Maccabi Tel Aviv

Dragan Jokić took Maccabi Tel Aviv into Europe in 2016-17 with Novak Bushkovic and the Pomeranz brothers, Gili and Chen, carrying the side that season — a squad built around a men's department that traces back to the amalgamation of Maccabi North Tel Aviv, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and Brit Maccabim Atid in the 1930s.

The record since has run in short, defined bursts rather than a steady climb: back-to-back Israeli Premier League titles in 2013-14 and 2015-16, and State Cups separated by decades — three in a row in 1963, 1964 and 1965, then a fourth in 2017, more than half a century later.

Most matches are played at the Tichonet Alterman Sports Hall, a ground too small for continental nights; for those, the club moves to the Drive In Arena, which holds more than double the crowd.

That visitor, more often than not, is Hapoel Rishon LeZion. The two have met repeatedly in finals over the years.