A fifth-placed finish in the league phase ensured Djurgardens bypassed the knockout phase play-off round, in which Pafos knocked out fellow Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia 3-2 on aggregate.
Celje also got the better of opposition from the Cypriot capital, beating APOEL 4-2 on aggregate.
The only Swedish club still active in European football in 2024/25, Djurgardens will be aiming to take their good form from the league phase into the knockout rounds.
After a slow start, taking only one point from two games, The Blue Stripes won their final four fixtures against Panathinaikos, The New Saints, Vikingur Reykjavik and Legia Warsaw.
They will hope to carry that form into the knockout phase against either Pafos or Celje, who finished 12th and 21st in the league phase, respectively.
That is the challenge facing new manager, Jani Honkavaara, who replaced Thomas Lagerlöf in December.
Winning records fuel positivity
As well as form and a higher placing in the league phase standings, Djurgardens can also take confidence from strong records against sides from Slovenia and Cyprus.
Given that they have never faced Pafos or Celje in a competitive fixture, those records may not count for much by the time their Round of 16 matches kick off.
However, they do boast a 100% record against Slovenian teams, by virtue of their two 1-0 wins against NK Maribor in the qualifying play-off round in this season's competition.
Tokmac Nguen scored the winner in the first leg in Stockholm, before Deniz Hummet grabbed the only goal in Maribor to seal Djurgardens' place in the league phase.
Their most recent meeting with Cypriot opposition was a 3-2 loss to APOEL in the second leg of a UEFA Conference League qualifier in 2022, but a 3-0 win in the first leg ensured they still progressed.
Prior to that, an 8-0 thumping of Apollon Limassol in the 1996/97 Intertoto Cup was their only encounter with a team from Cyprus.
The draw for the UEFA Conference League Round of 16 will take place at 14:00 CET this afternoon.
