Israel national football team

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Israel
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)התכולים-לבנים (The Skyblue and Whites)
הנבחרת (The Chosen Team)
AssociationIsrael Football Association (IFA)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe; 1980–81; 1991–present)
OFC (Oceania; 1985–89)
AFC (Asia; 1954–74)
Head coachAlon Hazan
CaptainEli Dasa[1]
Most capsYossi Benayoun (101)[a]
Top scorerEran Zahavi (35)
Home stadiumVarious Stadiums
FIFA codeISR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 75 Steady (15 February 2024)[2]
Highest15 (November 2008)
Lowest99 (January 2018)
First international
 Egypt 5–0 Mandatory Palestine 
(Cairo, Egypt; 4 April 1930)

as the State of Israel:
 US Olympic Team 3–1 Israel 
(New York, United States; 26 September 1948)
Biggest win
 Israel 9–0 Chinese Taipei 
(Wellington, New Zealand; 23 March 1988)
Biggest defeat
 Germany 7–1 Israel 
(Kaiserslautern, Germany; 13 February 2002)
World Cup
Appearances1 (first in 1970)
Best resultGroup stage (1970)
Asian Cup
Appearances4 (first in 1956)
Best resultChampions (1964)
Asian Games
Appearances2 (first in 1958)
Best result2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver Medal (1974)

The Israel national football team (Hebrew: נבחרת ישראל בכדורגל, romanizedNivḥeret Yīsrāʾēl BeḴaduregel) represents Israel in men's international football, and is governed by the Israel Football Association. They have been members of the European Confederation UEFA since 1994.

Israel qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 1970. They also won the 1964 AFC Asian Cup, before a forced relocation to UEFA.

History

Early history

Football has a long tradition in Israel. The game was originally introduced during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Palestinian Football Association was formed in August 1928, and joined FIFA in June 1929, but at the time the association was made up of Arab clubs, Jewish clubs, and clubs representing British policemen and soldiers serving in the region during the British Mandate rule that spanned the period between World War I and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The Mandatory Palestine national football team made its debut against Cairo (Egypt) in 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification, losing 0–5 in Cairo, Egypt. The team played five international matches, including a friendly match against Lebanon that Palestine won 1–5; until the British Mandate for Palestine national team was dissolved. During those five games, the national team fielded only Jewish players. Three anthems were played before each match: the British "God Save the King", the Jewish (and future Israeli) "HaTikvah", and the opposing team's anthem.[4]

In 1948 the team became, officially, the national football team of (the State of) Israel.[5] The Israel national team's first match as an independent nation was on 26 September 1948, against the US Olympic Team. The game was won by the US 1–3, and in the 20th minute of the game Shmuel Ben-Dror scored the first goal after the creation of the State of Israel.

Asian Football Confederation membership

Israel winning the 1964 AFC Asian Cup

Muslim and Arab countries boycotting Israel

Israel was one of the founding members of the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) following its own independence in 1948 (prior to that it played under the banner of the "British Mandate of Palestine").[6] After the 1974 Asian Games in Iran, and Israel's 0–1 tense loss to Iran in the finals,[7] Kuwait and other Muslim and Arab countries refused to play them. Following this, Israel were expelled from the confederation and spent a few years trying to qualify from such continental bodies as the OFC (Oceania), before eventually joining UEFA (Europe) officially.[8]

Israel's last years in the AFC

Israel competed at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) between 1954 and 1974. Due to the Arab League boycott of Israel, several Muslim countries refused to compete against Israel. The political situation culminated in Israel winning the 1958 World Cup qualifying stage for Asia and Africa without playing a single game, forcing FIFA to schedule a playoff between Israel and Wales to ensure the team did not qualify without playing at least one game (which Wales won).

Israel hosted and won the 1964 AFC Asian Cup.

In 1968, Israel went to their first Olympic Games and lost to Bulgaria in the quarterfinals.

1970's Israel national team at the Bloomfield Stadium of Tel Aviv, Israel

In 1969, Israel qualified for its first and only FIFA World Cup, via Asia/Oceania. Israel earned two points after a 1–1 draw with Sweden, a 0–0 draw with eventual finalist Italy, and a 0–2 loss to Uruguay. The goal against Sweden, scored by Mordechai Spiegler, is Israel's only FIFA World Cup goal to date.

In 1974, Israel was excluded from AFC competitions, as a result of a proposal by Kuwait (as other Muslim and Arab countries refused to play against Israel), that was adopted by a vote of 17 to 13 with 6 abstentions.[9][8] The vote coincided with the 1974 Asian Games, where the football competition was marred by the refusal of both North Korea[10] and Kuwait to play second-round matches against Israel.

In 1976, Israel went to its second Olympic Games and lost in the quarterfinals again, this time against Brazil. In 1973 and 1977, Israel participated in the World Cup qualification tournament which included teams from both Asia and Oceania, but failed to qualify.

Years in exile

First steps in UEFA

During the early 1980s, Israel played the majority of its matches against UEFA (Europe) teams, and competed in the European stage of qualification for the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

Ronny Rosenthal playing for Israel at the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification (Oceania) against New Zealand

First steps in OFC

For the next two tournaments, Israel entered Oceania's (OFC) qualification stage.

In 1989, Israel won the OFC second round (Oceania) by finishing above both Australia and New Zealand. As a result, Israel made it to the CONMEBOL–OFC play-offs to represent Oceania and play against CONMEBOL's (South America) Colombia for the 1990 World Cup, but lost (1–0, 0–0).

UEFA membership

In 1991, Israeli clubs began participating in European club competitions of UEFA, and Israel returned to the European leg of World Cup qualifying in 1992. In 1994, Israel received full UEFA membership, 20 years after it had left Asia. Within Europe, Israel has been a relatively minor nation, though with some successes, notably winning 3–2 in Paris against France in 1993, and 5–0 against Austria in 1999. That year, Israel made it to the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying play-offs, but was beaten by Denmark.

Israel came close to advancing to the playoff stage in their 2006 World Cup qualifying group, finishing third, behind France, and tied on points with Switzerland, which also remained unbeaten in 10 matches after 4 wins and 6 draws. The Swiss had a better goal difference, though, and advanced to the qualification play-off. Coach Avram Grant announced his resignation on 26 October 2005. After the end of his contract, he was succeeded by Dror Kashtan.

In UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, Israel came very close to qualifying for the final tournament, but finished fourth in Group E, just one point behind second-placed Russia, who qualified directly with Croatia, and level on 23 points with England, who also failed to advance. The 4–3 home loss to Croatia was the first loss after 13 consecutive official games and 9 home games without a loss.

In 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, Israel again came in fourth, behind Switzerland, Greece, and Latvia. For the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, Kashtan was replaced as coach by Frenchman Luis Fernández but Israel failed to qualify again, finishing third behind Greece and Croatia.

The continued presence of the Israeli Football Association in UEFA was a precedent cited by Australia to justify its transfer from the Oceania Football Confederation to the Asian Football Confederation.[11]

In 2018, Willi Ruttensteiner was appointed as technical director. A national football academy was founded and three supporting development centers were established.[12]

Home stadium

The first home game of the Israel national football team was at Palms Ground on 6 April 1934 against Egypt in a 1934 World Cup qualifier. Prior to the formation of Israel, they also played at the Maccabi Ground for the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and Maccabiah Stadium. The first national team to represent the newly formed State of Israel back in 1948, had played at the Ramat Gan Stadium as part of 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification, in front of 55,000 spectators. The Ramat Gan Stadium would remain Israel's home stadium until 2013.

Since the construction of Sammy Ofer Stadium in the city of Haifa, Teddy Stadium in the city of Jerusalem, Turner Stadium in the city of Be'er Sheva, Netanya Stadium in the city of Netanya and Bloomfield Stadium in the city of Tel Aviv – the Israel national team has rotated their official home matches between the latter five.

Active stadiums

Matches Image Stadium Capacity Location First match Last match
51
UEFA
Bloomfield Stadium 29,400 Tel Aviv, Israel 17 May 1964 12 September 2023
14
UEFA
Teddy Stadium 31,733 Jerusalem, Israel 12 February 1992 19 June 2023
12
UEFA
Sammy Ofer Stadium 30,942 Haifa, Israel 16 November 2014 2 June 2022
9
UEFA
Netanya Stadium 13,610 Netanya, Israel 6 February 2013 29 March 2022
4
UEFA
Turner Stadium 16,126 Be'er Sheva, Israel 14 October 2018 12 October 2021

Inactive stadiums

Matches Image Stadium Capacity Location First match Last match
137 Ramat Gan Stadium 41,583 Ramat Gan, Israel 8 March 1954 15 October 2013
3 Maccabiah Stadium 20,000 Tel Aviv, Israel 30 July 1949 28 October 1950

Kit suppliers

Kit supplier Origin Period
Diadora Italy 1992–1995
Adidas Germany 2008–2018
Puma Germany 1985–1989
1996–2008
2018–2024

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

25 March 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Israel  1–1  Kosovo Tel Aviv, Israel
18:00 (20:00 UTC+3)
  • Peretz 56'
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Bloomfield Stadium
Attendance: 28,935
Referee: Willie Collum (Scotland)
28 March 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Switzerland  3–0  Israel Geneva, Switzerland
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)
Report (UEFA) Stadium: Stade de Genève
Attendance: 14,819
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (Montenegro)
19 June 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Israel  2–1  Andorra Jerusalem, Israel
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Teddy Stadium
Attendance: 13,300
Referee: Dragomir Draganov (Bulgaria)
9 September 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Romania  1–1  Israel Bucharest, Romania
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Arena Națională
Attendance: 49,193
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)
12 September 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Israel  1–0  Belarus Tel Aviv, Israel
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report (UEFA) Stadium: Bloomfield Stadium
Attendance: 28,435
Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (Spain)
12 November 2023[note 2] UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Kosovo  1–0  Israel Prishtina, Kosovo
20:45
Report (UEFA) Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium
Attendance: 5,245
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (Slovakia)
15 November 2023[note 3] UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Israel  1–1   Switzerland Felcsút, Hungary[note 4]
20:45 Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Pancho Aréna
Attendance: 2,024
Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)
18 November 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Israel  1–2  Romania Felcsút, Hungary[note 4]
20:45 (21:45 UTC+2)
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Pancho Aréna
Attendance: 2,921
Referee: François Letexier (France)
21 November 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Andorra  0–2  Israel Andorra la Vella, Andorra
20:45 Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Estadi Nacional
Attendance: 568
Referee: Sascha Stegemann (Germany)

2024

21 March 2024 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs Israel  1–4  Iceland Budapest, Hungary[note 5]
20:45
Report
Stadium: Szusza Ferenc Stadion
Attendance: 1,226
Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)
8 June 2024 Friendly Hungary  v  Israel Hungary
Source
6 September 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League Belgium  v  Israel Belgium
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report (UEFA)
14 October 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League Italy  v  Israel Italy
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report (UEFA)
14 November 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League France  v  Israel France
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report (UEFA)

Coaching staff

Avram Grant has been one of the youngest official head coaches of Israel.
Alon Hazan is the current official head coach of Israel.
As of 21 November 2023.[20][21]
Position Name
Head coach Israel Alon Hazan
Professional manager
Technical manager
Israel Yossi Benayoun
Assistant coach Israel Alon Harazi
Fitness coach Israel Eran Shedo
Israel Matan Shoshani
Goalkeeping coach Israel Itay Zilpa
Analyst Israel Adar Rosenberg
Israel Maayan Bahalul
Technical manager Israel Benny Tabak
Israel Avi Levi
Head doctor Israel Ehud "Udi" Kaufman

Coaching history

As of 21 November 2023.[22][23]

Players

Current squad

The following players were called for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Kosovo, Switzerland, Romania, Andorra, on 12, 15, 18 and 21 November 2023; respectively.[38][39]

Caps and goals are correct as of 21 November 2023, after the match against Andorra.[40][41][42][43]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Omri Glazer (1996-03-11) 11 March 1996 (age 28) 12 0 Serbia Red Star Belgrade
1GK Daniel Peretz (2000-07-10) 10 July 2000 (age 23) 2 0 Germany Bayern Munich
1GK Yoav Gerafi (1993-08-29) 29 August 1993 (age 30) 1 0 Israel Hapoel Haifa

2DF Eli Dasa (captain) (1992-12-03) 3 December 1992 (age 31) 61 0 Russia Dynamo Moscow
2DF Ofir Davidzada (1991-05-05) 5 May 1991 (age 32) 19 0 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
2DF Sean Goldberg (1996-08-25) 25 August 1996 (age 27) 14 0 Israel Maccabi Haifa
2DF Miguel Vítor (1989-06-30) 30 June 1989 (age 34) 11 0 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva
2DF Raz Shlomo (1999-08-13) 13 August 1999 (age 24) 10 1 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
2DF Ofri Arad (1998-09-11) 11 September 1998 (age 25) 9 0 Kazakhstan Kairat
2DF Roy Revivo (2003-05-22) 22 May 2003 (age 20) 5 0 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv

3MF Dor Peretz (vice-captain) (1995-05-17) 17 May 1995 (age 28) 40 6 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
3MF Mohammad Abu Fani (1998-04-27) 27 April 1998 (age 25) 21 0 Hungary Ferencváros
3MF Neta Lavi (1996-08-25) 25 August 1996 (age 27) 20 0 Japan Gamba Osaka
3MF Gabi Kanichowsky (4th captain) (1997-08-24) 24 August 1997 (age 26) 13 1 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
3MF Ramzi Safouri (1995-10-21) 21 October 1995 (age 28) 12 0 Turkey Antalyaspor
3MF Oscar Gloukh (2004-04-01) 1 April 2004 (age 19) 11 3 Austria Red Bull Salzburg
3MF Gadi Kinda (1994-03-23) 23 March 1994 (age 30) 7 2 Israel Maccabi Haifa
3MF Tomer Yosefi (1999-02-02) 2 February 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Israel Hapoel Haifa
3MF Ido Shahar (2001-08-20) 20 August 2001 (age 22) 0 0 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv

4FW Eran Zahavi (3rd captain) (1987-07-25) 25 July 1987 (age 36) 73 34 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
4FW Tai Baribo (1998-01-15) 15 January 1998 (age 26) 14 3 United States Philadelphia Union
4FW Liel Abada (2001-10-03) 3 October 2001 (age 22) 10 1 United States Charlotte FC
4FW Dor Turgeman (2003-10-24) 24 October 2003 (age 20) 5 0 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
4FW Anan Khalaily (2004-09-03) 3 September 2004 (age 19) 3 0 Israel Maccabi Haifa

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Israel squad within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Gad Amos (1988-12-24) 24 December 1988 (age 35) 0 0 Israel Maccabi Bnei Reineh v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023

DF Ayid Habshi (1995-05-10) 10 May 1995 (age 28) 4 0 Israel Ironi Kiryat Shmona v.  Belarus, 16 June 2023
DF Eyad Abu Abaid (1994-12-31) 31 December 1994 (age 29) 6 0 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva v.  Romania, 10 September 2023
DF Denny Gropper (1999-03-16) 16 March 1999 (age 25) 3 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad v.   Switzerland, 28 March 2023
DF Sagiv Yehezkel (1995-03-21) 21 March 1995 (age 29) 8 0 Turkey Antalyaspor v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023
DF Stav Lemkin (2003-04-02) 2 April 2003 (age 20) 3 0 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023
DF Avishay Cohen (1995-06-19) 19 June 1995 (age 28) 1 0 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023
DF Gil Cohen (2000-11-08) 8 November 2000 (age 23) 0 0 Israel F.C. Ashdod v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023

MF Manor Solomon (1999-07-24) 24 July 1999 (age 24) 37 7 England Tottenham Hotspur v.  Belarus, 12 September 2023 INJ
MF Dolev Haziza (1995-07-05) 5 July 1995 (age 28) 14 0 Israel Maccabi Haifa v.  Andorra, 20 June 2023 INJ
MF Bibras Natcho RET (1988-02-18) 18 February 1988 (age 36) 88 4 Serbia Partizan v.   Switzerland, 28 March 2023
MF Mohammed Kna'an (2000-01-14) 14 January 2000 (age 24) 2 0 Israel MS Ashdod v.   Switzerland, 28 March 2023
MF Omri Gandelman (2000-05-16) 16 May 2000 (age 23) 1 0 Belgium Gent v.   Switzerland, 28 March 2023
MF Liran Rotman (1996-06-07) 7 June 1996 (age 27) 0 0 Israel Maccabi Netanya v.   Switzerland, 28 March 2023 PRE
MF Eden Kartsev (2000-04-11) 11 April 2000 (age 23) 6 0 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023
MF Dan Glazer (1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 (age 27) 20 1 Greece OFI Crete v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023

FW Shon Weissman (5th captain) (1996-02-14) 14 February 1996 (age 28) 33 6 Italy Salernitana v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023
FW Dean David (1996-03-14) 14 March 1996 (age 28) 4 1 Israel Maccabi Haifa v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023 INJ
FW Idan Gorno (2004-08-09) 9 August 2004 (age 19) 4 0 Israel Maccabi Petah Tikva v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023

INJ Withdrew due to injury or illness
PRE Preliminary/extended squad
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension due to either a red card, or two accumulated yellow cards
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to neither injury nor illness issue
U21 Player withdrew from the squad to play for the national under-21 team

Records

As of 18 November 2023.[44]
Players in bold are still active with Israel.
Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.

Most capped players

Yossi Benayoun is Israel's most capped player with 101 appearances – also both Israel's current Professional manager and Technical manager.
Rank Name Caps Goals Career
1 Yossi Benayoun[a] 101 23 1998–2017
2 Tal Ben Haim[b] 95 2 2002–2017
3 Arik Benado 94 0 1995–2007
4 Alon Harazi 88 1 1992–2006
Bibras Natcho 88 4 2010–2023
6 Amir Schelach 85 0 1992–2001
7 Avi Nimni 80 17 1992–2005
8 Eyal Berkovic 78 9 1992–2004
Dudu Aouate 78 0 1999–2013
10 Tal Banin[c] 77 12 1990–2003

Top goalscorers

Eran Zahavi is Israel's top scorer with 34 goals.
Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Eran Zahavi 34 73 0.47 2010–present
2 Mordechai Spiegler[d] 24 57 0.42 1964–1977
3 Ronen Harazi 23 52 0.44 1992–1999
Yossi Benayoun[a] 23 101 0.23 1998–2017
5 Nahum Stelmach[e] 19 45 0.42 1956–1968
6 Alon Mizrahi 17 37 0.46 1992–2001
Tomer Hemed 17 38 0.45 2011–2019
Eli Ohana[f] 17 50 0.34 1984–1997
Avi Nimni 17 80 0.21 1992–2005
10 Yehoshua Feigenbaum[g] 15 36 0.42 1966–1977
Mu'nas Dabbur 15 40 0.38 2014–2022

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Outcome Pld W D L GF GA Confederation
As  Mandatory Palestine As  Mandatory Palestine
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter Did not enter
Italy 1934 Did not qualify 2nd 2 0 0 2 2 11 Africa/Asia
France 1938 2nd 2 0 0 2 1 4 Europe
As  Israel As  Israel
Brazil 1950 Did not qualify 2nd 2 0 0 2 2 11 Europe
Switzerland 1954 3rd 4 0 0 4 0 5
Sweden 1958 Play-off 2 0 0 2 0 4 CAF/AFC
Chile 1962 Final Round 6 3 1 2 13 14 UEFA
England 1966 3rd 4 0 0 4 1 12
Mexico 1970 Group stage 12th 3 0 2 1 1 3 Squad Final Round 4 3 1 0 8 1 AFC/OFC
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify Zone A Final 6 4 1 1 12 2
Argentina 1978 First round 4 2 1 1 5 3
Spain 1982 5th 8 1 3 4 6 10 UEFA
Mexico 1986 2nd 6 3 1 2 17 6 OFC
Italy 1990 Play-off 6 1 4 1 5 5
United States 1994 6th 10 1 3 6 10 27 UEFA
France 1998 3rd 8 4 1 3 9 7
South Korea Japan 2002 3rd 8 3 3 2 11 7
Germany 2006 3rd 10 4 6 0 15 10
South Africa 2010 4th 10 4 4 2 20 10
Brazil 2014 3rd 10 3 5 2 19 14
Russia 2018 4th 10 4 0 6 10 15
Qatar 2022 3rd 10 5 1 4 23 21
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 1/22 Group stage 3 0 2 1 1 3 Final Round 130 43 35 52 180 180

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Outcome Pld W D L GF GA
1960–1992 Not a UEFA member Not a UEFA member
England 1996 Did not qualify 5th 10 3 3 4 13 13
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Play-offs 8 4 1 3 25 9
Portugal 2004 3rd 8 2 3 3 9 11
Austria Switzerland 2008 4th 12 7 2 3 20 12
Poland Ukraine 2012 3rd 10 5 1 4 13 11
France 2016 4th 10 4 1 5 16 14
Europe 2020 Play-offs 11 3 3 5 16 18
Germany 2024 Play-offs 11 4 3 4 12 15
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032
Total Play-offs 80 32 17 31 124 103

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
League phase Finals
Season LG Grp Pos Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK Year Pos Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
2018–19 C 1 2nd 4 2 0 2 6 5 Rise 30th Portugal 2019 Did not qualify
2020–21 B 2 2nd 6 2 2 2 7 7 Same position 25th Italy 2021
2022–23 B 2 1st 4 2 2 0 8 6 Rise 17th Netherlands 2023
2024–25 A 2 To be determined 2025 To be determined
Total 14 6 4 4 21 18 17th Total
*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
**Group stage played home and away. Flag shown represents host nation for the finals stage.

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Finland 1952 Did not enter
Australia 1956
Italy 1960 Did not qualify
Japan 1964
Mexico 1968 Quarter-finals 5th 4 2 1 1 9 7 Squad
West Germany 1972 Did not qualify
Canada 1976 Quarter-finals 6th 4 0 3 1 4 7 Squad
Soviet Union 1980 Withdrew
United States 1984 Did not qualify
South Korea 1988
1992–present Competition played as an Under-23 competition
Total Quarter-finals 2/10 8 2 4 2 13 14

FIFA World Ranking history

The following is a chart of yearly averages of Israel's FIFA World Ranking.[45]

Honours

As an AFC member[46]

AFC Asian Cup

Asian Games

  • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver Medal (1): 1974

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Yossi Benayoun also played and scored against Romania B however this was not a full-international match and is therefore not included
  2. ^ Tal Ben Haim also played against Romania B however this was not a full-international match and is therefore not included
  3. ^ Tal Banin also played against USSR XI however this was not a full-international match and is therefore not included
  4. ^ Mordechai Spiegler also played in 25 matches that are not recognised by FIFA, scoring eight additional goals, however they are not full-international matches and are therefore not included
  5. ^ Nahum Stelmach also played in 19 matches that are not recognised by FIFA, scoring three additional goals, however they are not full-international matches and are therefore not included
  6. ^ Eli Ohana also played a 1984 Olympic qualification game however this was not a full-international match and is therefore not included
  7. ^ Yehoshua Feigenbaum also played in 15 matches that are not recognised by FIFA, scoring nine additional goals, however they are not full-international matches and are therefore not included
  1. ^ a b c Due to the Belarusian country's involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belarus are required to play their home matches at neutral venues and behind closed doors until further notice.[13]
  2. ^ The Kosovo v Israel match, originally scheduled to be played on 15 October 2023, was postponed to 12 November 2023 due to the Israel–Hamas war.[14][15]
  3. ^ The Israel v Switzerland match, originally scheduled to be played on 12 October 2023 at the Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv, was postponed to a date to determine due and relocated to a neutral site due to the Israel–Hamas war.[16][17]
  4. ^ a b c d e Due to the Israel–Hamas war, Israel is required to play all their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.[18]
  5. ^ Due to the Israel–Hamas war, Israel are required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.[19]

References

  1. ^ "נאתכו: בטוח שהנבחרת תגיע ליורו, אהיה בשווייץ" (in Hebrew). 25 March 2023. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  2. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  3. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  4. ^ Mubarak, Hassanin. "Palestine – International Results – Details". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  5. ^ "Statistical Kit: Preliminary Draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil" (PDF). FIFA.com. 28 June 2011. p. 53. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2020. A Jewish delegation from Palestine (then a British mandate) played at the qualifying games for 1934 & 1938. It was the first Jewish national team, and as such the forerunner of Israel.
  6. ^ "Site-Map-Israel-Football-Facts—Stats". Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Bayati recalls Iran's tense win over Israel". Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  8. ^ a b Montague, James (27 February 2008). "Time is right for Israel to return to its Asian roots". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Aust-Asian bid fails". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 September 1974. p. 11. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  10. ^ Rahman, Mansoor (14 September 1974). "'Visibles' win without any kick..." New Straits Times. p. 22. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  11. ^ Williams, Richard (19 May 2015). "Why Does Israel's Football Team Play In Europe?". Sky News. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  12. ^ Willi Ruttensteiner ist nicht mehr Teamchef von Israel Archived 3 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine, der Standard, 2022-02-07.
  13. ^ "Belarus teams to play on neutral ground in UEFA competitions". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 3 March 2022. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  14. ^ "European Qualifiers match Kosovo v Israel postponed". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  15. ^ "New dates for three UEFA matches involving Israel". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
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External links