Hapoel Tel Aviv to host EuroLeague games in Sofia if needed

Hapoel Tel Aviv announced on Thursday that its EuroLeague home games for the 2026/27 season will be staged at Arena 8888 in Sofia, Bulgaria, if they cannot be played in Israel. The decision was made because the security situation has made it impossible, for now, to guarantee hosting in Israel.

In its official statement, Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv said it had registered the Sofia arena as its alternate venue for the EuroLeague campaign. The club stressed that the clear priority remains to host its home games in Tel Aviv, in front of its supporters, but that it must prepare a backup option to ensure it can take part in the competition normally.

Unlike last season, when the team operated away from Israel for long periods, the club said all of its activity in the coming season will be based in Israel. Players, coaches and all staff will live in Israel throughout the year, train in Tel Aviv and conduct their day-to-day operations in the country.

The announcement was made after the club had completed a very long season and turned to preparations for 2026/27. The alternate venue will only be used if official conditions and the security situation do not allow games to be held in Israel.