Hapoel Tel Aviv Faces a Tough Conference League Draw

Hapoel Tel Aviv will return to European competition on Wednesday when it takes part in the draw for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. The Reds, coached by Elyaniv Barda, will play their first European matches in a decade, with the ties scheduled for July 23 and July 30. To reach the league phase, they must survive three rounds, the second and third qualifying rounds and the playoff stage. The playoff round begins on August 20.

Because Hapoel have not played in European competitions in recent years, they will enter with Israel's lowest coefficient, 5.5 points, and will therefore be unseeded. If they eliminate a seeded opponent, they will inherit that club's ranking for the next round. The second-round seeded pool already includes strong sides such as Panathinaikos, AEK Larnaca and Brann, and later will be joined by clubs that finish fourth in Portugal and Belgium, as well as the team that finishes fifth in the Netherlands.

Hapoel's qualification also completes Israel's four representatives in next season's European competitions. Alongside them are Hapoel Be'er Sheva, which is in the Champions League or Europa League path, Beitar Jerusalem in the Conference League, and Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League.

Potential opponents for Hapoel include Braga, Ajax, Copenhagen, Gent, Rapid Vienna, Panathinaikos, Ludogorets, Steaua Bucharest, Rakow, Partizan Belgrade, Lugano, AEK Larnaca, Basaksehir, Rijeka, Cluj, HJK Helsinki, Zrinjski, Brann, Noah, Spartak Trnava, Hradec Kralove, Austria Vienna, Katowice, Vaduz, Nordsjaelland, Tobol, Apollon Limassol, Hibernian, HB Torshavn and Sion. If they advance from the first round, other possible opponents include RFS Riga, Astana, Zalgiris, Shkendija, Balkani, Pyunik Yerevan, Linfield, Hamrun Spartans, Milsami, Levadia Tallinn, Paide, Differdange and Dinamo Minsk.