Tiberias Plans Bigger Budget, Eight Foreigners for 2026/27 Season

After a dramatic survival fight last season, Ironi Tiberias is already preparing for its third straight campaign in the Israeli Premier League, and the club has drawn up a new budget plan for 2026/27. According to the report, officials believe the coming season will require a different approach both professionally and financially.

The club announced a new sponsor, Masada Armor, owned by Tiberias native Shneur Koren, alongside continued backing from Nof Ginosar Hotel. Together, the two sponsors are expected to bring in about 1 million shekels. Club officials said the partnership is a natural fit and stressed Koren’s connection to the team and the city. They said the sponsor also wants to deepen the club’s ties with the local community and maintain visits and activities with children in the city.

Tiberias also plans to launch a new “Gold Club” for about 150 leading businesspeople when it moves during the season to its new stadium in Tiberias. That package, which will include season tickets and seats in the new VIP box, is expected to generate between 1 million and 2 million shekels. The move from a 5,000-seat ground to a 7,500-seat stadium is also expected to boost revenue, and the club hopes to reach 1,000 season-ticket holders.

Overall, the player budget is projected to rise from 12 million shekels last season to 14 million to 15 million shekels this year, if the club succeeds in attracting business sponsors and supporters. On the field, Tiberias will start the season on minus six points because of a disciplinary sanction, and it cannot strengthen its squad in the January transfer window. After parting ways with Stanislav Bilenki and, on Monday, Wahib Habiballa, the club is searching for a foreign winger and a foreign striker. It plans to sign eight foreign players, but only seven may be registered for matches, with rotation expected under coach Eliran Hodda.