Hapoel Be'er Sheva Secures Significant Earnings Despite Europa League Drop

Hapoel Be'er Sheva aimed for a historic Champions League appearance but was eliminated after a 5-2 loss to Sabah in Azerbaijan during the qualifiers. This defeat relegated the Israeli champions to the Europa League group stage. Despite the sporting disappointment, Be'er Sheva has guaranteed a substantial financial gain, with earnings already secured and potential for more based on their performance in the Europa League.

Before the match against Sabah, Be'er Sheva had secured approximately 8.6 million euros from reaching the Champions League playoff round and guaranteeing a spot in the Europa League group stage. This amount includes about 4.29 million euros for participating in the playoff and 4.14 million euros for the Europa League group stage, plus an advance payment of around 170,000 euros. Additionally, the club is expected to receive roughly 240,000 euros more based on their UEFA coefficient ranking, though this figure may vary depending on results and UEFA's revenue distribution.

In the Europa League group stage, Be'er Sheva will play eight matches against two teams from each of the four pots. Each victory will earn the club 450,000 euros, and each draw will bring 150,000 euros. Further earnings are possible in the knockout rounds, with a 1.75 million euro bonus for finishing in the top eight and advancing directly to the round of 16, or a 300,000 euro bonus for finishing between ninth and 24th and advancing to the playoffs.

However, the club missed out on a much larger sum by failing to progress to the Champions League group stage. Qualification there would have awarded a base grant of about 18.62 million euros (nearly 64 million shekels), plus an additional 275,000 euros based on their coefficient. This initial income could have reached approximately 18.89 million euros before matchday earnings. In the Champions League group stage, each win would have earned about 2.1 million euros and each draw around 700,000 euros, with eight matches scheduled, potentially generating significant additional revenue.