Israeli Football Teams Await European Playoff Draws After Strong Start

Following a highly successful week in European competitions, Israel's four football representatives are set to return to the field starting Tuesday for the third qualifying round of the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. Before these matches, the teams will discover their potential playoff opponents in a draw scheduled for Monday at 13:00, contingent on their advancement from the current round.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva, hosting Red Star Belgrade in Hungary on Tuesday at 20:30, will secure a seeded spot in the Champions League playoff if they eliminate the Serbian champions. Possible opponents include winners from matches between Celje (Slovenia) and Ararat (Armenia), LASK Linz (Austria) and Kairat (Kazakhstan), Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) and Aarhus (Denmark), or Sabah (Azerbaijan) and Viking (Norway). If Be'er Sheva is eliminated and drops to the Europa League playoff, they will be unseeded and could face strong teams such as Benfica, Glasgow Rangers, Ferencváros, Beşiktaş, PAOK Thessaloniki, or Salzburg, but also potentially easier opponents like Lech Poznań (Poland), Shamrock Rovers (Ireland), or KuPS (Finland). The third qualifying round first legs are scheduled for August 4-5, with return legs on August 11; playoff first legs on August 18-19, and second legs on August 25-26, followed by the league stage draw on August 27.

Maccabi Tel Aviv, facing CSKA Sofia on Thursday at 19:00, will draw from a list of possible playoff opponents if they advance, including Trabzonspor (Turkey), Thun (Switzerland), OFI Crete (Greece), Kairat, Levski Sofia, Sabah, Sint-Truiden (Belgium), and Vikingur (Iceland). If eliminated, Maccabi will enter the Conference League playoff unseeded, potentially facing strong clubs like Atalanta, Monaco, Brighton, Braga, Ajax, Freiburg, and FC Copenhagen, or easier teams such as Midtjylland (Denmark), Anderlecht, Qarabağ (Azerbaijan), Panathinaikos, Gent, Pafos (Cyprus), Partizan Belgrade, Lugano (Switzerland), Sheriff Tiraspol, or St. Gallen (Switzerland).

Hapoel Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem aim to progress further in the Conference League following impressive eliminations of Ludogorets and AEK Larnaca, respectively. Assuming they overcome Katowice and Austria Vienna, they will learn their playoff opponents tomorrow. Both clubs enter the playoff unseeded, facing a high likelihood of tough draws against teams like Atalanta, Freiburg, Monaco, Brighton, Ajax, Braga, Midtjylland, Panathinaikos, and Copenhagen, but could also draw more manageable opponents such as Pafos, Lugano, Gent, Rapid Vienna, Dynamo Kyiv, or Qarabağ. The Conference League playoff first legs are set for August 20, with return legs on August 27.