Limassol will host one of Israeli sport’s fiercest rivalries on Thursday, when Maccabi Tel Aviv face city rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv in the club’s first EuroLeague home game in Cyprus. Around 1,500 Israeli fans are expected to travel to the island for the game, which marks the start of Maccabi’s new European base at the Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Centre.
Ticket allocation
According to Israeli media, most of the fans travelling to Cyprus are Maccabi supporters. Hapoel reportedly secured 150 tickets for its fans, and all have sold out.
Cypriot authorities have authorised Maccabi to distribute up to 3,000 tickets to its supporters for each of its home games in Limassol. A further 1,500 tickets will be available to the Cypriot public.
The arena has a capacity of 8,000, according to Cyprus Sports Organisation President Yiannis Ioannou.
Security arrangements
The game tips off at 21:05 and will take place under heightened security measures, including a police presence and strict checks at the arena entrances.
Minister of Justice and Public Order Costas Fytiris said the government would take all necessary measures to ensure the games go ahead without incident, according to The Jerusalem Post. He added that the rules on entry into Cyprus would be respected. He also said that if Turkish clubs Fenerbahçe or Anadolu Efes chose not to travel to Limassol, that would be their own decision.
From Belgrade to Limassol
Maccabi Tel Aviv have played their EuroLeague home games in Belgrade for the past three years because of the security situation in Israel.
The EuroLeague has said that Israeli teams are playing home games at alternative venues because of the situation in the region, to protect the safety of players, staff and fans. The arrangement takes effect with Thursday’s Round 11 derby and covers all of Maccabi’s EuroLeague home games after that.
According to The Jerusalem Post, the Cypriot government approved the request after rejecting it earlier. The BDS movement and the Cyprus Peace Council had urged the government to turn down the request, but their appeals were rejected.
Coach hopes for a fresh start
Speaking to the Israeli news website Walla, Maccabi coach Oded Katash said he hoped the change of venue would give the team a lift.
“We had good times in Belgrade, but returning to the same place all the time was difficult. Maybe a new place would be refreshing,” he said.
Katash stressed, however, that the club’s ultimate goal remains returning to play in front of its supporters in Israel.
The derby on court
The two clubs met for the first time ever in the EuroLeague in October 2025 in Sofia, where Maccabi won 103-90. Hapoel won the return game 99-88 in April 2026, a result that secured their place in the EuroLeague play-offs.
Hapoel, coached by Dimitris Itoudis, also beat Maccabi in the Israeli league on 1 November, scoring 100 points, with Vasilije Micić scoring 31.
With information from Walla, The Jerusalem Post, Ynet and Eurohoops
