Hapoel Be'er Sheva Advances to Champions League Playoff Stage, Eyes Historic Group Stage Debut

Hapoel Be'er Sheva has defied expectations by defeating Red Star Belgrade to reach the playoff round of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. This marks only the third time in the club's history that it is two matches away from reaching the Champions League group stage, a milestone never before achieved by Be'er Sheva. The club's success continues a strong tradition of Israeli teams performing well at this stage since the playoff round was introduced in 2009.

Since the playoff's inception, Israeli clubs have reached this round 17 times (excluding the current season), with 10 seasons featuring at least one Israeli team. Maccabi Haifa has reached the playoff four times, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Be'er Sheva twice each, and Hapoel Tel Aviv and Ironi Kiryat Shmona once each. Out of these 10 appearances, Israeli clubs have advanced to the group stage on four occasions.

The first Israeli team to advance was Maccabi Haifa in the 2009/10 season, overcoming Salzburg with a 2-1 away win and a 3-0 home victory. The following year, Hapoel Tel Aviv also defeated Salzburg to reach the group stage for the first and only time to date. Maccabi Tel Aviv succeeded in 2015/16 by drawing twice with Basel, with Eran Zahavi scoring all three goals in the two legs. Most recently, Maccabi Haifa advanced three years ago after a dramatic 2-3 home win and a 2-2 away draw against Red Star Belgrade.

Be'er Sheva has reached the playoff twice before but failed to advance. In 2016/17, they lost 5-2 to Celtic in the first leg but nearly overturned the deficit in the second leg, winning 2-0 but missing a crucial penalty. The following season, they beat Maribor 2-1 at home but lost 1-0 away, ending their campaign.

This season, Be'er Sheva aims to rewrite history by finally reaching the Champions League group stage, a feat that would be a first for the club and a significant achievement for Israeli football.

Summary: Hapoel Be'er Sheva has reached the UEFA Champions League playoff round after beating Red Star Belgrade, positioning itself two matches away from the group stage for the first time in club history. This continues a strong Israeli presence at this stage, with only four Israeli teams having advanced to the group phase since 2009.