Israel national football team

The Israel national football team (Hebrew: נבחרת ישראל בכדורגל, romanizedNivheret Yisra'el BeKaduregel) represents Israel in international football, and is governed by the Israel Football Association (IFA).

Israel
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)הכחולים-לבנים (The Blues 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
CaptainBibras Natcho
Most capsYossi Benayoun (101)[a]
Top scorerEran Zahavi (33)
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeISR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 76 Steady (22 December 2022)[1]
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
 Egypt 7–1 Mandatory Palestine 
(Cairo, Egypt; 16 March 1934)

as the State of Israel:
 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)

Israel's national team is the direct successor of the Mandatory Palestine national team, which played five internationals in 1934–1940, and was managed by the Palestine Football Association. The Israel Football Association is a full member of the European Confederation UEFA since 1994.

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

HistoryEdit

Early historyEdit

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 British Mandate of Palestine national 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.[3]

In 1948 the team became, officially, the national football team of (the State of) Israel.[4] 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 membershipEdit

 
Israel winning the 1964 AFC Asian Cup

Muslim and Arab countries boycotting IsraelEdit

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").[5] After the 1974 Asian Games in Iran, and Israel's 0–1 tense loss to Iran in the finals,[6] 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.[7]

Israel's last years in the AFCEdit

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.

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

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.[8][7] The vote coincided with the 1974 Asian Games, where the football competition was marred by the refusal of both North Korea[9] 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 1972 and 1977, it attempted World Cup qualification as part of Asia, which both times ended in failure.

Years in exileEdit

First steps in UEFAEdit

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.

First steps in OFCEdit

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 membershipEdit

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.[10]

In 2018, Willi Ruttensteiner was appointed as technical director. A national football academy was founded and three supporting development centers were established.[11]

Home stadiumEdit

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 home matches between the latter five.

Active stadiumsEdit

Matches Image Stadium Capacity Location First match Last match
50  
UEFA     
Bloomfield Stadium 29,400 Tel Aviv, Israel 17 May 1964 24 September 2022
13  
UEFA     
Teddy Stadium 31,733 Jerusalem, Israel 12 February 1992 16 November 2019
12  
UEFA     
Sammy Ofer Stadium 30,858 Haifa, Israel 16 November 2014 2 June 2022
9  
UEFA     
Netanya Stadium 13,610 Netanya, Israel 6 February 2013 15 November 2021
4  
UEFA     
Turner Stadium 16,126 Be'er Sheva, Israel 14 October 2018 12 October 2021

Inactive stadiumsEdit

Matches Image Stadium Capacity Location First match Last match
139   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 suppliersEdit

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

Results and fixturesEdit

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

2022Edit

29 March 2022 Friendly Israel   2–2   Romania Netanya, Israel
19:45 UTC+2 (20:45 UTC+3)
  • Dabbur   57', 85'
Report
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Netanya Stadium
Attendance: 6,970[12]
Referee: Daniel Stefański (Poland)
2 June 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Israel   2–2   Iceland Haifa, Israel
18:45 (21:45 UTC+3)
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Sammy Ofer Stadium
Attendance: 13,150
Referee: Andris Treimanis (Latvia)
6 June 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Israel   Cancelled   Russia[b] Haifa, Israel
19:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report (UEFA) Stadium: Sammy Ofer Stadium
10 June 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Albania   1–2   Israel Tirana, Albania
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Arena Kombëtare
Attendance: 18,100
Referee: Tiago Martins (Portugal)
13 June 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Iceland   2–2   Israel Reykjavík, Iceland
18:45 (21:45 UTC+3)
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur
Attendance: 2,778
Referee: Duje Strukan (Croatia)
24 September 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Israel   2–1   Albania Tel Aviv, Israel
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)
Report (UEFA)
Stadium: Bloomfield Stadium
Attendance: 29,200
Referee: Donatas Rumšas (Lithuania)
27 September 2022 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Russia  [b] Cancelled   Israel Russia
19:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report (UEFA)
27 September 2022 Friendly Malta   2–1   Israel Ta' Qali, Malta
21:00 UTC+2 (22:00 UTC+3)
Report
Stadium: National Stadium
Referee: Eldorjan Hamiti (Albania)
17 November 2022 Friendly Israel   4–2   Zambia Petah Tikva, Israel
19:30
Report
Stadium: HaMoshava Stadium
Attendance: 5,243
Referee: Arda Kardeşler (Turkey)
20 November 2022 Friendly Israel   2–3   Cyprus Petah Tikva, Israel
18:45
Report
Stadium: HaMoshava Stadium
Attendance: 7,352
Referee: Arda Kardeşler (Turkey)

2023Edit

Times are CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

16 June 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Belarus   v   Israel [note 2]
20:45 Report (UEFA) Stadium: [note 2]
Attendance: 0[note 2]
19 June 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Israel   v   Andorra Jerusalem, Israel
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report (UEFA) Stadium: Teddy Stadium
9 September 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Romania   v   Israel Bucharest, Romania
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report (UEFA) Stadium: Stadionul Steaua
12 September 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Israel   v   Belarus Tel Aviv, Israel
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) Report (UEFA) Stadium: Bloomfield Stadium
18 November 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Israel   v   Romania Jerusalem, Israel
20:45 (21:45 UTC+2) Report (UEFA) Stadium: Teddy Stadium
  1. ^ CET (UTC+1) for matches until 25 March and from 29 October (matchday 1 and 9–10), and CEST (UTC+2) for matches from 26 March to 28 October 2023 (matchday 2–8).
  2. ^ 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]

Coaching staffEdit

 
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 16 March 2023[14][15]
Position Name
Head coach   Alon Hazan
Professional /

Technical manager

  Yossi Benayoun
Assistant coach   Alon Harazi
Fitness coach   Eran Shedo
Goalkeeping coach   Itay Zilpa
Analyst   Maayan Bahalul
Technical manager   Benny Tabak
Head doctor   Ehud "Udi" Kaufman
Doctor   Michal Goldwirth

Coaching historyEdit

As of 20 November 2022

PlayersEdit

Current squadEdit

The following players were called for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Kosovo and Switzerland on 25 and 28 March 2023, respectively.[28][29][30][31][32][33]

Caps and goals are correct as of 20 November 2022, after the match against Cyprus.[34][35][36][28]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Daniel Peretz (2000-07-10) 10 July 2000 (age 22) 1 0   Maccabi Tel Aviv
18 1GK Yoav Gerafi (1993-08-29) 29 August 1993 (age 29) 1 0   SC Ashdod
23 1GK Omri Glazer (1996-03-11) 11 March 1996 (age 27) 4 0   Hapoel Be'er Sheva

2 2DF Eli Dasa (vice-captain) (1992-12-03) 3 December 1992 (age 30) 52 0   Dynamo Moscow
4 2DF Miguel Vítor (1989-06-30) 30 June 1989 (age 33) 5 0   Hapoel Be'er Sheva
5 2DF Raz Shlomo (1999-08-13) 13 August 1999 (age 23) 4 0   Maccabi Netanya
13 2DF Denny Gropper (1999-03-16) 16 March 1999 (age 24) 2 0   Ludogorets Razgrad
14 2DF Doron Leidner (2002-04-26) 26 April 2002 (age 20) 6 0   Austria Wien
17 2DF Sagiv Yehezkel (1995-03-21) 21 March 1995 (age 28) 2 0   Hapoel Be'er Sheva

3 3MF Dan Glazer (1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 (age 26) 17 1   Maccabi Tel Aviv
6 3MF Bibras Natcho (captain) (1988-02-18) 18 February 1988 (age 35) 87 4   Partizan Belgrade
7 3MF Dolev Haziza (1995-07-05) 5 July 1995 (age 27) 10 0   Maccabi Haifa
8 3MF Dor Peretz (1995-05-17) 17 May 1995 (age 27) 32 5   Maccabi Tel Aviv
11 3MF Liran Rotman (1996-06-07) 7 June 1996 (age 26) 0 0   Maccabi Netanya
12 3MF Neta Lavi (1996-08-25) 25 August 1996 (age 26) 12 0   Gamba Osaka
15 3MF Oscar Gloukh (2004-04-01) 1 April 2004 (age 18) 2 1   Red Bull Salzburg
16 3MF Gabi Kanichowsky (1997-08-24) 24 August 1997 (age 25) 4 0   Maccabi Tel Aviv
19 3MF Mahmoud Jaber (1999-10-05) 5 October 1999 (age 23) 3 0   Maccabi Haifa
20 3MF Omri Gandelman (2000-05-16) 16 May 2000 (age 22) 1 0   Maccabi Netanya
22 3MF Mohammed Kna'an (2000-01-14) 14 January 2000 (age 23) 1 0   SC Ashdod

9 4FW Shon Weissman (1996-02-14) 14 February 1996 (age 27) 25 4   Granada
10 4FW Manor Solomon (1999-07-24) 24 July 1999 (age 23) 31 6   Fulham
21 4FW Tai Baribo (1998-01-15) 15 January 1998 (age 25) 7 3   Wolfsberger AC

Recent call-upsEdit

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 Ofir Marciano (4th captain) (1989-10-07) 7 October 1989 (age 33) 40 0   Feyenoord Rotterdam v.   Malta, 27 September 2022
GK Itamar Nitzan (1987-06-23) 23 June 1987 (age 35) 1 0   Maccabi Netanya v.   Romania, 29 March 2022

DF Sean Goldberg (1995-06-13) 13 June 1995 (age 27) 8 0   Maccabi Haifa v.   Kosovo, 25 March 2023 INJ
DF Eyad Abu Abaid (1994-12-31) 31 December 1994 (age 28) 6 0   Hapoel Be'er Sheva v.   Kosovo, 25 March 2023 INJ
DF Or Dadia (1997-07-12) 12 July 1997 (age 25) 1 0   Hapoel Be'er Sheva v.   Malta, 27 September 2022
DF Maroun Gantous (1996-07-15) 15 July 1996 (age 26) 1 0   Bnei Sakhnin v.   Malta, 27 September 2022
DF Nir Bitton (3rd captain) (1991-10-30) 30 October 1991 (age 31) 39 3   Maccabi Tel Aviv v.   Albania, 24 September 2022 INJ
DF Sun Menahem (1993-09-07) 7 September 1993 (age 29) 19 0   Maccabi Haifa v.   Iceland, 13 June 2022 SUS
DF Ofir Davidzada (1991-05-05) 5 May 1991 (age 31) 15 0   Maccabi Tel Aviv v.   Romania, 29 March 2022
DF Orel Dgani (1989-01-08) 8 January 1989 (age 34) 21 0   Beitar Jerusalem v.   Romania, 29 March 2022
DF Maor Kandil (1993-11-27) 27 November 1993 (age 29) 3 0   Maccabi Tel Aviv v.   Romania, 29 March 2022
DF Matan Baltaxa (1995-09-20) 20 September 1995 (age 27) 1 0   Austria Wien v.   Romania, 29 March 2022

MF Ramzi Safouri (1995-10-21) 21 October 1995 (age 27) 6 0   Hapoel Be'er Sheva v.   Cyprus, 20 November 2022
MF Eden Kartsev (2000-04-11) 11 April 2000 (age 22) 5 0   İstanbul Başakşehir v.   Zambia, 17 November 2022 INJ
MF Goni Naor (1999-04-23) 23 April 1999 (age 23) 1 0   Maccabi Haifa v.   Malta, 27 September 2022
MF Rotem Hatuel (1998-04-12) 12 April 1998 (age 24) 1 0   Hapoel Be'er Sheva v.   Malta, 27 September 2022
MF Guy Badash (1994-05-24) 24 May 1994 (age 28) 1 0   Hapoel Jerusalem v.   Malta, 27 September 2022
MF Shay Elias (1999-02-25) 25 February 1999 (age 24) 1 0   Hapoel Be'er Sheva v.   Malta, 27 September 2022
MF Omer Atzili RET (1993-07-27) 27 July 1993 (age 29) 6 0   Maccabi Haifa v.   Albania, 24 September 2022
MF Mohammad Abu Fani (1998-04-27) 27 April 1998 (age 24) 13 0   Maccabi Haifa v.   Iceland, 13 June 2022
MF Yonatan Cohen (1996-06-29) 29 June 1996 (age 26) 8 0   Maccabi Tel Aviv v.   Romania, 29 March 2022
MF Aviv Daniel Avraham (1996-03-30) 30 March 1996 (age 26) 2 0   Maccabi Netanya v.   Romania, 29 March 2022

FW Liel Abada (2001-10-03) 3 October 2001 (age 21) 9 1   Celtic v.   Kosovo, 25 March 2023 INJ
FW Itamar Shviro (1998-06-17) 17 June 1998 (age 24) 3 1   Ironi Kiryat Shmona v.   Cyprus, 20 November 2022
FW Omri Altman (1994-03-23) 23 March 1994 (age 29) 2 0   AEK Larnaca v.   Cyprus, 20 November 2022
FW Dean David (1996-03-14) 14 March 1996 (age 27) 3 1   Maccabi Haifa v.   Zambia, 17 November 2022
FW Guy Melamed (1992-12-21) 21 December 1992 (age 30) 1 0   Bnei Sakhnin v.   Malta, 27 September 2022
FW Mu'nas Dabbur RET (1992-05-14) 14 May 1992 (age 30) 40 15   TSG 1899 Hoffenheim v.   Iceland, 13 June 2022

INJ Withdrew due to injury or illness
PRE Preliminary squad
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension due to yellow/red 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

Player of the YearEdit

RecordsEdit

As of 28 November 2022[37]
Players in bold are still active with Israel.
Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only

Most capped playersEdit

 
Yossi Benayoun is Israel's most capped player with 101 appearances
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Yossi Benayoun[a] 101 23 1998–2017
2 Tal Ben Haim[c] 95 2 2002–2017
3 Arik Benado 94 0 1995–2007
4 Alon Harazi 88 1 1992–2006
5 Bibras Natcho 87 4 2010–present
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[d] 77 12 1990–2003

Top goalscorersEdit

 
Eran Zahavi is Israel's top scorer with 33 goals
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Eran Zahavi 33 70 0.47 2010–present
2 Mordechai Spiegler[e] 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[f] 19 45 0.42 1956–1968
6 Alon Mizrahi 17 37 0.46 1992–2001
Tomer Hemed 17 38 0.45 2011–present
Eli Ohana[g] 17 50 0.34 1984–1997
Avi Nimni 17 80 0.21 1992–2005
10 Yehoshua Feigenbaum[h] 15 36 0.42 1966–1977
Mu'nas Dabbur 15 40 0.38 2014–2022

Competitive recordEdit

FIFA World CupEdit

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
  1930 Did not enter Did not enter
  1934 Did not qualify 2nd 2 0 0 2 2 11 Africa/Asia
  1938 2nd 2 0 0 2 1 4 Europe
As   Israel As   Israel
  1950 Did not qualify 2nd 2 0 0 2 2 11 Europe
  1954 3rd 4 0 0 4 0 5
  1958 Play-off 2 0 0 2 0 4 CAF/AFC
  1962 Final Round 6 3 1 2 13 14 UEFA
  1966 3rd 4 0 0 4 1 12
  1970 Group stage 12th 3 0 2 1 1 3 Squad Final Round 4 3 1 0 8 1 AFC/OFC
  1974 Did not qualify Zone A Final 6 4 1 1 12 2
  1978 First Round 4 2 1 1 5 3
  1982 5th 8 1 3 4 6 10 UEFA
  1986 2nd 6 3 1 2 17 6 OFC
  1990 Play-off 6 1 4 1 5 5
  1994 6th 10 1 3 6 10 27 UEFA
  1998 3rd 8 4 1 3 9 7
    2002 3rd 8 3 3 2 11 7
  2006 3rd 10 4 6 0 15 10
  2010 4th 10 4 4 2 20 10
  2014 3rd 10 3 5 2 19 14
  2018 4th 10 4 0 6 10 15
  2022 3rd 10 5 1 4 23 21
      2026 To be determined To be determined
Total 1/22 Group stage 3 0 2 1 1 3 Final Round 130 43 35 52 180 180

UEFA European ChampionshipEdit

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
  1996 Did not qualify 5th 10 3 3 4 13 13
    2000 Play-offs 8 4 1 3 25 9
  2004 3rd 8 2 3 3 9 11
    2008 4th 12 7 2 3 20 12
    2012 3rd 10 5 1 4 13 11
  2016 4th 10 4 1 5 16 14
  2020 Play-offs 11 3 3 5 16 18
  2024 To be determined To be determined
Total Play-offs 69 28 14 27 112 88

UEFA Nations LeagueEdit

UEFA Nations League record
League phase Finals
Season LG GP 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   30th   2019 Did not enter
2020–21 B 2 2nd 6 2 2 2 7 7   25th   2021
2022–23 B 2 1st 4 2 2 0 8 6   17th   2023
2024–25 A To be determined   2025 To be determined
Total 16 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 GamesEdit

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

FIFA World Ranking historyEdit

The following is a chart of yearly averages of Israel's FIFA World Ranking.[38]
 

HonoursEdit

TitlesEdit

FIFA World Cup Inter-confederation play-offs

CONMEBOL v OFC

  • Runners-up: 1990 (representing OFC)

CAF/AFC v UEFA

OFC Second Round

  • Champions: 1990 (as a non-OFC member)

AFC and OFC Final Round

UEFA Group 1

  • Third place: 1966 (as a non-UEFA member)

UEFA Group 7 Final Round

AFC Asian Cup

Asian Games

AwardsEdit

Overview
Event 1st place 2nd place 3rd place 4th place 5th place
FIFA World Cup 0 0 0 0 0
FIFA World Cup Inter-confederation play-offs
→ CONMEBOL v OFC 0 1 x x x
→ CAF/AFC v UEFA 0 1 x x x
→ OFC Second Round 1 0 0 x x
→ AFC and OFC Final Round 1 0 x x x
→ UEFA Group 1 0 0 1 x x
→ UEFA Group 7 Final Round 0 1 0 0 x
AFC Asian Cup 1 1+1 1 0 0
Summer Olympic Games 0 0 0 0 1
Asian Games 0 1 0 0 1
UEFA Euro 0 0 x x x
UEFA Nations League 0 0 0 0 x
Total 3 6 2 0 2

See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

  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. ^ a b On 2 May 2022, UEFA announced that Russia were suspended and automatically relegated to League C
  3. ^ Tal Ben Haim also played against Romania B however this was not a full-international match and is therefore not included
  4. ^ Tal Banin also played against USSR XI however this was not a full-international match and is therefore not included
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ Eli Ohana also played a 1984 Olympic qualification game however this was not a full-international match and is therefore not included
  8. ^ 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

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  3. ^ Mubarak, Hassanin. "Palestine – International Results – Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "Site-Map-Israel-Football-Facts—Stats". Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Bayati recalls Iran's tense win over Israel".
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