Best Israeli League Season Openings Since 2000: Maccabi Haifa Dominates Top Tier
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
Hapoel Be'er Sheva recorded the best Israeli Premier League season opening in the 2025/26 season with 18 points and a +17 goal difference. Maccabi Haifa holds three of the top four spots, while Maccabi Tel Aviv's current 2026/27 campaign ranks seventh best with 16 points. The analysis covers the best season starts since the year 2000.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Hapoel Be'er Sheva had the best season opening in 2025/26 with 18 points and a +17 goal difference.
- Maccabi Haifa holds three of the top four best season openings since 2000.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv's 2026/27 season start is ranked seventh best with 16 points.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv has appeared in the top 15 season openings six times.
- The 2016/17 Maccabi Tel Aviv season also achieved 16 points but with a better goal difference.
- Beitar Jerusalem's 2007/08 season opening is matched by Maccabi Tel Aviv's current performance.
The Israeli Premier League is examining the best season openings since the year 2000, with Maccabi Tel Aviv's current 2026/27 campaign ranking seventh best. The team has secured 16 out of a possible 18 points, boasting a goal difference of +12. This performance matches that of Beitar Jerusalem from the 2007/08 season.
Maccabi Tel Aviv has appeared in the top 15 season openings six times. Their 2016/17 season, under owner Mitch Goldhar, achieved the same 16 points but with a superior goal difference of +14. The current season's start was close to being Maccabi Tel Aviv's best of the millennium.
Maccabi Haifa features prominently in the rankings, holding three of the top four best season openings in the last 26 years. They achieved perfect starts with 18 points in the 2002/03, 2009/10, and 2005/06 seasons.
However, the best season opening on record belongs to Hapoel Be'er Sheva from the previous season, 2025/26. They won all six of their initial matches with a goal difference of +17, scoring 22 goals and conceding only 5.
The list of the top 15 season openings includes other notable performances from teams like Kiryat Shmona and Hapoel Hadera.
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