This research aimed to explore the strategies used by pre-service teachers in increasing students‟ interest of English classroom learning. Regarding the strategies found in this research, challenges occurred when pre-service teachers attempted to implement the strategies. This research used qualitative research method and interview as the data gathering technique. Besides, this research was conducted at a private Islamic university in Yogyakarta. Four students of the English Language Education Department (ELED) with special characteristics related to this research were selected to be the participants of this research. In addition, this research revealed three strategies used by pre-service teachers including the use of ice-breaking activity, games, and interesting media. Furthermore, there were some challenges faced by pre-service teachers in implementing the strategies categorized into several categories such as the difficulty to manage the students came as the students‟ factor. As the pre-service teachers‟ factor, they faced the difficulty to choose the interesting games, select the suitable material, and manage the time. The difficulty in teaching process raised as a challenge faced by pre-service teachers in increasing the students‟ interest of English classroom learning. At last, as the school or facility factor, inadequate tools or facilities and technical problem were the challenges in implementing the teaching strategies.