Maccabi Tel Aviv Misses Out on Millions After Conference League Playoff Exit

Maccabi Tel Aviv was eliminated on Thursday evening in the Conference League playoff round by Swiss club Lugano, ending their European campaign for the first time since the 2022/23 season. As a result, the Israeli club will not participate in any European competition this season. Despite the early exit, Maccabi Tel Aviv earned a total of 1.28 million euros from their European journey this summer, which includes a 750,000-euro bonus awarded to all teams eliminated in the playoff round. Had they advanced to the Conference League group stage, the club would have earned approximately 3.7 million euros, about 2.42 million euros more than their current earnings. This marks a significant financial loss for the reigning Israeli State Cup holders, who had qualified for European tournaments in three of the last four seasons and five of the last six. The absence from European competition this winter is a notable setback for the club and Israeli football.