Israeli Football Faces New Reality With Reduced European Representation

Israeli football is confronting a new reality as only one team will represent the country in the group stages of European competitions for the third consecutive year. This follows the eliminations of Hapoel Be'er Sheva from the Champions League playoffs and both Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv from the Conference League playoffs. While early qualifying rounds had offered some optimism, the playoff stage results have grounded expectations.

Currently, Israel ranks 24th in the UEFA coefficient standings with 23.875 points, narrowly ahead of Azerbaijan's 23.687 points but behind Romania (24.875) and Ukraine (24.087). This ranking means the Israeli champion will begin Champions League qualifiers in the first round, a step down from the second round last season. The State Cup winner will start in the first round of the Europa League, and the second and third league finishers will enter the second qualifying round of the Conference League.

Despite a slight improvement from previous years, Israel's coefficient rose to 3.125 points this season compared to 2.875 in each of the last two seasons, it remains far below the 8.750 points accumulated in the 2023/24 season. The loss by Hapoel Be'er Sheva to Sabah FC of Azerbaijan, which briefly boosted Israel's ranking to 21st, ultimately left the country looking downward rather than upward in the standings.

If Hapoel Be'er Sheva does not achieve unexpected success in Europe this season, Israel's ranking and the number of European competition spots could decline further. The small improvement this season offers some hope for reversing the downward trend seen over the past two years, but the challenges remain significant for Israeli clubs on the continental stage.