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Israel national football team facts for kids

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Israel
Shirt badge/Association crest
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 Decrease 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest 15 (November 2008)
Lowest 99 (January 2018)
Elo ranking
Current 66 Increase 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 2 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, January 2022 - 42
Bloomfield Stadium
Bloomfield Stadium 29,400 Tel Aviv, Israel 17 May 1964 12 September 2023
14
TeddyStadiumJerusalemِApr172023 03
Teddy Stadium
Teddy Stadium 31,733 Jerusalem, Israel 12 February 1992 19 June 2023
12
PikiWiki Israel 59466 sami ofer stadium (cropped 3)
Sammy Ofer Stadium
Sammy Ofer Stadium 30,942 Haifa, Israel 16 November 2014 2 June 2022
9
Netanya-Stadium 39 (cropped 2)
Netanya Stadium
Netanya Stadium 13,610 Netanya, Israel 6 February 2013 29 March 2022
4
Turner Stadium 08
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 Ramat Gan Stadium 3
Ramat Gan Stadium
Ramat Gan Stadium 41,583 Ramat Gan, Israel 8 March 1954 15 October 2013
3
Maccabiah Stadium
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

Beitar Jerusalem FC vs. MTK Budapest FC 2016-06-18 (002)
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 Israel Ran Ben Shimon
Assistant coach Israel Amir Schelach
Israel Gal Cohen
Fitness coach Israel Eran Shedo
Israel Matan Shoshani
Goalkeeping coach Israel Itay Zilpa
Analyst Israel Adar Rosenberg
Israel Maayan Bahalul
Technical manager Israel Roy Reinschreiber
Israel Avi Levi
Head doctor Israel 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 Serbia Red Star Belgrade
1GK Daniel Peretz (2000-07-10) 10 July 2000 (age 25) 7 0 Germany Hamburger SV
1GK Yoav Gerafi (1993-08-29) 29 August 1993 (age 31) 4 0 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
1GK Niv Eliasi (2002-02-01) 1 February 2002 (age 23) 0 0 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva

2DF Eli Dasa (1992-12-03) 3 December 1992 (age 32) 69 1 Russia Dynamo Moscow
2DF Raz Shlomo (1999-08-13) 13 August 1999 (age 25) 20 2 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
2DF Idan Nachmias (1997-03-17) 17 March 1997 (age 28) 13 0 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
2DF Roy Revivo (2003-05-22) 22 May 2003 (age 22) 12 0 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
2DF Denny Gropper (1999-03-16) 16 March 1999 (age 26) 9 0 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
2DF Stav Lemkin (2003-04-02) 2 April 2003 (age 22) 4 0 Netherlands Twente
2DF Guy Mizrahi (2001-03-30) 30 March 2001 (age 24) 1 0 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva

3MF Dor Peretz (1995-05-17) 17 May 1995 (age 30) 50 6 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
3MF Mohammad Abu Fani (1998-04-27) 27 April 1998 (age 27) 31 4 Hungary Ferencváros
3MF Oscar Gloukh (2004-04-01) 1 April 2004 (age 21) 21 3 Austria Red Bull Salzburg
3MF Mahmoud Jaber (1999-10-05) 5 October 1999 (age 25) 13 0 France Saint-Étienne
3MF Dan Biton (1999-04-23) 23 April 1999 (age 26) 8 2 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva
3MF Eliel Peretz (1996-11-18) 18 November 1996 (age 28) 6 0 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva
3MF Omri Gandelman (2000-05-16) 16 May 2000 (age 25) 5 1 Belgium Gent
3MF Yarin Levi (2005-03-21) 21 March 2005 (age 20) 2 0 Israel Beitar Jerusalem
3MF Itamar Noy (2001-04-28) 28 April 2001 (age 24) 1 0 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
3MF Adi Yona (2004-04-17) 17 April 2004 (age 21) 0 0 Israel Beitar Jerusalem
3MF Lior Kasa (2005-09-27) 27 September 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Israel Maccabi Haifa

4FW Manor Solomon (1999-07-24) 24 July 1999 (age 26) 44 7 England Tottenham Hotspur
4FW Liel Abada (2001-10-03) 3 October 2001 (age 23) 18 1 United States Charlotte
4FW Anan Khalaily (2004-09-03) 3 September 2004 (age 20) 11 1 Belgium Union SG
4FW Dor Turgeman (2003-10-24) 24 October 2003 (age 21) 10 1 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
4FW Yarden Shua (1999-06-16) 16 June 1999 (age 26) 3 2 Israel Beitar Jerusalem
4FW Amir Ganah (2004-09-07) 7 September 2004 (age 20) 1 0 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva
4FW Timothy Muzie (2001-08-24) 24 August 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Israel 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

Yossibenayounch
Yossi Benayoun has played the most games for Israel, with 101 appearances.
Rank Name Caps Goals Career
1 Yossi Benayoun 101 23 1998–2017
2 Tal Ben Haim 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 Dudu Aouate 78 0 1999–2013
Eyal Berkovic 78 9 1992–2004
10 Tal Banin 77 12 1990–2003

Top Goal Scorers

DK-Maccabi (2)
Eran Zahavi is Israel's top scorer with 35 goals.
Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Eran Zahavi (list) 35 74 0.47 2010–present
2 Mordechai Spiegler 24 57 0.42 1964–1977
3 Ronen Harazi 23 52 0.44 1992–1999
Yossi Benayoun 23 101 0.23 1998–2017
5 Nahum Stelmach 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 17 50 0.34 1984–1997
Avi Nimni 17 80 0.21 1992–2005
10 Yehoshua Feigenbaum 15 36 0.42 1966–1977
Mu'nas Dabbur 15 40 0.38 2014–2022

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
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter
Italy 1934 Did not qualify
France 1938
As  Israel
Brazil 1950 Did not qualify
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970 Group stage 12th 3 0 2 1 1 3 Squad
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994
France 1998
South Korea Japan 2002
Germany 2006
South Africa 2010
Brazil 2014
Russia 2018
Qatar 2022
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 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
England 1996 Did not qualify
Belgium Netherlands 2000
Portugal 2004
Austria Switzerland 2008
Poland Ukraine 2012
France 2016
Europe 2020
Germany 2024
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined
Italy Turkey 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 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 4th 6 1 1 4 5 13 Decrease TBD Germany 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
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

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
    • 1 Champions (1): 1964
    • 2 Runners-up (2): 1956, 1960
    • 3 Third place (1): 1968
  • Asian Games
    • 2 Silver Medal (1): 1974

Summary of Awards

Competition 1 2 3 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

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Israel para niños

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Israel national football team Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.