Maccabi Tel Aviv eye Limassol as venue for home fixtures

A decision on whether Maccabi Tel Aviv will play their EuroLeague home games in Cyprus could be taken this week, amid an ongoing security review, reports said on Monday. Daily Phileleftheros reported that an on-site inspection of the likely venue – the Spyros Kyprianou arena in Limassol – would take place on Tuesday. Officials will examine security protocols, crowd segregation, and operational readiness to ensure the venue meets EuroLeague standards for high-risk fixtures. Should organisers give the thumbs-up, it would allow the Israeli basketball club to relocate home matches to Cyprus, with the first fixture potentially scheduled for 22 October – when they play Real Madrid. Under the proposed schedule, Maccabi would play in Limassol through February, with the possibility to extend their stay until April. If approved, Cyprus police would have to contend with operational challenges, given that three Turkish teams – Fenerbahce, Besiktas, and Anadolu Efes – are on Maccabi’s EuroLeague schedule. The proposal follows a formal request submitted by Maccabi Tel Aviv to President Nikos Christodoulides. The request was initially raised during a meeting between Christodoulides and Maccabi chairman Shimon Mizrahi at a tournament held earlier in Cyprus. According to Phileleftheros, police have drawn up a preliminary security plan covering team arrivals and match-day operations, to be finalised in coordination with EuroLeague management and Israeli club representatives. One issue being deliberated concerns whether some games would be played behind closed doors. Maccabi had made a similar request back in June 2025, but Cypriot authorities rejected it at the time. During the previous (2025-2026) regular season of the EuroLeague, Maccabi played home games in Belgrade, Serbia.