing off on the deal under a future buyback option. Fabregas doesn't hide his affection for the player: "To me he's like a son," he said of the midfielder who, alongside Martin Baturina, builds much of the team's attacking play.

Behind every move is a clear philosophy, according to club president Mirwan Suwarso: "We're going to sign players who fit our system and who the coach needs." The same executive summed up the club's new ambition with a line that has already become something of a rallying cry for this era:

We play to win every match, never thinking about a 0-0 draw. We can lose, but the idea is always to win.Mirwan Suwarso

The Hartono brothers bought the club in 2019 for just 800,000 euros, back when Como was playing in Serie D and on the verge of disappearing altogether. Suwarso is quick to point out that the current spending isn't meant to rely on the owners' money forever: "The idea is to turn a profit within two years," he explained. In the meantime, the Champions League is coming with new stadiums, long road trips, and rivals with massive budgets. Como has already climbed a level within Italy. Now it wants to find out how far it can go in Europe.