Surprise Elimination of Lech Poznan Complicates Hapoel Be'er Sheva's European Campaign

Lech Poznan's unexpected elimination from the UEFA Champions League qualifiers on July 29, 2026, could significantly impact Hapoel Be'er Sheva's seeding in the upcoming European competitions. The Israeli champions will not be seeded in the Europa League playoff round if they lose to Red Star Belgrade in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Lech Poznan is set to face Icelandic club Klaksvik, and if Klaksvik wins, they will inherit Poznan's ranking points and seeding position.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva can only secure a seeded status in the Europa League playoff if Benfica fails to win at home against St. Gallen, following Benfica's 2-1 away loss, or if Ferencváros loses at home to Twente after a 2-1 away victory. Without seeding, Be'er Sheva would have to host their first leg in Hungary and play the second leg away. Regardless, the team has guaranteed participation in a European group stage; if eliminated from the Champions League third qualifying round and Europa League playoff, they will enter the UEFA Conference League group stage.

Potential opponents for Be'er Sheva in the Europa League playoff include Benfica or Hearts, Rangers or Jagiellonia, Ferencváros or Górnik Zabrze, Viktoria Plzeň, Mytilene or Karlovac, Salzburg or Hajduk Split, Qarabağ or CSKA Sofia (if they eliminate Maccabi Tel Aviv), Omonia Nicosia or Lincoln, Shamrock Rovers or Agenția Craiova, and Kuopio. This situation highlights the complex interplay of results across European qualifiers affecting Israeli clubs' European paths.