Beitar Jerusalem
Also written as B. Jerusalem.
The club
Beitar Jerusalem were founded in 1936 by Shmuel Kirschstein and David Horn, taking their name from the Beitar youth movement. They play at Teddy Stadium in the Malha district of Jerusalem, which holds 31,733 and is the largest club ground in Israel. The club play in yellow and black and are known as the Menorah, the Lions from the Capital, and the Flag of the State.
Recent seasons
Beitar spent the early part of the decade in mid-table or worse. They finished tenth in the Israeli Premier League in 2020/21 and tenth again in 2021/22, eighth in 2022/23 and eleventh in 2023/24, which was the low point. The recovery has been quick. They were fourth in 2024/25, and in 2025/26 they finished second, with 76 points and 78 goals scored, both club records. Hapoel Be'er Sheva took the title and the Champions League place; Beitar's runners-up finish sent them into Conference League qualifying.
Honours and landmarks
Beitar have won the Israeli league six times, in 1986/87, 1992/93, 1996/97, 1997/98, 2006/07 and 2007/08, the last two back to back. They have won the Israel State Cup eight times: 1975/76, 1978/79, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1988/89, 2007/08, 2008/09 and, most recently, 2022/23. In 2000 they won the Peace Cup in Rome, beating Roma 1-0.
Notable scorelines
Record victory: 9-0 against Beitar Ramla in a State Cup tie on 16 March 1993. No reliable published record defeat was confirmed from the sources read here. The heaviest recent European beating was a 5-1 loss at Charleroi in the Europa League second qualifying round in 2015/16.
European record
Beitar's European history is short and thin, and honesty about that is more useful than dressing it up. Six league titles have produced very few European nights of consequence. They entered the UEFA Cup after the 1997/98 title and again in 2000/01, when the Peace Cup win in Rome earned them a place; that campaign included a 1-3 defeat away to PAOK and a 3-3 draw with the same opponents at home. They qualified for the UEFA Cup again after finishing third in 2005/06, and reached the second qualifying round in 2006/07. There was then a long absence. In 2015/16 they were beaten 5-1 by Charleroi in the Europa League second qualifying round, a night on which the tie was held up for three minutes by the behaviour of some of the travelling support.
The 2025/26 Conference League run was their most competitive in years and still ended early. They beat Sutjeska Niksic 5-2 at home and 2-1 away in the first qualifying round, then were beaten 3-0 away by Riga FC. They won the return 3-1 but went out 4-3 on aggregate, one goal short.
Because of the security situation in Israel, Beitar's home European matches in 2026/27 are being played in Romania, at Ploiesti, rather than at Teddy Stadium. The same applies to the other Israeli clubs in Europe this season, who are using neutral grounds in Hungary, Georgia and Romania.
Quotes
- "Once we had the numerical advantage, I wanted us to move the ball more quickly, create more chances and try to score another goal." - Almog Cohen, Beitar Jerusalem head coach, to The Jerusalem Post, 26 July 2026. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-903708
- "It's very disappointing. We came here to win the game." - Almog Cohen, Beitar Jerusalem head coach, after the first leg against Austria Wien, to The Jerusalem Post, 10 August 2026. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-905028
- "the burden of proof was on us, not on them" - Almog Cohen, Beitar Jerusalem head coach, on the tempo of the Austria Wien first leg, to The Jerusalem Post, 10 August 2026. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-905028
No further directly quoted material from Beitar players was confirmed from the sources read here.
Right now (2026/27)
Almog Cohen is the head coach. The most notable summer arrival is the striker Shon Weissman, who signed on 3 July 2026 on a contract to 30 June 2028. A full and dated list of the club's other incomings and outgoings was not established from the sources read here, and is not guessed at.
Beitar entered the Conference League at the second qualifying round and drew AEK Larnaca of Cyprus. They won the first leg 1-0 in Larnaca on 23 July 2026, Brayan Carabali scoring from a free kick in the 77th minute after a Larnaca defender had been sent off. The return, played at Ploiesti in Romania on 30 July 2026, was far harder: AEK Larnaca won it 3-2, Hrvoje Milicevic scoring a penalty on 26 minutes and again on 52, Riad Bajic adding a third in stoppage time, with Omer Atzili scoring both Beitar goals, a penalty in first-half stoppage time and an 87th-minute equaliser on the night. The tie finished 3-3 on aggregate and Beitar won the shootout 4-3.
The tie they are in right now is the third qualifying round against Austria Wien. The first leg was played at Ploiesti on 6 August 2026 and Beitar lost it 2-1. Noam Muche put Beitar ahead early, Vasilije Markovic equalised shortly before half time, and Sanel Saljic scored the winner in the 70th minute. Beitar travel to Vienna for the return on 13 August 2026 needing to overturn a one-goal deficit. The winners go into the play-off round against either Braga or Dinamo Minsk, a tie Braga lead 1-0 from the first leg.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beitar_Jerusalem_F.C. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-899902 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-903708 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-905028 https://www.espn.com/soccer/match/_/gameId/401877933/aek-larnaca-beitar-jerusalem https://www.espn.com/soccer/match/_/gameId/755162/beitar-jerusalem-riga-fc https://www.espn.com/soccer/match/_/gameId/755188 https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/shon-weissman/profil/spieler/247652 https://www.uefa.com/uefaconferenceleague/match/2049160--beitar-vs-austria-wien/
Researched and written for not4quarters. Where a fact could not be established from the sources read, this page says so rather than guessing.