The Tel Aviv derby () refers to football matches between Israeli clubs Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv.
The rivalry between the clubs also exists in basketball, although Maccabi have been the dominant club in Israeli basketball since the 1960s.
History
Maccabi Tel Aviv was established in 1906, while Hapoel Tel Aviv was founded in 1923. Although initially reluctant to play each other, in early 1928 the clubs came to an operating agreement, and the first friendly encounter between the teams took place on 25 February 1928 on Maccabi ground, with Maccabi winning 3–0, Davar, 24 February 1928, Historical Jewish Press Davar, 26 February 1928, Historical Jewish Press Do'ar HaYom, 28 February 1928, Historical Jewish Press Davar, 29 February 1928, Historical Jewish Press With a rematch played a week later on Hapoel ground, this time Maccabi winning 2–1. Davar, 4 March 1928, Historical Jewish Press
Between them, the clubs had together won 36 championships and 40 national cups. Both clubs have played in the top division of Israeli football both before and since independence in 1948, with the exception of the 1989–90 season, when Hapoel played in the second tier following relegation the previous season and with the exception of the 2017–18 season, when Hapoel played in the second tier following relegation the previous season. The first league encounter between the teams was played on 19 December 1931, and the points were shared with a result of 1–1."Defeat of visiting teams", The Palestine Bulletin, 20 December 1931, Historical Jewish Press Prior to independence, the clubs have met 17 times in the league, out of which Hapoel won 9, Maccabi won 5 and 3 resulted in a draw."Whose Town Is It: The Numbers and Milestones of the Tel Aviv Derby" Globes, 16 December 2013 Post 1948, Maccabi holds the lead with 62 league victories, opposite 46 Hapoel wins and 59 draws. Overall, since 1931, Hapoel has 55 league victories, Maccabi has 67 and 62 matches ended with a draw.
The two clubs met 8 times at the Israeli State Cup final, most recently at the 2020–21 Israel State Cup Final. The clubs also met in several other competitive tournaments, such as the Toto Cup and the Israel Super Cup.
The rivalry between the traditional background of the Hapoel and Maccabi sports associations led to the development of the rivalry between the clubs. The two clubs have different support bases; Hapoel are linked to the working-class, whilst Maccabi are considered a more middle class club. However nowadays this is mostly no longer the case with both clubs having a massive nationwide fanbase.
A 3 November 2014 match was cancelled after numerous fans ran onto the pitch and began fighting with players and other fans. Hapoel's manager called it a "black day" for Israeli football. A 19 October 2025 match was also cancelled due to violence that left five fans and three police officers injured.
Bloomfield Stadium
Both clubs currently play at the Bloomfield Stadium. When Hapoel Tel Aviv are the home team in the derby gates 10–11, are reserved for fans of Maccabi. When Maccabi Tel Aviv are the home team, gates 4–5 are reserved for fans of Hapoel.
Tel Aviv mini-derby Other matches between top-tier teams from Tel Aviv, currently Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, and in the past also Beitar Tel Aviv, Shimson Tel Aviv and Maccabi Jaffa, and between those other teams and either Maccabi or Hapoel are usually referred to as the Tel Aviv mini-derby or the Little Tel Aviv Derby.Allon Sinai, "Maccabi Tel Aviv and Bnei Yehuda draw at Bloomfield Stadium", The Jerusalem Post, 22 January 2007"Maccabi TA-Bnei Yehuda mini derby ends in draw", Haaretz, 22 January 2007
List of results Israel State Cup
#DateSeasonStadiumHome teamAway teamScoreGoals homeGoals away110 June 19331933FinalMaccabi Petah Tikva GroundHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv0–122 June 19341934FinalMaccabi Petah Tikva GroundHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv3–2328 May 19381938FinalMaccabiah StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv2–1420 April 19401940Semi-finalMaccabiah StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv4–0515 November 19411941FinalMaccabiah StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv2–1629 May 19541953–1954Quarter-finalBasa StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv0–1Yosef Merimovich (68)728 June 19581957–1958Round of 16Basa StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv0–1Yosef Goldstein (16)819 September 19641963–1964Round of 16Bloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv0–4Shabi Ben Baruch (o.g. 38), Giora Spiegel (55), Rachamim Talbi (75), Ori Kadmi (82)91 November 19671966–1967FinalBloomfield StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv2–1George Borba (62)Ori Kadmi (28), Rachamim Talbi (66)101 June 19831982–1983FinalRamat Gan StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv3–2Ya'akov Ekhoiz (25), Moshe Sinai (34), Gili Landau (64)Moshe Schweitzer (40), Yossi Zana (o.g. 60)1117 March 19871986–1987Round of 16Bloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv1–2Moshe Sinai (53)Yossi Zana (o.g. 18), David Azulai (58)127 June 19881987–1988FinalRamat Gan StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv2–1Miki Cohen (39), Benny Tabak (49)Miki Ben Shitrit (25)1318 April 19921991–1992Quarter-finalBloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv0–3Ya'akov Ekhoiz (o.g. 50), Meir Melika (66), Amir Turgeman (88)1422 April 1992Ramat Gan StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv3–1Avi Nimni (42), Arik Shriki (53), Hisham Zuabi (80)Haim Bahar (50)157 June 19941993–1994FinalRamat Gan StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv2–0Itzik Zohar (49), Nir Klinger (71)1615 April 19971996–1997Quarter-finalRamat Gan StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv3–0Offer Mizrahi (35, 44), Avi Nimni (70)177 March 20001999–2000Round of 16Bloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv2–0Ilan Bakhar (39), Omri Afek (53)189 May 20012000–2001Semi-finalRamat Gan StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv2–0Baruch Dego (19, 23)1916 February 20092008–2009Ninth RoundBloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv2–0Mahran Lala (31), Samuel Yeboah (90)202 June 20212020–2021FinalBloomfield StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv2–1Yonatan Cohen (73), Luis Hernández (96)Omri Altman (31)2114 January 20262025–2026Round of 16Bloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv1–1
Toto Cup
#DateSeasonStadiumHome teamAway teamScoreGoals homeGoals away115 September 19901990–1991Group stageBloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv1–1229 December 1990Ramat Gan StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv0–1321 January 19911991–1992Semi-finalBloomfield StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv1–0Arik Shriki (23)428 November 19921992–1993Group stageBloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv0–3513 February 1993Ramat Gan StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv1–1617 August 19961996–1997Group stageBloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv0–3712 November 1996Ramat Gan StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv1–3823 September 19981998–1999Group stageBloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv1–2916 January 1999Ramat Gan StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv2–01020 August 20052005–2006Group stageBloomfield StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv0–31110 January 2006Bloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv3–01228 January 20092008–2009Semi-finalRamat Gan StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv1–0Emmanuel Mayuka (14)1314 August 20102010–2011Group stageBloomfield StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv2–31410 November 2010Bloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv0–31531 July 20112011–2012Group stageBloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv2–2165 August 20122012–2013Group stageRamat Gan StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv0–11731 August 20142014–2015Group stageBloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv0–1181 August 20152015–2016Group stageBloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv1–31915 August 20162016–2017Group stageHaMoshava StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv0–22019 August 20182018–2019Semi-finalNetanya StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv4–1Yonatan Cohen (36, 66), Shahar Piven (59), Chikeluba Ofoedu (82)Ahmed Abed (25)
Other competitions #DateSeasonStadiumHome teamAway teamScoreGoals homeGoals away1Group stageBasa StadiumHapoel Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv2–1Rosenbaum (15), Fuchs (46)Reznik (90)2Basa StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv2–1Reznik (10), Schweitzer (15, o.g.)Rosenbaum (81)3FinalBloomfield StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv1–2Meir Nimni (58)David Salim (26), Yehezkel Chazom (47)4Semi-finalRamat Gan StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv1–3Yehuda Amar (89)Haim Goldberg (3), Benny Tabak (38), Alon Natan (40)5FinalBloomfield StadiumHapoel Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv0–3Avi Cohen (43), Alon Natan (45), Beni Tabak (47)6Bat Yam Municipal StadiumMaccabi Tel AvivHapoel Tel Aviv2–1Elek Nyilas (45, 63)Shalom Tikva (47)
Gallery
References