Israeli Premier League Teams Face Varied Odds in 2026/27 European Football Qualifiers

As the 2026/27 European football season approaches, Israel's four Premier League representatives prepare to begin their qualification campaigns. Hapoel Be'er Sheva, the reigning Israeli champions, will start in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League against the winner between Hungary's Győr and Iceland's Víkingur. According to Football Meets Data, Be'er Sheva is expected to advance to the third qualifying round of the Champions League, then drop to the Europa League playoff round, which they are predicted to pass, securing a spot in the Europa League group stage. FootballRankings assigns Be'er Sheva a 4% chance to reach the Champions League group stage, 45% to reach the Europa League, and 46.2% to qualify for the Europa Conference League.

Maccabi Tel Aviv, having won the State Cup, enters the second qualifying round of the Europa League, facing the winner between Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova) and Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia). Football Meets Data forecasts that Maccabi Tel Aviv will clear the second round but fall in the third, then lose in the Conference League playoff round, ending their European run. FootballRankings gives them a 2.8% chance to reach the Europa League group stage and 36.3% to participate in the Conference League.

Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv face tougher prospects, both starting in the second qualifying round of the Conference League with no fallback options. Beitar will face AEK Larnaca from Cyprus, and Hapoel will meet Bulgaria's Ludogorets. Both Football Meets Data and FootballRankings predict early elimination for these teams, with Beitar given a 2.6% chance to reach the Conference League group stage and Hapoel only 0.7%. To defy these odds, both clubs would need to win three consecutive rounds: the second and third qualifying rounds and the playoff.

The upcoming European qualifiers will test the Israeli clubs' ability to advance through multiple stages, with only Be'er Sheva and Maccabi Tel Aviv showing realistic chances of reaching the group stages of major UEFA competitions.