Maccabi Haifa Faces Slim Chance to Advance in Toto Cup Group Stage

Maccabi Haifa's start to the 2026/27 season has been disappointing, especially after their recent loss to Ironi Kiryat Shmona, which has severely diminished their chances of winning the Toto Cup, the first title of the season. The Toto Cup format divides ten teams not involved in European competitions, plus the champion of champions, into two groups. Only the top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals, where they will face Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv, who are already qualified.

In the current standings of Group A after two rounds, Hapoel Haifa leads with six points, followed by Kiryat Shmona and Ironi Tiberias with three points each, Bnei Sakhnin with zero points after one game, and Maccabi Haifa at the bottom with zero points and a -4 goal difference after two games. For Maccabi Haifa to have any chance of topping the group, they must win their remaining two matches against Bnei Sakhnin and Ironi Tiberias, hope Hapoel Haifa loses both of its remaining games, and that Kiryat Shmona beats Hapoel Haifa but loses its other two matches. Only under these conditions could Maccabi Haifa finish first, potentially tied on points but ahead on goal difference.

Meanwhile, Group B has only completed one round of matches, with Maccabi Netanya and Hapoel Petah Tikva leading with three points each, and other teams including Hapoel Jerusalem yet to gain points. The Toto Cup also features placement matches for teams finishing second in the groups, with Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Beitar Jerusalem awaiting their opponents for ranking matches.

The Toto Cup's structure and current standings highlight the uphill battle Maccabi Haifa faces to remain in contention for the trophy, emphasizing the importance of upcoming matches and results from other teams in their group.