2024–25 Israel State Cup

The eighth round marked the first stage at which Israeli Premier League clubs entered the 2024–25 State Cup, joining lower-division sides that had advanced through earlier rounds.[4] Among the notable qualifiers was Ironi Ashkelon of Liga Gimel, which reached the round after beating Adumim Ashdod 1–0.[4] Eighth-round fixtures were scheduled for December 26–30, 2024.[4]

Hapoel Beer Sheva advanced from the quarterfinals with a 2–0 victory over Maccabi Haifa at Turner Stadium on February 27, 2025.[5] Dan Biton was central to the win, converting a penalty in the 36th minute after being fouled in the area, then adding a second goal on a counterattack in the 84th minute.[5] Biton marked his first goal by celebrating with three orange balloons as a tribute to the Bibas family.[5]

Maccabi Bnei Reineh produced one of the tournament's most significant results, beating M.S. Ashdod 3–1 away on February 25, 2025, to reach the semifinals for the first time in the club's history.[6] Kays Ghanem opened the scoring in the fourth minute and Sambinha doubled the lead in the 12th; Eugene Ansah pulled one back for Ashdod in the 58th minute before Leroy Moundzanga sealed the tie at 3–1 in the 72nd.[6]

The quarterfinal between Bnei Sakhnin and Beitar Jerusalem was subject to a lengthy dispute. The fixture was initially canceled after Sakhnin was unable to secure the required number of security personnel, a situation complicated by venue changes that left insufficient time to meet security requirements.[7] Beitar Jerusalem was initially awarded a technical win, but the Football Association's Supreme Court accepted Sakhnin's appeal and ordered the match to be played, describing that remedy as an exceptional measure.[7] The match took place on April 3, 2025, at Shlomo Bituach Stadium in Petah Tikva; Beitar won 3–0, with Omer Atzili scoring in the 54th minute, Yarden Shua in the 80th, and Myron George in stoppage time.[8] Sakhnin had been reduced to ten men when Abdallah Halihal was sent off in the 22nd minute.[8]

Both semifinals, played on April 21 and 22, 2025, ended 5–1 — a result described as the most one-sided pair of semifinals in the competition's history and the first time both ties had been decided by a four-goal margin.[3]

Beitar Jerusalem defeated Maccabi Bnei Reineh 5–1 at Bloomfield Stadium on April 21.[3] The following day, Hapoel Beer Sheva beat Hapoel Tel Aviv 5–1 at Teddy Stadium, sending Be'er Sheva to a second consecutive final and its eighth overall — and the first final between these two clubs.[3] Arnold Garita scored twice, in the 15th and 45th minutes, with Iuri Medeiros adding a goal in the 25th minute and an own goal by Or Israelov making it 3–0 before halftime.[3] Roy Alkokin reduced the deficit to 4–1 in the 64th minute before Dan Biton completed the scoring with a free kick in the 90th.[3] Be'er Sheva defender Matan Baltaxa was sent off in the 50th minute, meaning the winning side finished the match with ten men.[3]

After the semifinal, coach Ran Kozhuk said that the club had "done nothing" yet and that the team needed to "press the reset button every day" while pursuing both the league title and the cup.[9]

The final was played on May 29, 2025, at Bloomfield Stadium before a crowd of 28,900.[2] It was the first State Cup final contested between Hapoel Beer Sheva and Beitar Jerusalem.[2]

The match was delayed at the outset by approximately ten minutes after flares were lit in the stands.[2] Play was halted again in the 38th minute when air-raid sirens sounded across central Israel following a missile launch from Yemen; the players left the field while the crowd remained in place, and the match resumed after roughly fifteen minutes.[2]

Dan Biton opened the scoring in the 24th minute from the penalty spot after a handball by Adi Yona.[2] Zahi Ahmed sealed the result with a goal in the 88th minute, giving Hapoel Beer Sheva a 2–0 victory and its fourth State Cup title.[1][2] Yigal Frid refereed the match, with Ran Kozhuk and Barak Itzhaki as the respective coaches.[2]

Before the trophy presentation, Yair Horn — who had returned from Hamas captivity in Gaza — lifted the cup alongside Hapoel Beer Sheva captain Miguel Vitor.[2] Horn's brother Eitan remained in captivity at the time of the final.[2]

The cup triumph gave Hapoel Beer Sheva its fourth State Cup title and secured the club a place in the Europa League qualifiers.[1][2] The cup win eased the disappointment of finishing second to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the league-title race after Be'er Sheva had pursued a historic double during the season.[1][2] For coach Ran Kozhuk, it was a second consecutive cup winner's medal, following a title with Maccabi Petah Tikva the previous season.[2]

Two notable incidents during the tournament attracted attention beyond the sport itself. The disputed Sakhnin–Beitar quarterfinal — in which a technical award, an appeal, and a court-ordered match unfolded over several weeks — highlighted disagreements over venue logistics, security obligations, and responsibility for the cancellation.[7]

During the final, Hapoel Beer Sheva midfielder Lucas Ventura reportedly complained on a second occasion about racist chants from Beitar Jerusalem supporters, causing play to be stopped for a minute.[2] This was reported as Ventura's allegation in match coverage and has not been independently established as a verified finding.