Newly Promoted Teams Win Opening Matches in Israeli Premier League 2026/7 Season

The 2026/7 Israeli Premier League football season kicked off with victories for the newly promoted teams Maccabi Petah Tikva and Ironi Tiberias. Maccabi Petah Tikva defeated Ironi Kiryat Shmona 2-1 in an away game on Saturday night, mirroring last season's opening match result where Kiryat Shmona lost 1-2 to another promoted team, Hapoel Tel Aviv. This marks only the second time in history that these two teams have met in the opening round, with their previous encounter five years ago ending in a 1-1 draw. Petah Tikva took an early lead with two goals within the first 23 minutes, both contributions coming from Samuel Owusu, who scored in the 12th minute and assisted the second goal 11 minutes later. Kiryat Shmona's striker Adrian Ugarriza, last season's second top scorer, managed to score a consolation goal in the 79th minute, but it was insufficient to change the outcome.

Ironi Tiberias also secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Hapoel Petah Tikva, scoring from a penalty. Despite being considered one of the candidates for relegation, Tiberias started the season positively. The club is currently serving a six-point deduction penalty related to last season's double contract scandal, making every point crucial as they aim to overcome the deficit and avoid relegation.