Israel national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Israel

Nickname(s)	התכולים-לבנים (The Skyblue and Whites) הנבחרת (The Chosen Team)
Association	Israel Football Association (IFA)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe; 1980–81; 1991–present) OFC (Oceania; 1985–89) AFC (Asia; 1954–74)
Head coach	Ran Ben Shimon
Captain	Eli Dasa
Most caps	Yossi Benayoun (101)
Top scorer	Eran Zahavi (35)
Home stadium	Various Stadiums
FIFA code	ISR
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	92 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest	15 (November 2008)
Lowest	99 (January 2018)
Elo ranking
Current	66 8 (3 March 2019)
Highest	23 (April 1976)
Lowest	81 (December 1959)
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
Appearances	1 (first in 1970)
Best result	Group stage (1970)
Asian Cup
Appearances	4 (first in 1956)
Best result	Champions (1964)
Asian Games
Appearances	2 (first in 1958)
Best result	Silver Medal (1974)
Medal record AFC Asian Cup Silver 1956 Hong Kong Team Silver 1960 South Korea Team Gold 1964 Israel Team Bronze 1968 Iran Team Asian Games Silver 1974 Iran Team

The Israel national football team (Hebrew: נבחרת ישראל בכדורגל, romanized: Nivḥeret Yīsrāʾēl BeḴaduregel) plays for Israel in international men's football games. The team is managed by the Israel Football Association. Since 1994, they have been part of UEFA, which is the European football group.

Israel made it to the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 1970. They also won the 1964 AFC Asian Cup. After this, they had to move to UEFA because of political reasons.

Team History

How it Started

Football has been popular in Israel for a long time. The game first came to the area during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Palestine Football Association was created in 1928 and joined FIFA in 1929. This group included Arab, Jewish, and British police clubs.

The Mandatory Palestine national football team played its first game against Egypt in 1934, losing 0–5. The team played five international matches before it was dissolved. All players in these games were Jewish. Before each match, three national songs were played: the British "God Save the King", the Jewish "HaTikvah" (which later became Israel's national song), and the opposing team's song.

In 1948, the team became the national football team of Israel. Their first game as an independent nation was on September 26, 1948, against the US Olympic Team. The US won 3–1. In that game, Shmuel Ben-Dror scored Israel's first goal.

Joining the Asian Football Group

Israel was one of the first members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after it became an independent country in 1948. However, after the 1974 Asian Games in Iran, many Muslim and Arab countries refused to play against Israel. Because of this, Israel was removed from the AFC. They then tried to join other groups like the OFC (Oceania) before finally becoming a full member of UEFA (Europe).

Why Israel Left the AFC

Israel played in the AFC from 1954 to 1974. Due to political issues, several Muslim countries would not play against Israel. This situation became very difficult. In 1958, Israel even won the World Cup qualifying stage for Asia and Africa without playing a single game! FIFA then made Israel play a special game against Wales to make sure they didn't qualify without playing at all. Wales won that game.

Israel hosted and won the 1964 AFC Asian Cup. This was a big achievement for them.

In 1968, Israel played in its first Olympic Games. They reached the quarterfinals but lost to Bulgaria.

In 1969, Israel qualified for its first and only FIFA World Cup. They earned two points in the tournament. They drew 1–1 with Sweden and 0–0 with Italy. They lost 0–2 to Uruguay. The goal against Sweden, scored by Mordechai Spiegler, is Israel's only World Cup goal so far.

In 1974, Israel was officially removed from AFC competitions. This happened because Kuwait and other Muslim and Arab countries refused to play against them. The decision was made by a vote of 17 to 13. This vote happened during the 1974 Asian Games, where some teams refused to play Israel in the football competition.

In 1976, Israel went to its second Olympic Games. They again lost in the quarterfinals, this time to Brazil. In 1973 and 1977, Israel played in World Cup qualifying tournaments that included teams from both Asia and Oceania, but they did not qualify.

Moving to Europe

First Steps in UEFA

In the early 1980s, Israel started playing most of its games against teams from UEFA (Europe). They also competed in the European part of the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Playing in Oceania

For the next two big tournaments, Israel joined the Oceania's (OFC) qualifying rounds.

In 1989, Israel won the OFC second round by finishing above Australia and New Zealand. This meant Israel got to play against Colombia from South America for a spot in the 1990 World Cup. However, they lost (1–0, 0–0).

Full UEFA Membership

In 1991, Israeli football clubs began playing in European club competitions. By 1992, Israel was back in the European World Cup qualifiers. In 1994, Israel became a full member of UEFA, 20 years after leaving Asia.

Within Europe, Israel has had some good moments. They famously won 3–2 against France in Paris in 1993. They also beat Austria 5–0 in 1999. That year, Israel almost made it to the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying play-offs, but they were defeated by Denmark.

Israel nearly qualified for the 2006 World Cup. They finished third in their group, tied on points with Switzerland. Switzerland had a better goal difference and moved on.

In the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, Israel came very close to reaching the main tournament. They finished fourth in their group, just one point behind Russia.

Israel has continued to play in European qualifiers for World Cups and European Championships. They have had mixed results, sometimes playing well and sometimes not. In the qualifiers for Euro 2020, they almost made history. Even though they finished fifth in their group, they got a chance to play in the play-offs. They lost to Scotland in a penalty shootout after a 0–0 draw.

In the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League, Israel finished first in their group. This meant they were promoted to League A for the 2024-2025 season.

In the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Israel again reached the play-off stage. They lost 1–4 to Iceland in the semi-finals.

Home Stadiums

The Israel national football team's first home game was at Palms Ground in 1934. Before Israel became a country, they also played at the Maccabi Ground and Maccabiah Stadium.

The first national team for the new State of Israel played at the Ramat Gan Stadium in 1954. This stadium was Israel's main home stadium until 2013.

Now, Israel uses several modern stadiums for its home matches. These include Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa, Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, Turner Stadium in Be'er Sheva, Netanya Stadium in Netanya, and Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv.

During the Gaza war, Israel played most of their home matches in Hungary.

Active Stadiums

Matches	Image	Stadium	Capacity	Location	First match	Last match
51	Bloomfield Stadium	Bloomfield Stadium	29,400	Tel Aviv, Israel	17 May 1964	12 September 2023
14	Teddy Stadium	Teddy Stadium	31,733	Jerusalem, Israel	12 February 1992	19 June 2023
12	Sammy Ofer Stadium	Sammy Ofer Stadium	30,942	Haifa, Israel	16 November 2014	2 June 2022
9	Netanya Stadium	Netanya Stadium	13,610	Netanya, Israel	6 February 2013	29 March 2022
4	Turner Stadium	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	Ramat Gan Stadium	41,583	Ramat Gan, Israel	8 March 1954	15 October 2013
3	Maccabiah Stadium	Maccabiah Stadium	20,000	Tel Aviv, Israel	30 July 1949	28 October 1950

Recent Games

The Israel national team has played several matches recently. In the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League, they faced tough opponents like Belgium, Italy, and France. They also played in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games.

Coaching Staff

Ran Ben Shimon is the current official head coach of Israel.

The current coaching team helps the players perform their best.

Position	Name
Head coach	Ran Ben Shimon
Assistant coach	Amir Schelach
	Gal Cohen
Fitness coach	Eran Shedo
	Matan Shoshani
Goalkeeping coach	Itay Zilpa
Analyst	Adar Rosenberg
	Maayan Bahalul
Technical manager	Roy Reinschreiber
	Avi Levi
Head doctor	Ehud "Udi" Kaufman

Current Players

This is a list of players who were called up for recent matches in June 2025.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of June 10, 2025, after the match against Slovakia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Omri Glazer	(1996-03-11) 11 March 1996 (age 29)	18	0	Red Star Belgrade
	1GK	Daniel Peretz	(2000-07-10) 10 July 2000 (age 25)	7	0	Hamburger SV
	1GK	Yoav Gerafi	(1993-08-29) 29 August 1993 (age 31)	4	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv
	1GK	Niv Eliasi	(2002-02-01) 1 February 2002 (age 23)	0	0	Hapoel Be'er Sheva
	2DF	Eli Dasa	(1992-12-03) 3 December 1992 (age 32)	69	1	Dynamo Moscow
	2DF	Raz Shlomo	(1999-08-13) 13 August 1999 (age 25)	20	2	Maccabi Tel Aviv
	2DF	Idan Nachmias	(1997-03-17) 17 March 1997 (age 28)	13	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv
	2DF	Roy Revivo	(2003-05-22) 22 May 2003 (age 22)	12	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv
	2DF	Denny Gropper	(1999-03-16) 16 March 1999 (age 26)	9	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv
	2DF	Stav Lemkin	(2003-04-02) 2 April 2003 (age 22)	4	0	Twente
	2DF	Guy Mizrahi	(2001-03-30) 30 March 2001 (age 24)	1	0	Hapoel Be'er Sheva
	3MF	Dor Peretz	(1995-05-17) 17 May 1995 (age 30)	50	6	Maccabi Tel Aviv
	3MF	Mohammad Abu Fani	(1998-04-27) 27 April 1998 (age 27)	31	4	Ferencváros
	3MF	Oscar Gloukh	(2004-04-01) 1 April 2004 (age 21)	21	3	Red Bull Salzburg
	3MF	Mahmoud Jaber	(1999-10-05) 5 October 1999 (age 25)	13	0	Saint-Étienne
	3MF	Dan Biton	(1999-04-23) 23 April 1999 (age 26)	8	2	Hapoel Be'er Sheva
	3MF	Eliel Peretz	(1996-11-18) 18 November 1996 (age 28)	6	0	Hapoel Be'er Sheva
	3MF	Omri Gandelman	(2000-05-16) 16 May 2000 (age 25)	5	1	Gent
	3MF	Yarin Levi	(2005-03-21) 21 March 2005 (age 20)	2	0	Beitar Jerusalem
	3MF	Itamar Noy	(2001-04-28) 28 April 2001 (age 24)	1	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv
	3MF	Adi Yona	(2004-04-17) 17 April 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Beitar Jerusalem
	3MF	Lior Kasa	(2005-09-27) 27 September 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Maccabi Haifa
	4FW	Manor Solomon	(1999-07-24) 24 July 1999 (age 26)	44	7	Tottenham Hotspur
	4FW	Liel Abada	(2001-10-03) 3 October 2001 (age 23)	18	1	Charlotte
	4FW	Anan Khalaily	(2004-09-03) 3 September 2004 (age 20)	11	1	Union SG
	4FW	Dor Turgeman	(2003-10-24) 24 October 2003 (age 21)	10	1	Maccabi Tel Aviv
	4FW	Yarden Shua	(1999-06-16) 16 June 1999 (age 26)	3	2	Beitar Jerusalem
	4FW	Amir Ganah	(2004-09-07) 7 September 2004 (age 20)	1	0	Hapoel Be'er Sheva
	4FW	Timothy Muzie	(2001-08-24) 24 August 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Beitar Jerusalem

Team Records

Here are some interesting facts about the Israel national football team's players.

Players in bold are still playing for Israel.

Statistics include only official games recognized by FIFA.

Most Games Played

Yossi Benayoun has played the most games for Israel, with 101 appearances.

Top Goal Scorers

Eran Zahavi is Israel's top scorer with 35 goals.

Tournament History

FIFA World Cup

Israel has played in one FIFA World Cup tournament.

FIFA World Cup record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
As  Mandatory Palestine
1930	Did not enter
1934	Did not qualify
1938
As  Israel
1950	Did not qualify
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970	Group stage	12th	3	0	2	1	1	3	Squad
1974	Did not qualify
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026	To be determined
2030
2034
Total	1/22	Group stage	3	0	2	1	1	3	—

UEFA European Championship

Israel has not yet qualified for the UEFA European Championship.

UEFA European Championship record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1960–1992	Not a UEFA member
1996	Did not qualify
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
2028	To be determined
2032
Total	—

UEFA Nations League

Israel has played in the UEFA Nations League since it started. They were promoted to League A for the 2024–25 season.

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		30th		2019	Did not qualify
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	2	4th	6	1	1	4	5	13		TBD		2025
Total				20	7	5	8	26	31	TBD			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

Israel has participated in the Olympic Games football tournament twice.

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	—

AFC Asian Cup Israel had great success in the AFC Asian Cup before moving to UEFA. AFC Asian Cup record Year Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad 1956 Runners-up 3 2 0 1 6 5 Squad 1960 Runners-up 3 2 0 1 6 4 Squad 1964 Champions 3 3 0 0 5 1 Squad 1968 Third place 4 2 0 2 11 5 Squad 1972 Withdrew+ Total 1 Title 13 9 0 4 28 15 — + Israel qualified as hosts but later withdrew. Thailand replaced them later. Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Asian Games Israel also competed in the Asian Games football tournament. Asian Games record Year Round Pld W D L GF GA Squad 1951 Did not enter 1954 1958 Quarter-finals 3 2 0 1 6 3 Squad 1962 Did not enter 1966 1970 1974 Runners-up 7 6 0 1 24 4 Squad Total 2/13 10 8 0 2 30 7 –

FIFA World Ranking History

As of April 2025, Israel is ranked 78th in the FIFA Men's World Ranking. Their highest rank was 15th in November 2008, and their lowest was 99th in January 2018. On average, they have been ranked around 53rd.

Awards and Achievements

Continental Awards

As a member of the AFC

• AFC Asian Cup
  • Champions (1): 1964
  • Runners-up (2): 1956, 1960
  • Third place (1): 1968

• Asian Games
  • Silver Medal (1): 1974

Summary of Awards

Competition				Total
AFC Asian Cup	1	2	1	4
Asian Games	0	1	0	1
Total	1	3	1	5

More About Israeli Football

• UEFA European Football Championship
• Israel women's national football team
• Israel national under-23 football team
• Israel national under-21 football team
• Israel national under-20 football team
• Israel national under-19 football team
• Israel national under-18 football team
• Israel national under-17 football team
• Israel national under-16 football team
• Football in Israel
• Sports in Israel
• Israeli Premier League

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Israel para niños