Ofer Yanai Reveals Hapoel Tel Aviv's Massive 70 Million Euro Budget

Hapoel Tel Aviv Budget Revealed

Ofer Yanai, the owner of Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball club, revealed in an interview with the "Sportal" website the club's extraordinary budget for the 2026-27 season, standing at a staggering sum of about 70 million euros. This figure places the Reds on par with the giants of the EuroLeague, but Yanai clarifies that a direct comparison with other teams can be misleading. According to him, there are unique costs in Israel that dramatically affect the total budget.

The Reasons Behind the Numbers

According to reports, the net salary budget of Hapoel Tel Aviv players stands at about 29 million euros, but Yanai explains that the expenses are much greater. He noted two main factors that make operations more expensive: the high taxation costs in Israel compared to countries like Greece, and the expenses involved in holding EuroLeague home games in Sofia, Bulgaria, due to the security situation.

Another significant factor is the league rules, which allow the registration of only five foreign players. This limitation forces the club to invest higher amounts in quality local players or maintain a broader roster to compete in both frameworks. Yanai estimated: "If you remove these three dimensions, I think the budget should have been around 55 million euros."

Competing with EuroLeague Giants

The adjusted amount of 55 million euros places Hapoel Tel Aviv in a budgetary category similar to that of long-standing EuroLeague powers like Olympiacos and Panathinaikos. In addition, he is aware that the club may be required to pay an additional "premium" to attract top players, since Hapoel is not yet considered an established EuroLeague brand, and also due to the security situation in Israel.