Tiberias plans bigger budget, eight foreigners and a new sponsor for 2026/27

Ironi Tiberias is already preparing for its third straight season in the Israeli Premier League, and the club has drawn up a new budget plan for 2026/27 after narrowly surviving relegation last season on the final matchday. The team expects to open the campaign with a tougher sporting and financial setup, especially because it will begin the season on minus six points due to a disciplinary sanction.

The club announced a new sponsor, Masada Armor, owned by Shnir Koren, a native of Tiberias and devoted supporter of the team. Nof Ginosar will also continue backing the club for another season. Together, the two sponsors are expected to bring in about 1 million shekels. Club officials said Koren’s involvement is a natural fit and stressed his goal of strengthening the connection between Ironi Tiberias and the local community, including continued activity with the city’s children.

Tiberias also plans to launch a new “Gold Club” for about 150 of the city’s leading businesspeople, offering season tickets and seats in the new VIP box at the stadium that is expected to open during the season. The initiative is projected to add another 1 million to 2 million shekels. Moving from a 5,000-seat stadium to a 7,500-seat venue, along with a target of 1,000 season-ticket holders, should further increase revenue.

On the sporting side, the club is looking to replace Stanislav Bilenkyi and Wahib Habiballah, who left recently. It is focusing on signing a foreign winger and a foreign striker, and is already in talks with several candidates. For the first time, Tiberias plans to sign eight foreign players, although only seven can be registered for each match, with rotation expected. Because of the sanction, the squad will be strengthened before the season and cannot rely on reinforcements in the January transfer window. If the revenue targets are met, the player budget is set to rise from 12 million shekels last season to about 14 million to 15 million this year.