Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Hapoel Beersheba 2-1 to win the Israel State Cup for the 25th time and close out what was a phenomenal 2025/26 season of soccer in the Holy Land.
The yellow-and-blue victory denied the Southern Reds the chance to capture the double after they had won the league title this past week. Muhammad Abu Romi gave Ran Kozuk’s side a 1-0 lead at the break, but the Man of the Match Roy Revivo sent a perfectly placed corner kick into the box, where Helio Varela nodded home the tying goal in the 58th minute.
As Kenny Miller’s Tel Aviv team applied suffocating pressure, it was Revivo once again who scored from inside the box to give Maccabi the lead for good as it wrapped up the victory and hoisted the cup high into the air for all to see.
The action around Teddy Stadium in the nation’s capital was already going full force more than five hours before the game got underway as fans began to circulate around the facility.
The Israel Football Association, the responsible body for the annual tournament, set up a special “Fan Zone” that was situated between the Pais Arena and Teddy Stadium, where supporters of both clubs could hang out, get a bite to eat, purchase merchandise, and even get a haircut ahead of the big clash.
Fans flood Malha Mall and streets en route to Teddy Stadium for State Cup final
The Malha Mall was packed with fans from both teams as they did some last-minute shopping and sampled the delights found throughout the shopping center.
Fans coming to the capital by bus, train, and car all needed to navigate their way to the stadium, which in itself is a challenge for those who aren’t familiar with the city. Horns blasted, people yelled, and others just observed as chaos ruled the roads around Teddy. In fact, one of the day's dignitaries, IFA Chairman Shimo Zuaretz, had his car stuck in traffic while many looked on as everyone tried to find their way to their final destination. Some 30,000 fans would fill the stadium on this night, half wearing red and the other half in yellow.
As the players came out onto the pitch, the fans began chanting louder and louder as two sets of gladiators seemed ready to do battle. The Israel Defense Forces choir sang Hatikva while the entire stadium sang at the top of their lungs just before the two captains, Dor Peretz of Maccabi and Eliel Peretz of Beersheba, met to get the final instructions from the referee David Fuchsman, as it was clear that emotions were on overdrive.
Varela had the game’s first chance as Amir Sahiti sent him a perfect cross that Beersheba’s keeper, Ofir Marciano, had to leap to his right to paw to safety as Maccabi controlled the pace of play for the opening 10 minutes. However, Kings Kangwa stripped the ball from Issouf Sissokho and sent it to a wide-open Abu Romi inside the box, and he slotted it behind a helpless Ofek Melika for a 1-0 Beersheba lead in the 12th minute.
The Reds were coming off their first league championship since the three-peat between 2016-2018, as head coach Ran Kozuk expertly guided his side through the most difficult Championship Playoffs the league has ever seen, due to the condensed format in which it was played following the war with Iran.
Beersheba knew how to make it through the 10-match sprint in fine fashion and beat Beitar Jerusalem, an extremely worthy opponent throughout the campaign. Kozuk, who still doesn’t have a new contract in place, is expected to remain with Alona Barkat’s club, but if an agreement can’t come to fruition, the bench boss will have plenty of options on the table.
Sissokho coughed up the ball again to Kangwa, whose scorcher was parried away, while Maccabi tried to regain some of its lost confidence as Varela’s smart shot went off Guy Mizrachi, who had just been issued a yellow card.
Beersheba kept pressing and had complete control of the game from the goal earlier in the half as it looked to double its advantage. Sagiv Yehezkel was booked as he was handed a yellow card for a foul on Amir Ganah, who in turn sent a screamer that just went wide left of the goal, while at the other end, Varela’s attempt was smothered by Marciano, as was Sayed Abu Farchi's opportunity, as the match hit the break with Beersheba holding a slim lead.
Coaching changes mark a tumultuous year for Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv had a tumultuous year, with a parade of head coaches in charge of the team at various points throughout the season. First, it was Zarko Lazetic, who helped the club win last season’s championship; then it was Ronny Deila; and now it's Kenny Miller, who was charged with finding a way for the club not to end the season empty-handed. After ending the campaign in a disappointing third place, a cup would at least soften the pain before a summer of change, with a new coach, a new sports director, and many new players coming on board as owner Mitch Goldhar’s Maccabi remakes itself for yet another title run.
The yellow-and-blue came out of halftime calm, cool, and collected as it searched for the equalizer, but Beersheba continued its aggressive approach, winning 50/50 balls and prying away possession time and time again.
However, with a push downfield and a corner by Revivo, Maccabi was able to knot the game up at 1-1 as Tyrese Asante headed the ball to Varela, who nodded it past Marciano in the 58th minute to draw even.
With momentum on Maccabi’s side, Dor Peretz’s header right by the left post went off of the woodwork and was covered by Marciano, while Kozuk made a double substitution with Javon East and Ofir Davdizada entering the fray. But once again, that didn’t stop Revivo from turning inside the box and slicing the ball past Marciano to give Maccabi Tel Aviv a stunning 2-1 lead in a shocking turn of events as the match hit the 64th minute.
A confused Beersheba had trouble winning the balls it had won earlier in the game as the pressure was now clearly on the league champs, who began to see their double dream slip away.
The last time an Israeli club completed a double, which is winning both the league and cup, was back in 2015 when Maccabi turned the trick and actually captured the treble, which included the Toto Cup. Back at that State Cup final, the yellow-and-blue pounded Hapoel Beersheba 6-2 at Sammy Ofer Stadium in an unforgettable clash that saw Rada Prica score a hat-trick.
As both coaches made wholesale changes to freshen up their lineups, Beersheba found a number of chances to draw even, but the best was a Muhamed Knaan free kick that a leopard-like Melika made a phenomenal save on, diving through the air to his right to send the ball away to safety. At the other end, Osher Davida sent a brilliant ball into the box as Maccabi looked to add an insurance marker, but his attempt just missed the mark, while East’s wide-open opportunity in the area went out.
With the time ticking down, the on-field action shifted to some rough-and-tumble play with fouls galore and some fisticuffs as tempers flared, but it wasn’t enough to deny Maccabi Tel Aviv from capturing the State Cup for the 25th time in club history.
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