Israel's Toto Cup group phase has produced its semi-final draw, and it has handed both of Tel Aviv's big two a route to the next round on the very same evening. Maccabi Tel Aviv were paired with Maccabi Netanya, while Hapoel Tel Aviv were drawn against Ironi Kiryat Shmona, ONE reported.
Both ties are set for Sunday, August 16, kicking off simultaneously at 20:00, according to the outlet. Maccabi Tel Aviv's tie with Netanya will be played at Netanya's home stadium, while the Hapoel Tel Aviv-Kiryat Shmona semi-final goes ahead at HaMoshava Stadium in Petah Tikva.
Kiryat Shmona arrive as the form side of the four semi-finalists. Sport5 reported that the northern club topped its group with a perfect record of 12 points from a possible 12 — the best mark of any team in the group phase — while Maccabi Netanya advanced as the lowest-seeded of the four.
For Maccabi Tel Aviv, it is the first real cup test under Kenny Miller since his appointment was made permanent. The Scot was confirmed as head coach for the 2026/27 season, with an option for a further year, having steered the club to the State Cup as interim boss during the previous campaign's playoffs, Ynet and the club reported at the time.
Hapoel Tel Aviv, by contrast, go into their semi-final under a coach who already knows what it takes to go deep in cup football. Elyaniv Barda, in the job since December 2024, has taken the Reds from the second-tier Leumit League into European competition in little more than a year, after previously guiding Hapoel Be'er Sheva to a State Cup and a league title.
Sport5 reported that the Toto Cup final itself is provisionally pencilled in for December, though an exact date has not yet been confirmed.
The two Tel Aviv ties are not the only business on the weekend's card. ONE reported that Sunday also features ranking playoffs further down the group-stage table — Bnei Sakhnin against Hapoel Petah Tikva for 13th-14th place, and Ironi Tiberias hosting Maccabi Petah Tikva for 11th-12th.
A day later, the round continues with Maccabi Haifa hosting Hapoel Jerusalem at Sami Ofer Stadium and Hapoel Ramat Gan facing Beitar Jerusalem at a neutral ground in Rehovot, both kicking off simultaneously on the Monday, per ONE's schedule.
For Miller and Barda, though, Sunday's double-header in Netanya and Petah Tikva is the story that matters most: two of Israeli football's biggest institutions, both hoping to bank silverware in sight before a ball is even kicked in the new league season.
