Hapoel Be'er Sheva Drawn in UEFA Europa League Group Stage with Seven Opponents

Following a dramatic elimination from the UEFA Champions League playoffs by Sabah, Hapoel Be'er Sheva has been placed in the UEFA Europa League group stage alongside 35 other teams. The draw took place on August 28, 2026, with Be'er Sheva assigned to the fourth and lowest seeding pot. The Europa League format this season features a single league phase where each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents, facing two teams from each of the four seeding tiers, with four home and four away games. The top eight teams after this phase advance directly to the round of 16, teams placed 9th to 24th enter a knockout round, and those ranked 25th to 36th are eliminated.

Israeli players participating in the Europa League include Anan Khalaily, who recently joined Crystal Palace, the London club that qualified by winning the Conference League last season; Karam Zoabi, who transferred to Tondela, the Portuguese Cup holders now playing in Portugal's second division; and Gabi Kanikovski, currently with Hungary's Ferencváros. The exact match schedule will be announced by UEFA on Saturday or Sunday following the draw.

The group stage matches are scheduled as follows: Matchday 1 on September 16-17, Matchday 2 on October 15, Matchday 3 on October 22, Matchday 4 on November 5, Matchday 5 on November 26, Matchday 6 on December 10, Matchday 7 on January 21, and Matchday 8 on January 28. Historically, 10 points have been sufficient to advance, with 13 points securing home advantage in the knockout round and 16 points likely guaranteeing direct qualification to the round of 16.

Financially, each win in the group stage awards 450,000 euros and a draw 150,000 euros, with Be'er Sheva already having secured 8.6 million euros. Advancing to the knockout round brings an additional 300,000 euros, direct entry to the round of 16 yields 1.75 million euros, quarterfinals 2.5 million, semifinals 4.2 million, and the final 7 million euros. The Europa League winner receives 6 million euros plus 21.45 million euros from knockout stage achievements and a spot in the next season's Champions League.