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PAOK meet Israel’s most successful club
PAOK kick off their 2025-26 UEL journey today, Wednesday 24.09 (19:45) at the Toumba Stadium, where they welcome back-to-back Israeli champions and Super Cup holders Maccabi Tel Aviv for the Matchday 1 of the League Phase.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv was founded in 1906 in Jaffa and is the oldest football club in Israel. With the founding of the city of Tel Aviv in 1909, the team changed its name to Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 1922, it became the first Jewish football club to participate in domestic competitions.
- Clubs, both inside and outside Israel, founded at the initiative of the Zionist movement bear the name Maccabi, while teams named Hapoel (worker) were founded by left-wing Jewish unions.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv has won more titles than any other Israeli club. They have won 26 championships, 24 cups, eight Toto Cups (Super Cups) and two Asian Championships before Israel was expelled from the AFC in 1974.
- It is the only football team to have never been relegated from the Israeli Premier League and one of three Israeli teams to have qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage.
- It is also the first Israeli team to play in the UEFA Champions League group stage (2004–05), where it returned to play again in the 2015–16 season.
- Its European honors also include two qualification to the Round of 32 (2013–2014, 2020–2021) and three participations in the Europa League group stage (2011–2012, 2016–2017, 2017–2018).
- The club operates three football academies in the Tel Aviv area as part of its youth program, working with more than 750 children aged 6-15, as well as 17 youth teams with 400 players aged between nine and 19.
- The 1950s are considered the “Golden Age” of Maccabi Tel Aviv, as it won five Championships and four Israel Football Association Cups.
- Two old acquaintances have sat on the edge of the Maccabi bench, Giorgos Donis and Vladan Ivic. Robbie Keane stayed for one season (2023-24) and has now been replaced by Zarko Lazetić.
- A survey conducted in March 2012 showed that Maccabi Tel Aviv was the second most popular team among Israeli football fans (23%) right after their rival Maccabi Haifa (28%). The same survey revealed that 33% of Tel Aviv residents support the team.
- Bloomfield Stadium was built in 1962 and has undergone several renovations, the most significant of which was in the 2016–2019 season when it was completely upgraded. The current capacity is approximately 29,000 seats. It is considered the most hostile stadium in Israeli football, as the Maccabi–Hapoel Tel Aviv derby is also held here.
- Its colors are yellow and blue and its emblem is the Star of David, within which is inscribed the Hebrew symbol for the word «Maccabi», which refers to the Maccabees, historical leaders of the Jewish people.
- This is the second time that PAOK meets Maccabi Tel Aviv. It was in the Champions League qualifiers in 2004-05, when PAOK was eliminated after the match at the Toumba due to an illegal player participation in the game.
- Obviously, Maccabi’s main rival is Hapoel Tel Aviv.
