The Reds officially tipped off training camp on Saturday in Sofia, Bulgaria, without their Israeli international core – who are currently away on World Cup qualifying duty – and with several other key players scheduled to arrive in the coming days.
Although Hapoel initially announced a return to Israeli soil “due to the security situation,” club officials ultimately opted to hold camp in the Bulgarian capital once again. Under current arrangements, Israeli teams will continue hosting and preparing for European competitions outside the country’s borders.
Hapoel’s preseason slate features minimal time at home. The Reds open action this Saturday with a two-game exhibition series in Sofia against EuroCup side Balkan Botevgrad, followed by two tune-up games in Belgrade. Preparations will wrap up over Rosh Hashanah at a warm-up tournament in Cagliari, Italy.
Following the Italian tournament, the squad will fly to Israel for a high-stakes Super Cup clash against archrivals Maccabi Tel Aviv on September 17. The team will stay briefly for the Israeli Premier League Media Day before returning to Bulgaria for final preparations ahead of their EuroLeague opener against Bayern Munich on September 24.
Hapoel is currently training without national team members Khadeen Carrington, Itay Segev, Guy Palatin, and Tamir Blatt.