Sunday’s home match against Maccabi Netanya will be Maccabi’s 74th league opener since the State of Israel was established (in addition to 11 seasons before 1948). Maccabi is the only club to have played in all 73 seasons to date. Hapoel Tel Aviv is second with 70 seasons, while Maccabi Haifa are third with 67.

Maccabi’s played 2,282 league matches as the all-time record currently stands on 1,164 victories, 605 draws and 513 defeat with a total goal tally of 3,828 scored and 2,147 conceded.
Maccabi won 26 League titles (5 of which before the State was established).

The record points-gap from in league history was achieved by Maccabi in the 2018/19 campaign, ending the season 31 points clear of second place. Maccabi set a historic record winning the title with 8 matches left.

The biggest victory in Israeli league history was achieved on January 7^th 1950 as Maccabi recorded an emphatic 13-0 victory over Maccabi Rishon Lezion. Yosef Merimovich (4), Eli Fuchs (4), Aharon Sidi (3), Zvika Studinski, and Shmuel Israeli scored the goals.

The most goals scored in a single season belongs to Eran Zahavi who scored 35 in 2015/16. In total, Maccabi provided the league’s top goal scorer 16 times – more than any other club.

Maccabi’s goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum holds the record for the longest all-time clean sheet streak as in the 2019/20 season he didn’t concede for 1,272 minutes in succession and kept a total of 29 of 36 clean sheets.
Over the years Maccabi fielded 583 different players in league matches. Menachem ‘Miko’ Belo leads the appearance chart with 498 league matches. He also holds the record for the most consecutive season openers: 17 straight from 1965 to 1981.

Maccabi’s all-time league top scorer (post-1948) is Avi Nimni with 174 goals.

Maccabi’s record in season openers since 1948: 40 victories, 15 draws and 18 defeats with a total goal tally of 142–82.

The highest victory in a season opener was a 9–1 win over Maccabi Rishon Lezion in 1951/52. Yosef Merimovich scored 6, the highest number of goals scored in an opening match.

The fastest goal in a season opener was scored by Barak Itzhaki after 48 seconds against Hapoel Acco in the 2013/14 season. That was also the first goal of the entire league that season. Maccabi also scored the league’s opening goal in 5 other seasons: 1957, 1960, 1964, 1970, and 2009.
Avi Nimni scored Maccabi’s first goal of the season on 5 different campaigns.

Sunday’s match against Netanya at Bloomfield will be the 44th time Maccabi begins the season at home (in comparison to 30 matches away from home). It will also be the 26th time Maccabi begins a season at Bloomfield. In addition: 6 opening matches were played at Ramat Gan National stadium, 5 at the old ‘Bassa’ Stadium, 3 at the Maccabiah Stadium, 2 at Netanya, 1 in Ashdod, and 1 at Teddy Stadium.

This will be the 6th time Maccabi starts the league season against Maccabi Netanya – the second-most often opponent for a season opener. Maccabi Petah Tikva was the most played against opponent in a season opener with 11 matches against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

This will also be the 3rd time in history that Maccabi’s opening-round match has been postponed, leading to a start on MD2.
In 1957/58, the season opener against Hapoel Petah Tikva was postponed due to weather conditions, and the season started with a 3–1 win over Maccabi Jaffa on MD2.
Last season, the season opener against Hapoel Jerusalem was also postponed due to European competition, as the season began with a 3–0 victory over Maccabi Petah Tikva on MD2.

Weslley Patati will leave Maccabi Tel Aviv to join AZ Alkmaar, following an agreement reached with the Dutch club for the transfer of the 21-year-old winger.

Patati, who joined the club from Santos in September 2024, made a strong impact in his time at the club – scoring 14 goals and provided 9 assists. He played an important role in last season’s League Championship and Toto Cup triumphs as this season he added one more goal in five appearances as Maccabi secured another European campaign.

Maccabi Tel Aviv FC extends its gratitude to Patati for his dedication and contribution throughout an unforgettable year in Yellow and Blue.

Thank you, Weslley, for everything you have given to Maccabi – and best of luck in your future career.

 

A day after the Europa League phase draw Maccabi Tel Aviv’s fixtures were published by UEFA this evening (Saturday).

Zarko Lazetic’s side which will play in the Europa League for the second season in succession, and received a tough draw with opponents from Greece, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany and Italy learned the order of matches they will play in the 2025/26 campaign.

Maccabi Tel Aviv FC fixtures and kickoff times (in CET):

MD1 September 24th: PAOK FC vs Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (Toumba stadium at 18:45)

MD2 October 2nd: Maccabi Tel Aviv FC vs GNK Dinamo Zagreb (TSC Arena at 21:00)

MD3 October 23rd: Maccabi Tel Aviv FC vs FC Midtjylland (TSC Arena at 21:00)

MD4 November 6th: Aston Villa FC vs Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (Villa Park at 21:00)

MD5 November 27th Maccabi Tel Aviv FC vs Olympique Lyon (TSC Arena at 21:00)

MD6 December 11th: VfB Stuttgart vs Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (MHPArena / Neckarstadion at 18:45)

MD7 January 22nd: SC Freiburg vs Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (Europa-Park / Mooswald stadion at 18:45)

MD8 January 29th: Maccabi Tel Aviv FC vs Bologna FC 1909 (TSC Arena at 21:00

 

 

 

Preview

Carrying a 3-1 lead from last week’s first leg at the TSC Arena, Maccabi arrived at the Lublin Arena for the return leg of the EUROPA League playoff against Dynamo Kyiv.

Maccabi’s Head Coach Zarko Lazetic made no changes from the side that won last week as Roi Mishpati started in goal with Heitor and Ali Camara lining up as the two central defenders in front of him. Tyrese Asante on the right and Roy Revivo on the left completed Maccabi’s defensive line. Issouf Sissokho and Kristijan Belic were named once again in the engine room. Dor Peretz who scored a brace last week, led the team out with the captain’s armband at te top of the midfield trio. Osher Davida and Sagiv Jehezkel supplied the width to Maccabi’s formation in support of Elad Madmon who spearheaded the attack.

On the bench alongside goalkeepers Ofek Melika and Shalev Saadya, Lazetic named Raz Shlomo, Denny Gropper, Yonas Malede, Noam Ben Harosh, Ben Lederman, Itamar Noy, Saied Abu Farchi, Ido Shahar, Itai Ben Hamo and Ion Nicolaescu.

First Half

The hosts took the initiative right from the start as Dynamo Kyiv took the lead as early as the fifth minute. Oleksandr Pikhalonok was given the time and space to whip in a cross from the left which eluded Maccabi’s defense. Former Maccabi Panamanian forward Eduardo Guerrero goosed into the box and sent a header which went in off the post to beat Roi Mishpati to gave Kyiv the lead and cut the deficit to 3-2 on aggregate. Guerrero could have doubled Kyiv’s lead on the night in the 11th minute as he burst down the left of Maccabi’s defense and from a tight angle fired across the face of goal and wide.

In the 25th minute Issouf Sissokho was cautioned by the referee for a for a foul on Vitaliy Buyalskyi inside the center circle. Four minutes after the half hour mark Dor Peretz had the first attempt on goal which was blocked by a defender for a corner. The resulting corner was cleared by Kyiv’s defense all the way to Mishpati who picked Roy Revivo witb an accurate pass. Revivo slipped the ball to Peretz who had another shot on goal as Ruslan Neshcheret required two attempts to collect. In the 39th minute Oleksandr Karavayev found himself inside Maccabi’s penalty area but from a comfortable position shot wide. On the stroke of halftime Maccabi reached its best chance as Revivo combined well with Sagiv Jehezkel whose cut back found Elad Madmon inside the area. With Neshcheret off his line Madmon fired the his effort which was blocked by a defender on his goalline.

Second Half

Lazetic made one change after the break as Itamar Noy replaced Sissokho at the restart. Eight minutes into the second half Revivo burst into the box from the left and unleashed a powerful drive that Neshcheret managed to push onto his post before Kyiv’s defense managed to clear. Lazetic made his second change in the 68th minute as Madmon bowed out and was replaced by Ion Nicolaescu.

Lazetic made his second change in the 68th minute as Madmon bowed out and was replaced by Ion Nicolaescu. Raz Shlomo came on for Heitor in the 76th minute as Lazetic made his third substitution on the night. In the 85th minute Davida charged into the box before clipping the ball to Peretz whose header narrowly missed the target. Ben Lederman replaced Belic a minute later as Lazetic added a fresh pair of legs into the midfield that never stopped chasing throughout the match. 

Kyiv kept pushing men forward in an attempt to level the score on aggregate and force extra time. The fourth official signalled five minutes of added time as Maccabi were desperate to hang onto the lead.

Maccabi’s 24-year-old winger Osher Davida who will aim to lead the club to the Europa League phase for the second season in succession faced the media ahead of Thursday’s return leg against Dynamo Kyiv in Lublin Poland. Davida, who joined Maccabi two seasons ago, won two league titles and reached the Conference League round of 16, set his sights for the season: “I would like to repeat last season and improve it.”

Despite a 3-1 lead from last week’s first leg at the TSC Arena, Davida recalled the 6-1 defeat by Olympiacos which folowed a 4-1 victory in the first leg when he said:

“Absolutely, there aren’t many players left from the side that played Olympiacos, but I remember it well and I’ll remember it for a long time. The mission definitely isn’t complete and I hope no one thinks otherwise. We need to approach it as 0-0 and win the match the way we know how to. We can’t afford to think of anything else. In the previous match, everyone said we should have scored more, but also that we played a good game. Now the focus is on the next match.”

On his personal goals for the season Davida said: “From a team perspective, it is to defend the league title. I think I’ve been here two years now, and we’ve been knocked out of the State Cup in the early rounds, so the target is also to go for the Cup, it hasn’t happened since that final” Davida referred to the State Cup Maccabi won while he was on the losing side witn city rivals Hapoel. “Personally, I want to repeat last season and even improve it. I won’t settle for what was because I want to progress individually.”

“I always look at myself the same way. Maybe I should say, you can be more significant. I’m trying to improve myself,” he added.

Following the departure of several key players and the arrival of several new ones, Maccabi new look side leaves Davida as one of the most experienced members in the dressing room. “A lot has changed. There is a new and good dynamic here, young guys, good ones. I think everyone is taking on more responsibility. Some will take on leadership roles, I hope it will be good, I believe in the group of guys we have”.