Association football, commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries, making it the world's most popular sport. The game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by using any part of you body besides your arms and hands to get the football into the opposing goal. The goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play and then only in their penalty area. Outfield players mostly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may use their head or torso to strike the ball instead. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is tied at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time and/or a penalty shootout depending on the format of the competition. The Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA; French: Fédération Internationale de Football Association) which organises a World Cup every four years. The Israel national football team (Hebrew: נבחרת ישראל בכדורגל, Nivḥeret Yisra'el BeKaduregel ; Arabic: منتخب إسرائيل لكرة القدم) is the national football team of Israel, governed by the Israel Football Association (IFA). Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Israel National Team, during the British Mandate. Israel has competed in FIFA World Cup qualifiers in three different confederations, competing in the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation before settling in Europe as a member of the Union of European Football Associations in 1994. The Israeli side qualified for their only FIFA World Cup to date in 1970. Israel also hosted and won the AFC Asian Cup in 1964, and was finalist in 1956 and 1960.The "Maccabi" Sports Organization-Israel was founded in Tel Aviv in 1912, under the name of The Maccabi Organization of Athletics and Sports in Israel, after several active Maccabi clubshad already been established around Israel from 1906. The name Maccabi symbolizes commitment to the idea of a Jewish nation in the State of Israel, and the basic historical link to the Maccabim, who fought for their right to honor the Jewish religion and to preserve the right to individual points of view and sovereignty. Maccabi is the only organization that is not affiliated with a specific political trend. The organization is member in the worldwide Maccabi organization - a Zionistic movement operating Jewish community centers around the world. The Maccabiah is held once every four years organized by maccabi world union (the next Maccabiah, sixteenth in number, will be held in the year 2001), where thousands of athletes from Jewish communities in the Diaspora come to Israel and compete with Israeli athletes in many different areas of sport. Over 170 sports clubs are listed and active in the Israeli Maccabi organization. These clubs are spread out countrywide, in cities, developmental towns, settlements and villages. Over 25 different areas of sport are promoted within the framework of these clubs, and new areas are added each year. Maccabi Israel operates according to the principle of volunteering (the only Israeli organization that is built almost entirely on volunteers) - its members and supporters are mostly volunteers. The movement sees its objective as bringing different populations closer to each other and enabling every child or adult to be involved in sports, regardless of economic or social status. Within this framework, extensive activity is carried out in the more remote developmental towns and neighborhoods, and much effort is made to absorb new immigrants into the different associations. The "Maccabi Tzahir" youth movement also operates within the framework of Maccabi's activities. This movement operates 18 branches countrywide, where thousands of youth are trained to be the movement's next generation, in a variety of educational and sports activities. Sports events for all ages are held annually, including national races, competitions, regional championships and more. ****** About the IFA About the IFA The Israel Football Association is the body which controls all organized football in Israel and celebrated its 80’th anniversary on 2008. Around a thousand teams, ranging from young children, youth, adults both men and women numbering a total of some 30,000 players who are registered at the IFA and take part all year round in domestic competitions (League, State Cup and Toto Cup). The Association is responsible for the organization off all League and State Cup matches, operates Disciplinary Courts, in addition to housing an independent Referees Union, and is the driving force behind hundreds of matches each week. The FA’s pinnacle has always been the operation management of all the National teams - from U-16’s to the ‘A’ team both Men and Women - intensive activity all year round. Since its inception, IFA has always been a member of FIFA, the World Football Governing body. Up until the late 70’s, Israel played its international matches under the Asian Confederation both at national and club levels. The Arab boycott led to the ostracizing of Israeli football from the Asian confederation relocating Israel’s World Cup and Olympic Games qualifying competition to the Oceania group. At the time, the IFA continued pursuing its efforts to join the European fold and play under UEFA’s auspices. Those efforts were deemed successful in the early 90’s were Israel has been accepted by the European football community as a full UEFA member – a fact which sees its national teams of men, women and youth as well as its affiliated clubs play in international competitions organized by UEFA. The integration into Europe came as a breath of fresh air to Israeli Football but together with it came the difficulties of adapting to a much higher level and requirements. ***** Football (Hebrew: כַּדוּרֶגֶל, Kaduregel) is the most popular sport in Israel.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Football as an organised sport, first developed in the United Kingdom, who controlled the Palestinian Mandate during the days of the British Mandate. The Israel Football Association joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1954, but was expelled in 1974 due to political pressure from Arab and Muslim members in the context of the Arab–Israeli conflict. In the late 1970s and 1980s, the Israel Football Association was not affiliated with any confederation. During this period, the Israeli national teams were only playing in FIFA competitions occasionally in OFC, UEFA and CONMEBOL qualifying tournaments. Finally it was admitted to UEFA as an associate member in 1992 and as a full member in 1994, therefore their teams compete as part of Europe in all international competitions. Contents [hide] 1 Israel Football Association 2 League system 2.1 Structure 3 Cups 3.1 State Cup 3.2 Toto Cup 4 Qualification for European competitions 5 Israel national team 6 History 6.1 British Mandate 6.2 Post independence 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Israel Football Association[edit] The Israel Football Association (IFA) is the governing body of football in the State of Israel. All of Israel's professional football clubs must be members, and hundreds of semi-professional and amateur clubs also belong.[8][9] League system[edit] Main article: Israeli football league system As of 2013–14, the Israeli football league system has five levels and 16 different divisions, all run by the IFA. Promotion and relegation operates between each level, theoretically allowing clubs to progress from bottom to top within four seasons. Structure[edit] The current structure of the Israeli league system is this: Israeli Premier League: the top division operates at the national level and has 14 member clubs Liga Leumit: the second division operates at the national level and has 16 member clubs Liga Alef: the third division is split into two regional leagues (north and south) and has 32 member clubs (16 in each division) Liga Bet: the fourth division is split into four regional leagues (two in the north, two in the south) and has 64 member clubs (16 in each division) Liga Gimel: the fifth division is split into eight regional leagues and has 114 member clubs (between 11 and 16 in each division) Cups[edit] In Israel, there are two major cup competitions: the State Cup and the Toto Cup. State Cup[edit] The State Cup (Hebrew: גביע המדינה, Gvia HaMedina) is the Israeli equivalent of the English FA Cup, and is open to all Israeli clubs, with clubs at the higher levels entering in the later rounds. It is a straightforward knock-out cup. The final is played at the Ramat Gan Stadium and the winner qualifies for the UEFA Europa League. Toto Cup[edit] The Toto Cup (Hebrew: גביע הטוטו, Gvia HaToto) is the Israeli equivalent of the English League Cup, the main difference being that there is a separate cup for each of the three national divisions. The cup is played first in a group stage, with the highest placed teams qualifying for the knock-out stages. Like the State Cup, the final is played at the National Stadium, though the winner does not qualify for the UEFA Europa League. Qualification for European competitions[edit] Clubs who do well in either the Premier League or State Cup qualify to compete in various UEFA-organised Europe-wide competitions in the following season (as well as continuing to play in domestic competitions). The number of Israeli clubs playing in Europe in any one season can range from four to six, depending on the qualification scenarios. Currently, Israel is awarded the following places in European competitions: Competition Who qualifies Notes UEFA Champions League Premier League champions UEFA Europa League Clubs finishing second or third in the Premier League If the second or third-placed club has already qualified for Europa League through the State Cup, then the fourth-placed club of the Premier League get a Europa League spot. State Cup winners If the team that won the championship that same year has also won the state cup, the cup's fourth-placed will also qualify for the Europa League. Any Israeli club that wins the UEFA Europa League and has not already qualified for the Champions League or UEFA Europa League By the UEFA Europa League regulations (Regulation 1.07), this club's entry into the UEFA Europa League will not be at the expense of any other entries to which its national federation is entitled In addition, once in a European competition, it becomes possible to qualify for others: All the losers of the UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round go forward to the UEFA Europa League Play-off round All the losers of the UEFA Champions League Play-off round go forward to the UEFA Europa League Group stage. Any clubs playing in the UEFA Champions League that will finish third in the group stage will go into the UEFA Europa League round of 32 Israel national team[edit] Main article: Israel national football team Israel hosted and won the 1964 AFC Asian Cup. Israel qualified for the World Cup in 1970 which was held in Mexico. Mordechai Spiegler scored in a 1–1 draw against Sweden. Israel's Olympic football team qualified for the 1968 Summer Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics both times reaching the quarter finals. Israel's highest FIFA ranking was 15th in November 2008. Famous matches of the Israeli football team include the 3–2 win in France in the 1994 World Cup qualification, which ended up disqualifying the French team from the World Cup in the United States, the defeat of Austria 5–0 in 1999 during Euro 2000 qualifications, and a 2–1 win over Argentina in a friendly match in 1998, a game played in Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. History[edit] British Mandate[edit] During the British Mandate for Palestine, organized football consisted mainly of British and Jewish clubs, although Arab clubs also existed and took part in IFAcompetitions. As early as 1906, Maccabi Tel Aviv was formed as a social club, followed by a string of Maccabi clubs in other cities and towns, such as Jerusalem, Petah Tikva, Haifa, Zikhron Ya'akov and Hadera. On 24 April 1924, Hapoel Haifa was formed.[10] Shortly after formation, they joined the World Maccabi Organization. The first membership cards read "Club Hapoel Sport, Cultural Organization Haifa" (A member of the World Maccabi Organization). Later, during a meeting of Hapoel laborers in Afula, it was decided to break off from the World Maccabi Organization and create the Hapoel (Labor) Organization, followed by Hapoel teams from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Herzliya and other cities and towns. Later, during the 1930s and the 1940s other sport organizations were formed, such as Beitar (founded by the right-wing revisionist party), Elitzur (formed by the religious Hapoel HaMizrachi party) and the short lived Hakoah 09 (formed by former members of Hakoah Vienna). In February 1928, the first ever Tel Aviv derby took place. Maccabi won 3–0 and was the start to the oldest rivalry that takes place today in modern-day Israel. During the 1920s, and before the IFA was established, two cup competitions were held, one which acted as an unofficial national cup, which was dominated by British military teams, and one named Magen Shimshon, which was open to Maccabi clubs. In 1928 the People's Cup, later to be known as Palestine Cup and, after the Israeli Declaration of Independence, Israel State Cup. In the first final, played in Tel Aviv two Jewish clubs, Hapoel Tel Aviv met Maccabi Hasmonean Jerusalem and by a score of 2–0, but the cup was shared since Maccabi appealed to the newly formed IFA that Hapoel had fielded an ineligible player. Nine teams started the first league in 1932. The first winner of the league were the British Police, who, under the guidance of Police Chief Speiser, were the best organised club in the country; Speiser would later serve as the first chairman of the football association. The league was held inconsistently, and only 10 titles were won between 1932 and 1947, all of which, beside the first title, were one by either Maccabi Tel Aviv (4 titles) or Hapoel Tel Aviv (5 titles). During the British Mandate period, the IFA representative team competed under the title of Eretz Israel/Palestine, operating as a virtually all-Jewish combination. The first international match was a qualifying match for the 1934 World Cup against Egypt in Cairo, which resulted in a 7–1 defeat. The second leg, played in Tel Aviv, resulted in a 4–1 defeat and an 11–2 aggregate loss. Earlier, in 1931, a mixed team of Palestinian Jews and British played an international match in Egypt. During this period Jewish teams took international tours in order to promote both football in Mandatory Palestine and the Zionist cause. Such tours include Maccabi Haifa tour of the United States in 1927, Maccabi Eretz Israel tour of Australia in 1939 and Hapoel Tel Aviv tour of the USA in 1947. In return, many internationally famed clubs visited Mandatory Palestine and played Jewish and British clubs. Among these clubs are Hakoah Vienna, MTK Budapest and Hajduk Split. Post independence[edit] Just four months after Israel gained independence, the Israeli national team traveled to New York City to play their American counterparts in a friendly at the Polo Grounds. Over 40,000 spectators witnessed the newly formed Israeli side lose to the Americans 3–1. Shmuel Ben Dror went down in history as the first goal scorer in the history of the Israeli national team. In 1967, Hapoel Tel Aviv became the first club to win the Asian Club Championships. In the 2001–02 UEFA Cup Hapoel reached the quarter-finals after knocking out Chelsea, Lokomotiv Moscow and Parma. The 1970s and early 1980 were dominated by Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C., Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. and Maccabi Netanya. During the mid-1980s under the guidance of coach Shlomo Scharf Maccabi Haifa F.C. rose to power, winning its first two championship titles. In 1992, when Israel rejoined UEFA, Maccabi Haifa was bought by businessman Ya'akov Shahar who lead European standards of high quality management in the Israeli club. This move paved the way for private ownerships of football clubs in Israel. Successful Israeli players who also played outside Israel include Eli Ohana, Mordechai Spiegler, Giora Spiegel, Ronny Rosenthal, Avi Cohen, Eyal Berkovich, Haim Revivo, Dudu Aouate, Yossi Benayoun, Tal Ben Haim, Elyaniv Barda and Biram Kayal. The 2000s (decade) was dominated by Maccabi Haifa F.C. who won seven out of 11 possible championship titles, and also recorded nice achievement in European tournament such as the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup. Israeli teams have also qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage five times: Maccabi Haifa in the 2002–03 and 2009–10 seasons; Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2004–05 and 2015-16 seasons; and Hapoel Tel Aviv in the 2010–11 season.[11] See also[edit] List of football stadiums in Israel Women's football in Israel **** The Israel national football team (Hebrew: נבחרת ישראל בכדורגל, Nivḥeret Yisra'el BeKhaduregel) is the national football team of Israel, governed by the Israel Football Association (IFA). Israel's national team is the direct successor of the Mandatory Palestine/Eretz Israel national team, and was managed by the Eretz Israel Football Association. Israel has competed in FIFA World Cup qualifiers in three different confederations, competing in the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation before settling in Europe as a member of the Union of European Football Associations in 1994. The Israeli side qualified for their only FIFA World Cup to date in 1970. Israel also hosted and won the AFC Asian Cup in 1964, and was finalist in 1956 and in 1960. Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 Asian Football Confederation membership 1.2 Years in exile 1.3 European Football Confederation membership 1.4 Ranking history 2 Stadium 3 Kit suppliers 4 Honours 5 Competition history 5.1 FIFA World Cup 5.2 Olympic record 5.3 AFC Asian Cup 5.4 UEFA European Championship record 6 2018 FIFA World Cup 6.1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group G 7 UEFA Euro 2016 7.1 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group B 8 Recent results and forthcoming fixtures 8.1 2016 8.2 2017 9 Coaching staff 10 Current squad 10.1 Recent call-ups 11 Player history 11.1 Most capped players 11.2 Top goalscorers 12 Managers 12.1 WDL Record since 1948 13 See also 14 Notes 15 References 16 External links History[edit] Main articles: History of the Israel national football team and Mandatory Palestine national football team 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 One and the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. The British Mandate of Palestine national team made its debut against Egypt in 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification, losing 1–7 in Cairo. The team played five international matches, including a friendly match against Lebanon, until the British Mandate for Palestine was dissolved. Upon Israeli independence in May 1948, the IFA became the official association of the new state. The Israel national team's first match as an independent nation was on 26 September 1948, against the USA Olympic Team. The game was won by the USA 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[edit] Main article: Politics and sports § Association football Nahum Stelmach kicking; 1959 Israel competed in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) between 1954 and 1974. Due to the Arab–Israeli conflict, several Muslim states 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 winning the 1964 AFC Asian Cup 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. In 1969, Israel qualified for its first and only FIFA World Cup, via Asia/Oceania, and earned two points after draws with Sweden and finalist Italy, and a loss to Uruguay. 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 exile[edit] Ronny Rosenthal against New Zealand in the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification In 1974, Israel was excluded from AFC competitions, as a result of a proposal by Kuwait which was adopted by a vote of 17 to 13 with 6 abstentions.[3] The vote coincided with the 1974 Asian Games, where the football competition was marred by the refusal of both North Korea[4] and Kuwait to play second-round matches against Israel. During the 1980s, it played the majority of its matches against European teams, and competed in the European stage of qualification for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. For the next two tournaments, it entered Oceania's qualification stage. In 1989, Israel made it to the CONMEBOL–OFC play-offs for the 1990 World Cup to play against Colombia, which qualified from the South American group, but lost (1–0, 0–0). European Football Confederation membership[edit] In 1991, Israeli clubs began participating in European club competitions, 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 playoffs of UEFA Euro 2000, but was beaten by Denmark. Avram Grant has been the youngest national coach of Israel Yossi Benayoun is Israel's most capped player with 99 caps 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 to final tournament, but finished fourth in Group E, behind group winners Croatia, 1 point behind Russia who also with Croatia qualified direct, as well as equal on 23 points (one less than Russia) from 12 games with England; who failed to advance as did Israel. 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 to no avail, as Israel finished a distant 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.[5] Ranking history[edit] Year End rank Best rank Worst rank 1993 57 57 71 1994 42 42 56 1995 42 40 48 1996 52 42 55 1997 61 43 61 1998 43 36 63 1999 26 22 38 2000 41 26 41 2001 49 39 50 2002 46 46 55 2003 51 40 51 2004 48 48 69 2005 44 43 52 2006 44 36 51 2007 26 26 44 2008 18 15 26 2009 26 18 26 2010 50 24 56 2011 37 30 58 2012 78 35 82 2013 63 58 76 2014 32 32 78 2015 69 26 69 2016 55 55 98 2017 TBA 55 60 Source: [6] Stadium[edit] Sammy Ofer Stadium of Haifa. Israel's newest stadium In the past, the Israel national football team's home stadium was the national stadium in Ramat Gan. The stadium seats 41,583 and was the first stadium in Israel to meet world-class standards. Ever since 2014, Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa (30,784 seats) and Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem (34,000 seats) are being used as the home stadiums of the Israel national football team. Both are considered to be world-class standard stadiums. The Israel Football Association has used Teddy stadium while hosting the 2013 Euro U21 championship in Israel. Both stadiums also host matches of the Israel national football team, and of Israeli clubs for the UEFA Champions League. Kit suppliers[edit] Israel's kits were supplied by Diadora from 1988 to 1995 and Puma from 1996 to 2008. Adidas took over in September 2008 and have remained Israel's kit suppliers since. Honours[edit] AFC Asian Cup Winners (1): 1964. Runners-up (2): 1956, 1960. Asian Games Silver medal (1): 1974. Competition history[edit] FIFA World Cup[edit] Main article: Israel at the FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup record!width=1% rowspan=25| FIFA World Cup Qualification record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA 1930 Did Not Enter – – – – – – 1934 Did Not Qualify (as Eretz Israel Team) 2 0 0 2 2 11 1938 2 0 0 2 1 4 1950 Did Not Qualify 2 0 0 2 2 11 1954 4 0 0 4 0 5 1958 2 0 0 2 0 4 1962 6 3 1 2 13 14 1966 4 0 0 4 1 12 1970 Group Stage 12th 3 0 2 1 1 3 4 3 1 0 8 1 1974 Did Not Qualify 5 3 1 1 5 3 1978 5 2 1 1 5 3 1982 8 1 3 4 6 10 1986 6 3 1 2 17 6 1990 6 1 4 1 5 5 1994 10 1 3 6 10 27 1998 8 4 1 3 9 7 2002 8 3 3 2 11 7 2006 10 4 6 0 15 10 2010 10 4 4 2 20 10 2014 10 3 5 2 19 14 2018 2022 To Be Determined Total N/A 1/21 3 0 2 1 1 3 102 33 29 40 137 149 *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. **Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. ***Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil. Olympic record[edit] See also: Israel at the 1968 Summer Olympics and Israel at the 1976 Summer Olympics Olympics Record Year Round Position GP W D L GS GA 1952 Did Not Qualify 1956 1960 1964 1968 Quarter-finals – 4 2 0 2 9 7 1972 Did Not Qualify 1976 Quarter-finals – 4 0 3 1 4 7 1980 Withdrew 1984 Did Not Qualify 1988 Total Quarter-finals 2/10 8 2 3 3 13 14 Since the 1992 Summer Olympics, the football competition is played as an Under-23 competition *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. **Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. ***Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil. AFC Asian Cup[edit] Main article: Israel at the AFC Asian Cup AFC Asian Cup record Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA 1956 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 0 1 6 5 1960 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 0 1 6 4 1964 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 5 1 1968 Third Place 3rd 4 2 0 2 11 5 1972 Withdrew Total Champions 4/15 13 9 0 4 28 15 Israel did not compete in a regional competition between the years 1968 and 1994, although in 1972 they were scheduled to compete in the AFC Asian Cup. *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. **Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. ***Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil. UEFA European Championship record[edit] UEFA European Championship record UEFA European Championship Qualification record Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA 1960–1992 Did Not Enter 1996 Did Not Qualify 10 3 3 4 13 13 2000 8 4 1 3 25 9 2004 8 2 3 3 9 11 2008 12 7 2 3 20 12 2012 10 5 1 4 13 11 2016 10 4 1 5 16 14 Total 0/15 48 21 10 17 80 56 *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. **Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. ***Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil. 1996 UEFA European Championship - Qualifier - Group 1 [show] 2000 UEFA European Championship - Qualifier - Group 6 [show] 2004 UEFA European Championship - Qualifier - Group 1 [show] 2008 UEFA European Championship - Qualifier - Group E [show] 2012 UEFA European Championship - Qualifier - Group F [show] 2016 UEFA European Championship - Qualifier - Group B [show] 2020 UEFA European Championship [show] 2018 FIFA World Cup[edit] 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group G[edit] Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group G Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Spain (X) 8 7 1 0 32 3 +29 22 Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup — 3–0 6 Oct 4–1 4–0 8–0 2 Italy 8 6 1 1 19 7 +12 19 Possible second round[a] 1–1 — 2–0 1–0 6 Oct 5–0 3 Albania (Y) 8 4 1 3 10 9 +1 13 0–2 9 Oct — 0–3 2–1 2–0 4 Israel (E) 8 3 0 5 9 14 −5 9 9 Oct 1–3 0–3 — 0–1 2–1 5 Macedonia (E) 8 2 1 5 10 14 −4 7 1–2 2–3 1–1 1–2 — 9 Oct 6 Liechtenstein (E) 8 0 0 8 1 34 −33 0 0–8 0–4 0–2 6 Oct 0–3 — Updated to match(es) played on 5 September 2017. Source: FIFA Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers (E) Eliminated; (X) Assured of at least play-offs; (Y) Cannot qualify directly, but can still qualify via play-offs. Notes: Jump up^ The eight best runners-up across all groups will advance to the second round (play-offs). The ninth-ranked runner-up will be eliminated. UEFA Euro 2016[edit] UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group B[edit] Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification 1 Belgium 10 7 2 1 24 5 +19 23 Qualify for final tournament — 0–0 3–1 3–1 5–0 6–0 2 Wales 10 6 3 1 11 4 +7 21 1–0 — 0–0 0–0 2–1 2–0 3 Bosnia and Herzegovina 10 5 2 3 17 12 +5 17 Advance to play-offs 1–1 2–0 — 3–1 1–2 3–0 4 Israel 10 4 1 5 16 14 +2 13 0–1 0–3 3–0 — 1–2 4–0 5 Cyprus 10 4 0 6 16 17 −1 12 0–1 0–1 2–3 1–2 — 5–0 6 Andorra 10 0 0 10 4 36 −32 0 1–4 1–2 0–3 1–4 1–3 — Source: UEFA Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers Recent results and forthcoming fixtures[edit] Win Draw Loss 2016[edit] 6 October 20162018 FIFA World Cup qualification Macedonia 1–2 Israel [show]Skopje, Macedonia 9 October 20162018 FIFA World Cup qualification Israel 2–1 Liechtenstein [show]Jerusalem, Israel 12 November 20162018 FIFA World Cup qualification Albania 0–3 Israel [show]Elbasan, Albania 2017[edit] 24 March 20172018 FIFA World Cup qualification Spain 4–1 Israel [show]Gijón, Spain 6 June 2017Friendly Israel 1–1 Moldova [show]Netanya, Israel 11 June 20172018 FIFA World Cup qualification Israel 0–3 Albania [show]Haifa, Israel 2 September 20172018 FIFA World Cup qualification Israel 0–1 Macedonia [show]Haifa, Israel 5 September 20172018 FIFA World Cup qualification Italy 1–0 Israel [show]Reggio Emilia, Italy 6 October 20172018 FIFA World Cup qualification Liechtenstein v Israel [show]Vaduz, Liechtenstein 9 October 20172018 FIFA World Cup qualification Israel v Spain [show]Jerusalem, Israel Coaching staff[edit] As of 20 April 2016[43] Position Name Nationality Head coach Elisha Levy Israel Assistant Manager Amir Turgeman Israel Assistant Manager Rafi Cohen Israel Goalkeeper Coach Nir Davidovich Israel Fitness coach Ron Tziblin Israel Mental coach Alon Olman Israel Business Manager Israel Shchuchinski Israel Head Doctor Mark Rosnovsky Israel Current squad[edit] The following players have been called up for the 2018 World Cup qualification matches against Macedonia on 2 September 2017 and against Italy on 5 September 2017. Caps and goals updated as of 5 September 2017 after the match against Italy. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only. # Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Ariel Harush 25 May 1988 (age 29) 8 0 Anorthosis Famagusta 23 GK Omri Glazer 11 March 1996 (age 21) 1 0 Maccabi Haifa 18 GK Boris Klaiman 26 October 1990 (age 26) 1 0 Beitar Jerusalem 3 DF Tal Ben Haim (Captain) 31 March 1982 (age 35) 94 1 Maccabi Tel Aviv 17 DF Shir Tzedek 22 August 1989 (age 28) 14 0 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 20 DF Ofir Davidzada 5 May 1991 (age 26) 9 0 Maccabi Tel Aviv 13 DF Taleb Tawatha 21 June 1992 (age 25) 8 0 Eintracht Frankfurt 4 DF Hatem Abd Elhamed 18 March 1991 (age 26) 0 0 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2 DF Omer Danino 17 February 1995 (age 22) 0 0 Maccabi Petah Tikva 15 MF Yossi Benayoun 5 May 1980 (age 37) 100 24 Beitar Jerusalem 6 MF Bibras Natkho 18 February 1988 (age 29) 47 1 CSKA Moscow MF Lior Refaelov 26 April 1986 (age 31) 39 6 Club Brugge 5 MF Maor Melikson 30 October 1984 (age 32) 22 3 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 8 MF Almog Cohen 1 September 1988 (age 29) 22 0 FC Ingolstadt 04 9 MF Dan Einbinder 16 February 1989 (age 28) 5 1 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 16 MF David Keltjens 11 June 1995 (age 22) 4 0 Beitar Jerusalem 22 MF Marwan Kabha 23 February 1991 (age 26) 2 0 Maribor 14 MF Michael Ohana 4 October 1995 (age 21) 1 0 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 10 FW Tomer Hemed 2 May 1987 (age 30) 29 15 Brighton & Hove Albion 11 FW Itay Shechter 22 February 1987 (age 30) 27 5 Beitar Jerusalem 12 FW Tal Ben Haim II 5 August 1989 (age 28) 26 5 Sparta Prague 21 FW Manor Solomon 24 July 1999 (age 18) 0 0 Maccabi Petah Tikva Recent call-ups[edit] The following players have also been called up to the Israeli squad on the last 12 months. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up GK David Goresh 1 February 1980 (age 37) 7 0 Hapoel Be'er Sheva v. Moldova, 6 June 2017 GK Danny Amos 2 February 1987 (age 30) 0 0 Maccabi Netanya v. Moldova, 6 June 2017 GK Ofir Marciano 7 October 1989 (age 27) 11 0 Hibernian v. Spain, 25 March 2017 DF Ben Bitton 3 January 1991 (age 26) 3 0 Hapoel Be'er Sheva v. Macedonia, 2 September 2017 INJ DF Eitan Tibi 16 November 1987 (age 29) 32 0 Maccabi Tel Aviv v. Macedonia, 2 September 2017 INJ DF Eli Dasa 3 December 1992 (age 24) 9 0 Maccabi Tel Aviv v. Moldova, 6 June 2017 INJ DF Avi Rikan 10 August 1988 (age 29) 4 0 Maccabi Tel Aviv v. Moldova, 6 June 2017 DF Rami Gershon 12 August 1988 (age 29) 26 2 Maccabi Haifa v. Spain, 25 March 2017 INJ DF Sheran Yeini 8 December 1986 (age 30) 18 0 Maccabi Tel Aviv v. Spain, 25 March 2017 DF Dor Elo 26 September 1993 (age 23) 0 0 Hapoel Be'er Sheva v. Spain, 25 March 2017 DF Omri Ben Harush 4 March 1990 (age 27) 15 0 Maccabi Haifa v. Albania, 12 November 2016 DF Loai Taha 26 November 1989 (age 27) 0 0 Hapoel Be'er Sheva v. Liechtenstein, 9 October 2016 MF Eran Zahavi 25 July 1987 (age 30) 39 6 Guangzhou R&F v. Macedonia, 2 September 2017 RET MF Eyal Golasa 7 October 1991 (age 25) 11 0 Maccabi Tel Aviv v. Moldova, 6 June 2017 INJ MF Beram Kayal 2 May 1988 (age 29) 32 1 Brighton & Hove Albion v. Moldova, 6 June 2017 INJ MF Idan Vered 25 May 1989 (age 28) 2 0 Beitar Jerusalem v. Moldova, 6 June 2017 MF Gidi Kanyuk 11 February 1993 (age 24) 0 0 Pakhtakor v. Moldova, 6 June 2017 MF Nir Bitton 30 October 1991 (age 25) 20 2 Celtic v. Spain, 25 March 2017 MF Dor Micha 2 March 1992 (age 25) 0 0 Maccabi Tel Aviv v. Spain, 25 March 2017 MF Maor Buzaglo 14 January 1988 (age 29) 23 1 Maccabi Haifa v. Albania, 12 November 2016 INJ MF Neta Lavi 25 August 1996 (age 21) 1 0 Maccabi Haifa v. Albania, 12 November 2016 MF Roi Kahat 12 May 1992 (age 25) 5 0 Maccabi Haifa v. Liechtenstein, 9 October 2016 MF Omer Atzili 27 July 1993 (age 24) 2 0 Maccabi Tel Aviv v. Liechtenstein, 9 October 2016 FW Moanes Dabour 14 May 1992 (age 25) 7 1 Red Bull Salzburg v. Macedonia, 2 September 2017 INJ FW Ben Sahar 10 August 1989 (age 28) 41 7 Hapoel Be'er Sheva v. Moldova, 6 June 2017 INJ FW Eliran Atar 17 February 1987 (age 30) 4 1 Maccabi Tel Aviv v. Albania, 12 November 2016 FW Ahmed Abed 30 March 1990 (age 27) 1 0 Ironi Kiryat Shmona v. Liechtenstein, 9 October 2016 INJ Withdrew due to an injury. PRE Preliminary squad. SUS Suspended. RET Retired from international football. Player history[edit] Main articles: List of Israel international footballers and Israel national football team records Most capped players[edit] As of 6 June 2017, the ten players with the most caps[1] for Israel are: Rank. Name Career Caps Goals 1 Yossi Benayoun 1998–present 99 24 2 Arik Benado 1995–2007 94 0 3 Tal Ben Haim 2002–present 92 2 4 Alon Harazi 1992–2006 89 2 5 Amir Schelach 1992–2001 85 0 6 Mordechai Spiegler 1963–1977 83 33 Nir Klinger 1987–1997 83 2 8 Avi Nimni 1992–2005 80 17 9 Tal Banin 1990–2003 78 12 Itzhak Shum 1969–1981 78 10 Eyal Berkovic 1992–2004 78 9 Dudu Aouate 1999–2013 78 0 Bold denotes still active players. Top goalscorers[edit] Mordechai Spiegler(middle) is Israel's top scorer with 33 goals As of 6 June 2017, the ten players with the most goals[2] for Israel are: Rank. Player Career Goals Caps Average 1 Mordechai Spiegler 1963–1977 33 83 0.39 2 Yehoshua Feigenbaum 1966–1977 24 50 0.48 Yossi Benayoun 1998–present 24 99 0.24 4 Ronen Harazi 1992–1999 23 53 0.43 5 Nahum Stelmach 1956–1968 22 61 0.36 6 Gidi Damti 1971–1981 21 69 0.30 7 Giora Spiegel 1965–1980 18 44 0.40 Yehoshua Glazer 1949–1961 18 35 0.51 9 Eli Ohana 1984–1997 17 51 0.33 Avi Nimni 1992–2005 17 80 0.21 Bold denotes still active players. Managers[edit] Manager Years as manager Pld W D L GF GA Win%[44] Egon Pollak 1948 1 0 0 1 0 1 0.00 Lajos Hess 1949 3 1 0 2 5 12 33.33 László Székely 1950 2 1 0 1 7 4 50.00 Jerry Beit haLevi 1953–54 5 0 0 5 1 7 0.00 Jack Gibbons 1956 5 2 0 3 7 12 40.00 Jerry Beit haLevi 1957 1 0 0 1 4 5 0.00 Moshe Varon 1958 5 2 0 3 6 7 40.00 Gyula Mándi 1959–63 31 12 7 12 49 63 38.71 George Ainsley 1963–64 3 2 0 1 4 2 66.67 Yosef Merimovich 1964 1 0 0 1 0 4 0.00 Gyula Mándi 1964 3 3 0 0 5 1 100.00 Yosef Merimovich 1964–65 3 1 0 2 2 2 33.33 Milovan Ćirić 1965–68 25 8 2 15 43 45 32.00 Emmanuel Scheffer 1968–70 24 8 8 8 44 34 33.33 Edmond Schmilovich 1970–73 19 10 4 5 27 13 52.63 David Schweitzer 1973–77 36 17 11 8 67 34 47.22 Emmanuel Scheffer 1978–79 13 5 4 4 17 15 38.46 Jack Mansell 1980–81 10 2 3 5 8 12 20.00 Yosef Merimovich 1983–86 27 8 9 10 39 36 29.63 Miljenko Mihić 1986–88 20 4 5 11 27 35 20.00 Itzhak Schneor Ya'akov Grundman 1988–92 18 5 5 8 21 30 27.78 Shlomo Scharf 1992–2000 82 31 18 33 131 118 37.80 Richard Møller Nielsen 2000–02 20 7 4 9 29 33 35.00 Avram Grant 2002–06 33 14 13 6 55 37 42.42 Dror Kashtan 2006–10 31 15 10 6 51 30 48.39 Eli Ohana (caretaker) 2010 1 1 0 0 2 0 100.00 Luis Fernández 2010–11 15 6 1 8 12 18 40.00 Eli Guttman 2011–15 29 8 7 14 42 46 27.59 Alon Hazan (caretaker) 2016 1 0 0 1 0 2 0.00 Elisha Levy 2016– 9 3 1 5 10 15 33.33 WDL Record since 1948[edit] Team From To Record P W D L Win % 1948 2017 475 176 112 187 37.05 See also[edit] Israel portal Association football portal Football in Israel Sports in Israel Israeli Premier League Israel Football Association ebay1477