The 2026 Maccabiah Games will officially kick off on July 1 with a star-studded opening ceremony at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, featuring leading Israeli and American performers, hundreds of dancers, spectacular pyrotechnics and the traditional parade of Jewish athletes from around the world.

The theme of this year’s Maccabiah is “More Than Ever.”

Often referred to as the “Jewish Olympics,” the 22nd Maccabiah will take place from July 1-13 and is expected to bring together some 8,000 athletes from 55 countries competing in more than 30 sports.

Among the featured performers billed for the opening ceremony is American actress, social media personality and Israel advocate Montana Tucker. Tucker will perform an original song and co-host the athletes’ parade with American-Israeli musician and content creator Michael HarPaz. Together, they will welcome competitors from around the globe.

Yuval Raphael, Israel’s representative at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, will open the evening with a new musical arrangement. Netta Barzilai, who won the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest for Israel, is scheduled to perform a duet with Anna Zak, a Russian-Israeli singer, actress and social media personality.

Idan Raichel, one of Israel’s accomplished musicians, will be joined on stage by former hostages Daniella Gilboa and Edan Alexander for a performance of some of his best-known songs.

Hosted by Israeli TV personality Assi Azar and dancer Anna Aronov, and directed by Eldar Gohar Grossman, the opening ceremony will include the lighting of the Maccabiah torch, large-scale multimedia displays on two giant LED screens and a procession of thousands of athletes representing Jewish communities worldwide.