Maccabi Tel Aviv Advances Plans to Move EuroLeague Home Games to Cyprus

Maccabi Tel Aviv is actively working to bring its EuroLeague home games back to Israel, but a planned visit by league officials has been delayed. The club had announced on September 19 that EuroLeague CEO and Competition Manager Diego Gian were expected in Israel within two weeks for meetings and a tour to assess the security situation and daily life, as part of efforts to host games domestically. However, two weeks have passed, including the Sukkot holiday, and the officials have not yet arrived. A recent security incident, the foiling of a drone attack targeting a Flydubai flight with approximately 180 Israeli passengers, has further complicated the security perception. The visit is now unlikely in the immediate future, partly due to upcoming league meetings. A meeting of the 13 shareholder clubs is scheduled in Italy tomorrow to discuss the CEO's plan for a franchise model and expansion to 24 or 28 teams, as well as potential collaboration with the NBA. On Tuesday, another meeting will determine which eight clubs will join the current league owners with franchise contracts for next season, with applications from Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem also under review. Franchise contracts are estimated to cost between 50 and 90 million euros. In parallel, Maccabi Tel Aviv is making significant progress in moving its home games from Belgrade to Cyprus. Club representatives visited the island last week and met with local government officials to advance the relocation, suggesting the move to Cyprus is becoming increasingly likely.