The opening round of Israel soccer league matches for the 2025/26 season is now in the books, and what a round it was, with plenty of action, surprises, and a ton of fun across the country as fans visited their local stadiums in droves.
There were upsets, drama, up-and-coming players, as well as disappointments and unfortunate incidents that the league would no doubt like to improve on as the campaign heads into round two.
Team of the Round
This is no doubt Hapoel Beersheba. The Southern Reds have been the best team in the league from the get-go as they have collected 32 out of a possible 39 points in the first 13 games that they have played and sport a record of 10 wins, two draws, and one defeat.
After opening the season with a disastrous European campaign that saw Beersheba get knocked out of Europa League qualifiers on penalties after a pair of goalless draws with Levski Sofia and then bounced out of the Conference League qualifiers to AEK Athens 1-0 on aggregate, it looked as if doomsday had come to Turner Stadium.
Ron Kozuk’s club was floundering and going in the wrong direction, but very quickly Beersheba pulled it together and opened the season with a 4-2 win over Maccabi Netanya, which was followed by dominant wins over Ironi Tiberias, Hapoel Jerusalem, and Bnei Sakhnin as it outscored opponents by a whopping 15-2, and it was on its way. Beersheba lost a tough away game at Kiryat Shmona and drew against Ashdod and Hapoel Petah Tikva, but it beat all the direct competitors for the top spot, including Beitar Jerusalem, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and Maccabi Haifa.
Should Kozuk and his side continue playing the solid soccer that they are with the likes of attackers Dan Bitton and Eliel Peretz, along with Or Blorian on the back line, Beersheba is already looking to bring in at least another player or two in order to take the title it felt it deserved last season.
Entertaining Team of the Round
Beitar Jerusalem is undoubtedly a team that can provide thrills and chills, as the faithful continue to pack Teddy Stadium while filling the visiting sections at facilities across the country.
Barak Itzhaki’s squad is a dynamic, offense-first team that has piled up the goals every which way as it leads the league with 33 markers and is in second place with 27 points. Whether it’s Johnsbosco Kalu, Yarden Shua, Adi Yona, or Omer Atzili, the yellow-and-black is able to make something out of nothing and pump the ball into the back of the goal. However, on the flip side Beitar’s defense has been shaky time and time again as ’keeper Miguel Silva has been busy having to make one acrobatic save after the next.
While Beitar is challenging Beersheba, it has dropped points in places it would like back, as those draws against Hapoel Jerusalem and Ashdod, as well as a loss to Hapoel Tel Aviv, could very well come back to haunt it. Itzhaki and professional director Almog Cohen will probably make a move or so, but will that be enough to stay in the hunt all the way until the end of the season?
Disappointing Team of the Round
Maccabi Haifa takes this award without question, as the Greens have been one mess after another since the start of the season. Argentine Diego Flores was brought in this summer to take the reins of owner Yakov Shachar’s team, but after being knocked out by Rakow in the third round of Conference League qualifying, it was one issue after the next for one of Marcelo Bielsa’s former assistants.
Draws against a 10-man Beitar Jerusalem team, Hapoel Haifa in the derby, along with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Greens were having problems scoring and playing anything close to attractive football. That spelled doom for Flores as he was terminated, and former Haifa bench boss Barak Bachar returned after having unceremoniously left the club after last spring’s 5-0 Derby defeat.
Since Bachar has been back in charge, the Greens have had some dramatic draws, but perhaps, just perhaps, they are starting to get it together with two wins in a row to end the round on a positive note. But with only 19 points, Maccabi Haifa has plenty of work to do in order to make a dent in the championship race, which seems to be just a dream right now.
MVP of the Round
Dan Bitton has been electrifying for Hapoel Beersheba this season with 12 goals and three assists. Bitton has been involved in almost 50% of the club’s goals and has been an absolute scoring machine who always seems to be in the right spot at the right time in order to do damage to the opponent. To think that just before last season Maccabi Tel Aviv wanted to rid themselves of Bitton and seemingly donated the attacking midfielder to their rivals is just stunning, as he’s already eclipsed last season’s goal total of 11.
Coach of the Round
Hands down, it’s got to be Hapoel Beersheba’s bench boss Ron Kozuk. After Kozuk had guided Maccabi Petah Tikva to a State Cup win over Beersheba back in 2024, it was clear that owner Alona Barkat had her eyes set on the prize and wanted the bench boss to head down south.
Barak Bachar had once been the apple of her eye for over a decade, and he led the team to one success after the next, including winning three championship titles in a row, and now it’s Kozuk’s turn to shine. Some will say he rightfully should have taken the title last season from Maccabi Tel Aviv, but this season he’s raring to go and looking for vengeance. With his success, he’s also looking for a bump in his contract, and that has been in the news over the past month, which is something that Barkat isn’t too fond of. Still, the latest word is that he will receive that increase and an extension to stay on board and see if he can work his magic in the upcoming rounds.
Unfortunate Incident of the Round
There was much anticipation heading into this season’s Tel Aviv derby as Hapoel gained promotion after spending last year in the Leumit League, and the Reds would be hosting Maccabi in what was going to be a great evening of soccer. However, it wasn’t meant to be as Hapoel Ultras threw smoke bombs and flares as well as set off fireworks prior to the match, which injured some fans and forced the police to abandon the game.
Thirty thousand supporters packed into Bloomfield Stadium were forced to leave without seeing a second of play, and while the spectators, for the most part, left and made their way home, there were also a number of incidents between the fans and the police.
It was sad to see how an enjoyable night ahead ended up turning into a black mark, but the real challenge now is for the clubs, fans, and league to never allow for something like this to happen again.
See more Israeli sports coverage at www.sportsrabbi.com/en