Hapoel Be'er Sheva Drawn Against Icelandic or Hungarian Champions in Champions League Qualifying

Hapoel Be'er Sheva will face either Icelandic champions Vikingur or Hungarian champions Győr in the second qualifying round of the Champions League, according to Wednesday’s draw. On paper, the Israeli champions from Be'er Sheva could have met tougher opponents such as Kairat or Universitatea Craiova, but the draw was still not considered especially easy.

If there are no changes, Be'er Sheva will play the first leg away on July 21 or 22 and host the return leg a week later. Győr are expected to be favorites over Vikingur, and if they advance, both matches against Be'er Sheva would effectively be played in Hungary. Győr’s sporting director until recently was Steven Vannooren, who has since taken the same role at Maccabi Tel Aviv. Győr have already faced an Israeli side in Champions League qualifying, losing to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2013/14 season at this same stage, 4-1 on aggregate.

Vikingur are described as a smaller club with more modest ambitions and a less accomplished squad, although they have become regular participants in UEFA competitions and reached the knockout stage of the Conference League in 2024/25. Against Győr, however, they would be considered underdogs.

For Be'er Sheva, the European campaign carries clear stakes after its domestic success. Any elimination before the Champions League league phase would still drop the club into another UEFA competition, with different fallback routes depending on the round. The important threshold is that a win in the second qualifying round of the Champions League guarantees Be'er Sheva a place in the league stage of one European competition or another.