Maccabi Tel Aviv will enter the 2026/27 Europa League qualifiers as the Israeli Cup holder, after reaching the league phase in each of the previous two seasons despite falling out of Champions League qualifying both times. Because Aston Villa won the Europa League, Maccabi were moved up to the second qualifying round, where they will be seeded in Wednesday’s draw. They are not expected to remain seeded in the next round.
Before the draw is narrowed down, Maccabi’s possible opponents are Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova, Dynamo Kyiv of Ukraine, Beşiktaş of Turkey, Twente of the Netherlands, Hajduk Split of Croatia, Tromsø of Norway, St. Gallen of Switzerland, CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria and Hammarby of Sweden. Several of those sides must first get through the opening qualifying round.
The article says Beşiktaş is the most dangerous draw, including for political reasons. Maccabi lost twice to the Turkish club in the 2011/12 group stage, though it beat them 3-1 in the league phase about a year and a half ago. Twente, where St. Louis? No, Stavu Lemkin plays, is also considered a tough opponent, while Hajduk Split is coached by former Maccabi boss Gonzalo García, who has been mentioned as a possible return candidate. The Scandinavian teams are also described as traditionally troublesome.
A loss in Europa League qualifying would not end Maccabi’s European campaign. Instead, it would drop the team into the next round of Conference League qualifying, beginning with the third qualifying round if it loses immediately in the Europa League second qualifying round. The key dates are the second-round draw on June 17, first leg on July 23 and second leg on July 30, the third-round draw on July 20, the playoff draw on August 3, and the league phase draw on August 28. The league phase itself runs from September 16 to January 28, 2027, over eight rounds.
