The Maccabiah Games will officially return to Jerusalem this summer with a star-studded opening ceremony at Teddy Stadium on July 1, as organizers announced the start of ticket sales this week for what is expected to be one of Israel’s largest cultural and sporting events of the year.
The ceremony will combine music, sports, and Jewish unity, featuring thousands of athletes from dozens of countries marching into Teddy Stadium alongside performances from some of Israel’s leading entertainers and Jewish personalities from around the world.
Hosted by Assi Azar and Anna Aronov, the evening will include appearances by Montana Tucker, Netta Barzilai, Anna Zak, Idan Raichel, Itay Levy, and Yuval Raphael.
According to organizers, the production will feature a 70-meter stage, giant LED screens, pyrotechnics, hundreds of dancers, and the traditional lighting of the Maccabiah torch, as well as a parade of athletes representing Jewish communities from around the globe.
“This year, in the spirit of the annual message ‘More Than Ever,’ the Maccabiah 2026 Opening Ceremony will accommodate its largest capacity yet,” organizers said in a statement announcing the event. “It will be a major summer evening of music, sports, and live performances at Teddy Stadium.”
Montana Tucker to perform original song during Maccabiah ceremony
The ceremony will open with a new musical arrangement performed by Raphael before Barzilai and Zak take the stage together for a one-time duet. Raichel will then perform special arrangements of his songs alongside former Hamas hostages Daniella Gilboa and Edan Alexander.
Later in the evening, Levy will perform with a choir and hundreds of dancers as part of a large-scale stage production.
Tucker, who has become one of the most prominent pro-Israel voices on social media since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war and has spoken extensively against antisemitism, will perform her original song during the ceremony. She will also help lead the athletes’ parade together with Michael Harpaz.
“Together, the two will welcome the thousands of athletes from the Jewish Diaspora,” organizers said.
Maccabia Games to bring thousands of Jews to compete
The Maccabiah Games, often referred to as the “Jewish Olympics,” are expected to bring thousands of Jewish athletes to Israel to compete in more than 30 sports from July 1-13 at venues across the country. This edition of the Maccabiah was originally scheduled to take place in 2025, but organizers postponed the Games by a year due to the ongoing war and security situation following the October 7 attacks.
In addition to the competitions, organizers said the games will include a new experiential sports complex at Expo Tel Aviv as well as volunteer activities and sports programming in the Tkuma region in cooperation with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund.
Ticket prices for the opening ceremony will begin at NIS 99 in an effort to make the event accessible to families and younger fans, with organizers anticipating significant demand for the event at Teddy Stadium.
Maccabiah 2026 is being held in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Culture and Sport, KKL-JNF, Bank Leumi, EL AL, Reebok, The Jewish Agency, the Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and the World Zionist Organization, among others.
Source:
www.jpost.com
