The Haifa derby is back to open the season, and the bookmakers have already picked a side. With Maccabi Haifa hosting Hapoel Haifa at Sami Ofer Stadium tonight in the opening round of the 2026/27 Toto Cup, Winner's odds published by ONE make the reigning champions overwhelming favorites at 1.4, against 5.1 for Hapoel and 3.75 for a draw.
It is a lopsided price for a fixture that still carries local bragging rights regardless of league position. Maccabi Haifa go into the new campaign as the establishment side of the city, while Hapoel Haifa are again cast as the underdogs both on the pitch and in the betting markets, according to the report.
Kickoff at Sami Ofer is set for 20:30, with police confirming ahead of the match that operational preparations were complete for what has been billed as one of the more combustible fixtures of the opening weekend. Officers have asked fans to travel early, preferably by public transport, and have warned against bringing flares, pyrotechnics, alcohol or weapons into the stadium.
The derby is not the only local rivalry on the Toto Cup's opening card. ONE also reports odds for Hapoel Petah Tikva's home meeting with Maccabi Petah Tikva, where Hapoel are favored at 1.9 against 3.1 for their city rivals, with the draw priced at 3.05.
A third derby-flavored tie sees Maccabi Netanya host Hapoel Jerusalem, with the home side strongly fancied at 1.6, Hapoel Jerusalem out at 3.9 and the draw at 3.4, per the same odds report.
The Toto Cup traditionally serves as the competitive curtain-raiser to the Israeli football year, giving clubs and fans alike a first competitive look at squads reshaped over the summer before the Ligat Ha'al season proper gets underway. For Maccabi Haifa, a routine derby win tonight would be exactly the kind of low-drama start the market is expecting.
For Hapoel Haifa, priced as heavy outsiders in their own city, tonight offers an early chance to unsettle those expectations in front of a crowd that will care little for what the bookmakers think once the whistle blows.
