Two years later, haGibor was formed in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and 1898 saw the founding of Bar Kochba Berlin along with Vivó és Athletikai Club in Budapest, Hungary.

This political opposition exacerbated their athletic rivalry between fans and players, to the point that matches between the two teams were generally referred to as a "Holy War".

That same year, the first relations were established between them and their European counterparts, when a decision was taken at the Maccabi Conference in Berlin to begin group trips to British Palestine.

Maccabi GB is a member of the English National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS)[3] because of its work promoting the personal and social development of young people.

[4] In 2024, the Maccabi World Union signed a multi-million shekel agreement with the Israeli government to contribute to Israel's world-wide public relations effort.