Maccabi kick off its 27th European campaign on Thursday (20:00) more than any other Israeli club. This marks the club’s 14th consecutive season in European competitions, the longest streak in Israeli football history.
Ahead of Thursday’s curtain raiser against Sheriff Tiraspol, here are the key numbers behind Maccabi’s European journey:
27 European campaigns, an Israeli record.
14 Consecutive seasons in European competition, the longest streak by any Israeli club.
209 Matches played in UEFA competitions, more than any other Israeli club. Maccabi Haifa is next with 162 matches, followed by Hapoel Tel Aviv with 106.
Maccabi’s overall European record currently stands on 88 victories, 43 draws and 78 defeats.
Maccabi’s overall Goal difference currently stands on 267 goals scored and 286 conceded.
11 Appearances in the group stage of UEFA competitions, more than any other Israeli club:
- 2 Champions League
- 7 Europa League
- 2 Conference League
4 Occasions on which Maccabi progressed beyond the group stage:
- 2013/14 – vs Basel
- 2020/21 – vs Shakhtar Donetsk
- 2021/22 – vs PSV Eindhoven
- 2023/24 – Direct qualification to the Conference League Round of 16, the best European achievement in the club’s history.
244 Players have represented Maccabi in the various European competitions.
Dor Peretz is Maccabi’s all-time European appearance leader with 87 matches. Peretz is followed by Sheran Yeini (84) and Eitan Tibi (73).
In the all-time rankings among Israeli players, Eitan Tibi leads with 94 European appearances, meaning Dor is just seven matches away from the top spot.
91 Different players scored for Maccabi in European competition.
Eran Zahavi scored 30 European goals for Maccabi – a club record.
Overall, Zahavi has 35 goals in UEFA competitions, including five for Hapoel Tel Aviv, making him the all-time leading scorer among Israeli clubs in European competition.
Maccabi has successfully progressed beyond its opening European qualifying round on 19 occasions. Only seven times has the club been eliminated at the first hurdle.
Maccabi’s record in opening matches of European campaigns: 14 victories, 6 draws, 6 defeats.
31 Different players scored in Maccabi’s opening European fixtures.
Baruch Dego and Nosa Igiebor top the list with three goals each. Dego also remains the only Maccabi player to score a hat-trick in the opening match of a European season.
The earliest goal Maccabi has ever scored in a European season opener came in the 3rd minute, when Andrejs Prohorenkovs scored in a 2-0 victory over Levadia Tallinn in the 2002/03 campaign.
Sheriff Tiraspol will become the 99th different opponent Maccabi has faced in European competition.
To date, the club has played against 98 different opponents from 40 countries.
Maccabi previously faced a Moldovan club only once before – against Petrocub in the 2023/24 Conference League qualifiers.
Maccabi won 3-0 at Bloomfield Stadium and 2-0 in Chișinău.
Sheriff Tiraspol has faced Israeli clubs only twice before:
- Hapoel Be’ersheva in 2016/17
- Maccabi Haifa in 2023/24
On both occasions, Sheriff were eliminated from the competition.
