Hapoel Be'er Sheva Misses Champions League Playoff, Faces Financial and Sporting Setbacks

Hapoel Be'er Sheva, the reigning Israeli champions, was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League playoff round after a dramatic loss to Sabah FC in Azerbaijan on Tuesday. The defeat came just 18 seconds before securing a historic group stage berth, forcing the club to settle for the UEFA Europa League instead. This outcome not only represents a significant sporting disappointment but also a major financial setback for the club.

Qualifying for the Champions League group stage would have guaranteed Hapoel Be'er Sheva a base entry prize of 18.62 million euros and total initial revenues of approximately 75 million shekels, including bonuses and broadcasting rights. Instead, the club will receive a total of 8.86 million euros for participating in the Europa League, which includes an 8.6 million euro base grant and a special 260,000 euro bonus for domestic champions who fail to qualify for the Champions League group stage. The Europa League also offers much smaller match bonuses, with 450,000 euros per win and 150,000 euros per draw, compared to 2.1 million and 700,000 euros respectively in the Champions League.

This elimination marks Hapoel Be'er Sheva's third unsuccessful attempt at the Champions League playoff stage, following failures against Celtic in 2016/17 and Maribor in 2017/18. It is also the first time in the club's European history that they lost a two-legged playoff after winning the first leg 2-1 away. Had they qualified, Be'er Sheva would have become the fourth Israeli club to reach the Champions League group stage, joining Maccabi Haifa, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and Hapoel Tel Aviv, and would have marked Israel's seventh campaign in the competition.

Additionally, captain Miguel Vitor, aged 37, missed the chance to become the oldest Israeli captain to lead a team into the Champions League group stage, a personal milestone lost in the final moments of the match. Despite the disappointment, the club can take some solace in its strong attacking performance during the qualifiers, scoring 10 goals across matches against Vikingur, Red Star Belgrade, and Sabah, the highest tally since the 2016/17 season.

Looking ahead, Hapoel Be'er Sheva will compete in the Europa League group stage, where they expect to earn an estimated total of 10 to 12 million euros depending on ticket sales and broadcasting rights. The team, led by coach Ran Kojuch, now faces the dual challenge of regrouping mentally and professionally for the demanding Europa League campaign and the Israeli Premier League title race.