Maccabi Tel Aviv now know exactly who stands between them and a seeded route through Europa League qualifying: CSKA Sofia, confirmed as their third-round opponent after the Bulgarians outlasted Qarabağ of Azerbaijan on penalties. ONE frames the tie in blunt terms — this, more than the last round, is the fight for Europe.
Sofia needed a shootout to get there, winning 5-4 on spot-kicks after 120 goalless minutes. It was hardly a statement performance, and ONE reports that has bred some quiet confidence around Maccabi's camp — tempered by the knowledge that a side reaching the third qualifying round of a UEFA competition is rarely there by accident.
That caution looks justified once the Bulgarian champions' squad sheet is examined. CSKA Sofia added Stefano Sensi this summer, the former Inter Milan and Italy midfielder who arrived after his release clause at Cypriot club Anorthosis was triggered for a reported €200,000. Sensi won two Serie A titles and two Italian Super Cups during his time in Milan — a level of pedigree Sheriff Tiraspol, swept aside 6-0 on aggregate in the previous round, simply did not carry.
The numbers behind the tie explain why ONE is treating it as decisive rather than routine. Beat CSKA Sofia and Maccabi go into the Europa League play-off round as a seeded side, with Conference League group-stage football already guaranteed regardless of how that play-off goes. Lose, and the club drops into the unseeded bracket of Conference League qualifying instead — a bracket that could throw up a considerably stronger opponent from one of Europe's leading domestic leagues.
The first leg is set for August 6 in Batumi, Georgia — still Maccabi's adopted home ground while the security situation in Israel keeps the club's continental fixtures away from Bloomfield Stadium — with the return leg in Bulgaria a week later, on August 13.
Off the pitch, ONE reports the club is managing a separate situation involving defender Tyrese Asante. The Dutch centre-back, who arrived from ADO Den Haag in the summer of 2024 and has since collected a league and cup double in Israel, stayed home in Tel Aviv rather than travel for the Sheriff tie while he recovers from what the outlet describes as a prolonged illness.
Maccabi expect to lose Asante to Serie A before the transfer window shuts. ONE names Lazio, Monza and Udinese among the interested parties, though Monza's pursuit appears furthest along: Walla Sport and Sport1 have separately reported an official approach from the newly promoted club, with Maccabi holding out for a fee in the region of €4 million.
None of that changes the immediate picture. Asante remains a Maccabi player, and with Sofia now standing directly in the way of a guaranteed European group stage, the transfer business will have to wait its turn behind two legs that could define the club's continental year.
