The 2015–16 season was APOEL's 76th season in the Cypriot First Division and 88th year in existence as a football club.
Season review
Head coach changes August 2015: On 28 August 2015, APOEL terminated Domingos Paciência's contract, following the team's failure to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage after being eliminated by FC Astana in the play-offs of the competition. At the same day, Paciência was replaced by Georgian coach Temur Ketsbaia, who signed a two-year contract with the club.
April 2016: On 21 April 2016, one day after APOEL's elimination in the Cypriot Cup semi-finals by Apollon Limassol, Temur Ketsbaia's contract with APOEL was mutually terminated, although at that moment the team were four points clear at the top of the league with only four matches remaining. The same day, APOEL's assistant coach Georgios Kostis, took over as caretaker manager for the team's remaining four crucial league games of the season.
Pre-season and friendlies The first training session for the season took place on 18 June 2015 at APOEL's training centre. On 23 June 2015 the team flew to Gniewino in Poland to perform the main stage of their pre-season training and returned to Cyprus on 5 July 2015. During the pre-season training stage in Poland, APOEL played five friendly matches. They won 2–0 FK Atlantas, drew 0–0 with Lech Poznań and lost three times against Lechia Gdańsk (1–4), Arka Gdynia (1–2) and Lech Poznań (0–3). After their return to Cyprus, APOEL played one friendly match, beating Doxa Katokopias 4–0 at Makario Stadium on 8 July 2015. In between their UEFA Champions League qualifying campaign APOEL played three more friendly matches, beating 2–1 Ermis Aradippou, drawing 1–1 with Olympiakos Nicosia and winning Greek side Asteras Tripolis 3–2.
Cypriot Super Cup APOEL's double success last season meant that Cypriot cup runners-up AEL Limassol would be their super cup opponents.
On 12 August 2015, APOEL was defeated 4–3 by AEL Limassol in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw at GSP Stadium. It was a match of few chances with both sides unable to muster any clear cut opportunity to get the breakthrough. The Cypriot Super Cup has no extra-time and so the match went straight to the lottery of a penalty shootout. After four accurate spot-kicks, Marios Antoniades shot wide at 2–2, while another miss for APOEL through Georgios Efrem turned the odds further into AEL’s favour. An excellent save by Boy Waterman and a successful spot kick from Tomás De Vincenti gave APOEL hope but at 3–3, AEL's captain Marios Nicolaou tuck away the decisive penalty and hand AEL the first trophy of the campaign.
Cypriot First Division
Regular season