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 (also called The Skyblue and Whites) plays for Israel in international football (soccer) games. The Israel Football Association manages the team. Since 1994, Israel has 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 that, they had to move from the Asian football group to the European one.

Team History

Early Football in Israel

Football has a long history in Israel. The game started there during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Palestine Football Association was created in 1928. It joined FIFA in 1929. This association included Arab and Jewish clubs. It also had clubs of British police and soldiers. These people were serving in the region during the British Mandate.

The Mandatory Palestine national football team played its first game in 1930. They played against Egypt in Cairo, Egypt. They lost that game 0–5. The team played five international matches in total. One was a friendly game against Lebanon, which Palestine won 5–1. During these five games, only Jewish players were on the team. Before each match, three national songs were played. These included the British "God Save the King" and the Jewish "HaTikvah". The opposing team's song was also played.

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

Playing in Asia: AFC Membership

Israel winning the 1964 AFC Asian Cup

Israel was one of the first members of the AFC (Asian Football Confederation). This happened after Israel became independent in 1948. After the 1974 Asian Games in Iran, some Muslim and Arab countries refused to play against Israel. This was because of political reasons. Because of this, Israel was removed from the AFC.

Israel then tried to join other football groups. They tried to join the OFC (Oceania). Eventually, they joined UEFA (Europe).

Challenges in the AFC

Israel played in the AFC from 1954 to 1974. Many Muslim countries would not play against Israel. This was due to a political boycott. This situation led to Israel winning the 1958 World Cup qualifying stage for Asia and Africa without playing any games. FIFA then made Israel play a special game against Wales. This was to make sure they played at least one game. Wales won that game.

Israel hosted and won the 1964 AFC Asian Cup. In 1968, Israel played in its first Olympic Games. They lost to Bulgaria in the quarterfinals.

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

In 1969, Israel qualified for its first and only FIFA World Cup. They played in Mexico. Israel got two points in the tournament. They had a 1–1 tie with Sweden. They also had a 0–0 tie with Italy. They lost 0–2 to Uruguay. The goal against Sweden was scored by Mordechai Spiegler. This is Israel's only FIFA World Cup goal so far.

In 1974, Israel was removed from AFC competitions. This happened because Kuwait and other Muslim and Arab countries refused to play them. The vote to remove Israel was 17 to 13. This vote happened during the 1974 Asian Games. In that tournament, North Korea and Kuwait refused to play against Israel.

In 1976, Israel played in its second Olympic Games. They lost in the quarterfinals again, this time to Brazil. Israel tried to qualify for the World Cup in 1973 and 1977. These tournaments included teams from Asia and Oceania. But Israel did not qualify.

Years Without a Home: In Exile

First Steps in Europe

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

Ronny Rosenthal playing for Israel in 1989.

First Steps in Oceania

For the next two World Cup tournaments, Israel joined the Oceania's (OFC) qualifying games.

In 1989, Israel won the OFC second round. They finished above Australia and New Zealand. This meant Israel played against Colombia from South America. This was for a spot in the 1990 World Cup. Israel lost the game (1–0, 0–0).

Joining Europe: UEFA Membership

In 1991, Israeli football clubs started playing in European club competitions. Israel also returned to the European World Cup qualifiers in 1992. In 1994, Israel became a full member of UEFA. This was 20 years after they left Asia.

In Europe, Israel has been a smaller football nation. But they have had some good moments. They won 3–2 against France in Paris in 1993. They also won 5–0 against Austria in 1999. That year, Israel almost made it to the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying play-offs. But they were beaten by Denmark.

Israel almost reached the playoff stage in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. They finished third in their group. They were behind France and tied with Switzerland. Switzerland had a better goal difference and moved on.

In UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, Israel was very close to qualifying for the main tournament. They finished fourth in their group. They were only one point behind Russia.

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, Israel finished fourth again. For the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying games, Israel did not qualify. They finished third in their group.

In 2018, Willi Ruttensteiner became the technical director. A national football academy was started. Also, three development centers were set up.

Israel has not qualified for any World Cup or European Championship finals since then. They have played well sometimes and not so well at other times. However, in the qualifiers for Euro 2020, they almost made history. They finished fifth in their group. But they got to play in the play-offs. This was because of their performance in the 2018-2019 Nations League. They lost in a penalty shoot-out after a 0–0 draw. Eran Zahavi missed Israel's first shot.

Israel was moved up to League B for the 2020-2021 Nations League. They stayed in League B by finishing third in their group. They had 2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses. In the 2022-2023 Nations League, Israel won its group. This meant they were promoted to League A for the 2024-2025 season.

In the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Israel was again knocked out in the play-off stage. They finished third in their group. They played against Iceland in the semi-finals. Israel scored first with a penalty from Eran Zahavi. But they lost the game 1–4. Key moments were Roy Revivo getting a red card and Eran Zahavi missing another penalty.

Home Stadiums

The first home game for the Israel national football team was in 1934. It was at Palms Ground against Egypt. Before Israel was formed, they also played at the Maccabi Ground and Maccabiah Stadium. The first team for the new State of Israel played at the Ramat Gan Stadium in 1954. About 55,000 people watched. Ramat Gan Stadium was Israel's main home stadium until 2013.

Now, Israel uses several stadiums for its home games. These include:

• Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa
• Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem
• Turner Stadium in Be'er Sheva
• Netanya Stadium in Netanya
• Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv

During the Israel–Hamas war, Israel played most of its home games in Hungary.

Active Stadiums

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

Inactive Stadiums

Matches	Image	Stadium	Capacity	Location	First match	Last match
137	Ramat Gan Stadium	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

Team Uniforms

Recent Games and Schedule

Here are the results from the last 12 months and upcoming games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs 21 March 2024	Israel	1–4	Iceland	Budapest, Hungary
20:45	Zahavi  31' (pen.)	https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/match/2039643/	A. Guðmundsson  39', 83', 87' Traustason  42'	Stadium: Szusza Ferenc Stadion Attendance: 1,226 Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)

Friendly 8 June 2024	Hungary	3–0	Israel	Debrecen, Hungary
18:00	Sallai  11' Varga  19', 22'	https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/friendlies/match/2040592--hungary-vs-israel/		Stadium: Nagyerdei Stadion Attendance: 19,900 Referee: Cláudio Pereira (Portugal)

Friendly 11 June 2024	Belarus	0–4	Israel	Budapest, Hungary
18:00 UTC+2		https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/friendlies/match/2040821--belarus-vs-israel/	Melamed  7' Safouri  18' Shlomo  36' Kna'an  82'	Stadium: Szusza Ferenc Stadion Referee: Tamás Bognár (Hungary)

2024–25 UEFA Nations League 6 September 2024	Belgium	3–1	Israel	Debrecen, Hungary
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)	De Bruyne  21', 52' (pen.) Tielemans  48'	Report (UEFA)	Castagne  36' (o.g.)	Stadium: Nagyerdei Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Michael Oliver (England)

2024–25 UEFA Nations League 9 September 2024	Israel	1–2	Italy	Budapest, Hungary
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)	Abu Fani  90'	Report (UEFA)	Frattesi  38' Kean  62'	Stadium: Bozsik Aréna Attendance: 2,090 Referee: Ivan Kružliak (Slovakia)

2024–25 UEFA Nations League 10 October 2024	Israel	1–4	France	Budapest, Hungary
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)	Gandelman  24'	Report (UEFA)	Camavinga  7' Nkunku  28' Guendouzi  87' Barcola  89'	Stadium: Bozsik Aréna Attendance: 2,226 Referee: Nikola Dabanović (Montenegro)

2024–25 UEFA Nations League 14 October 2024	Italy	4–1	Israel	Udine, Italy
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)	Retegui  41' (pen.) Di Lorenzo  54', 79' Frattesi  72'	Report (UEFA)	Abu Fani  66'	Stadium: Dacia Arena Attendance: 11,700 Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (Spain)

2024–25 UEFA Nations League 14 November 2024	France	0–0	Israel	Saint-Denis, France
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)		Report (UEFA)		Stadium: Stade de France Attendance: 16,611 Referee: Tobias Stieler (Germany)

2024–25 UEFA Nations League 17 November 2024	Israel	1–0	Belgium	Budapest, Hungary
20:45 (21:45 UTC+3)	Shua  86'	Report (UEFA)		Stadium: Bozsik Aréna Attendance: 675 Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (Austria)

Coaching Staff

Ran Ben Shimon is the current head coach of Israel.

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

Coaching History

Manager	Years as manager	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Win%
Egon Pollak	1948	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Lajos Hess	1949	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&033.33000033.33
László Székely	1950	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&050.&&&&&050.00
Jerry Beit haLevi	1953–54	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Jackie Gibbons	1956	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&040.&&&&&040.00
Jerry Beit haLevi	1957	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Moshe Varon	1958	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&040.&&&&&040.00
Gyula Mándi	1959–63	&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&049.&&&&&049	&&&&&&&&&&&&&063.&&&&&063	&&&&&&&&&&&&&038.71000038.71
George Ainsley	1963–64	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&066.67000066.67
Yosef Merimovich	1964	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Gyula Mándi	1964	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&0100.000
Yosef Merimovich	1964–65	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&033.33000033.33
Milovan Ćirić	1965–68	&&&&&&&&&&&&&025.&&&&&025	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&043.&&&&&043	&&&&&&&&&&&&&045.&&&&&045	&&&&&&&&&&&&&032.&&&&&032.00
Emmanuel Scheffer	1968–70	&&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&044.&&&&&044	&&&&&&&&&&&&&034.&&&&&034	&&&&&&&&&&&&&033.33000033.33
Edmond Schmilovich	1970–73	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	&&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&027.&&&&&027	&&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013	&&&&&&&&&&&&&052.63000052.63
David Schweitzer	1973–77	&&&&&&&&&&&&&036.&&&&&036	&&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&067.&&&&&067	&&&&&&&&&&&&&034.&&&&&034	&&&&&&&&&&&&&047.22000047.22
Emmanuel Scheffer	1978–79	&&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&038.46000038.46
Jack Mansell	1980–81	&&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020.00
Yosef Merimovich	1983–86	&&&&&&&&&&&&&027.&&&&&027	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&039.&&&&&039	&&&&&&&&&&&&&036.&&&&&036	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.63000029.63
Miljenko Mihić	1986–88	&&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&027.&&&&&027	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.&&&&&035	&&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020.00
Itzhak Schneor Ya'akov Grundman	1988–92	&&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&021.&&&&&021	&&&&&&&&&&&&&030.&&&&&030	&&&&&&&&&&&&&027.78000027.78
Shlomo Scharf	1992–2000	&&&&&&&&&&&&&082.&&&&&082	&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031	&&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&033.&&&&&033	&&&&&&&&&&&&0131.&&&&&0131	&&&&&&&&&&&&0118.&&&&&0118	&&&&&&&&&&&&&037.80000037.80
Richard Møller Nielsen	2000–02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.&&&&&029	&&&&&&&&&&&&&033.&&&&&033	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.&&&&&035.00
Avram Grant	2002–06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&033.&&&&&033	&&&&&&&&&&&&&014.&&&&&014	&&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&055.&&&&&055	&&&&&&&&&&&&&037.&&&&&037	&&&&&&&&&&&&&042.42000042.42
Dror Kashtan	2006–10	&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&051.&&&&&051	&&&&&&&&&&&&&030.&&&&&030	&&&&&&&&&&&&&048.39000048.39
Eli Ohana (caretaker)	2010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&0100.000
Luis Fernández	2010–11	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&040.&&&&&040.00
Eli Guttman	2011–15	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.&&&&&029	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&014.&&&&&014	&&&&&&&&&&&&&042.&&&&&042	&&&&&&&&&&&&&046.&&&&&046	&&&&&&&&&&&&&027.59000027.59
Alon Hazan (caretaker)	2016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Elisha Levy	2016–2017	&&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&040.&&&&&040.00
Alon Hazan (caretaker)	2018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Andi Herzog	2018–2019	&&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.&&&&&029	&&&&&&&&&&&&&026.&&&&&026	&&&&&&&&&&&&&037.50000037.50
Willibald Ruttensteiner	2020–7 February 2022	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&033.&&&&&033	&&&&&&&&&&&&&033.&&&&&033	&&&&&&&&&&&&&042.11000042.11
Gadi Brumer (caretaker)	17 March 2022 – 29 March 2022	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Alon Hazan	8 May 2022 – 27 March 2024	&&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&026.&&&&&026	&&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024	&&&&&&&&&&&&&041.18000041.18
Ran Ben Shimon	23 May 2024 – present	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&050.&&&&&050.00

Team Players

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League games in November 2024.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of November 18, 2024.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Daniel Peretz	(2000-07-10) 10 July 2000 (age 24)	4	0	Bayern Munich
18	1GK	Roi Mishpati	(1992-11-23) 23 November 1992 (age 32)	0	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv
23	1GK	Yoav Gerafi	(1993-08-29) 29 August 1993 (age 31)	4	0	Hapoel Haifa
2	2DF	Eli Dasa (captain)	(1992-12-03) 3 December 1992 (age 32)	65	0	Dynamo Moscow
3	2DF	Sean Goldberg	(1996-08-25) 25 August 1996 (age 28)	17	0	Maccabi Haifa
4	2DF	Raz Shlomo	(1999-08-13) 13 August 1999 (age 25)	16	2	Maccabi Tel Aviv
5	2DF	Idan Nachmias	(1997-03-17) 17 March 1997 (age 28)	9	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv
12	2DF	Ilay Feingold	(2004-08-23) 23 August 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Maccabi Haifa
14	2DF	Nikita Stoinov	(2005-08-24) 24 August 2005 (age 19)	0	0	Maccabi Netanya
	2DF	Sagiv Yehezkel	(1995-03-21) 21 March 1995 (age 30)	9	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv
6	3MF	Omri Gandelman	(2000-05-16) 16 May 2000 (age 25)	4	1	Gent
8	3MF	Dor Peretz	(1995-05-17) 17 May 1995 (age 30)	47	6	Maccabi Tel Aviv
9	3MF	Dia Saba	(1992-11-18) 18 November 1992 (age 32)	13	3	Maccabi Haifa
11	3MF	Dolev Haziza	(1995-07-05) 5 July 1995 (age 30)	18	0	Maccabi Haifa
15	3MF	Oscar Gloukh	(2004-04-01) 1 April 2004 (age 21)	18	3	Red Bull Salzburg
16	3MF	Mohammad Abu Fani	(1998-04-27) 27 April 1998 (age 27)	27	2	Ferencváros
17	3MF	Dan Biton	(1999-04-23) 23 April 1999 (age 26)	3	0	Hapoel Be'er Sheva
20	3MF	Ethan Azoulay	(2002-05-26) 26 May 2002 (age 23)	2	0	Maccabi Haifa
22	3MF	Mahmoud Jaber	(1999-10-05) 5 October 1999 (age 25)	10	0	Maccabi Haifa
	3MF	Gabi Kanichowsky	(1997-08-24) 24 August 1997 (age 27)	16	1	Maccabi Tel Aviv
7	4FW	Yarden Shua	(1999-06-16) 16 June 1999 (age 26)	1	1	Beitar Jerusalem
10	4FW	Manor Solomon	(1999-07-24) 24 July 1999 (age 25)	41	7	Leeds United
13	4FW	Anan Khalaily	(2004-09-03) 3 September 2004 (age 20)	9	0	Union SG
19	4FW	Dor Turgeman	(2003-10-24) 24 October 2003 (age 21)	7	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv
21	4FW	Dean David	(1996-03-14) 14 March 1996 (age 29)	6	1	Maccabi Haifa
	4FW	Tai Baribo	(1998-01-15) January 15, 1998 (age 27)	18	3	Philadelphia Union
	4FW	Liel Abada	(2001-10-03) 3 October 2001 (age 23)	15	1	Charlotte FC
	4FW	Guy Melamed	(1992-12-21) 21 December 1992 (age 32)	3	1	Hapoel Haifa

Recent Call-ups

These players have also been called to the Israel team in the last year.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Omri Glazer	(1996-03-11) 11 March 1996 (age 29)	17	0	Red Star Belgrade	v.  Italy, 14 October 2024
GK	Shareef Keouf	(2001-06-25) 25 June 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Maccabi Haifa	v.  Italy, 14 October 2024
GK	Omer Nir'on	(2001-04-17) 17 April 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Maccabi Netanya	v.  Italy, 9 September 2024
GK	Gad Amos	(1988-12-24) 24 December 1988 (age 36)	0	0	Maccabi Bnei Reineh	v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023
DF	Denny Gropper	(1999-03-16) 16 March 1999 (age 26)	8	0	Ludogorets Razgrad	v.  Italy, 14 October 2024
DF	Matan Baltaxa	(1995-09-20) 20 September 1995 (age 29)	2	0	Hapoel Be'er Sheva	v.  Italy, 14 October 2024
DF	Roy Revivo	(2003-05-22) 22 May 2003 (age 22)	6	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv	v.  Italy, 9 September 2024
DF	Ofri Arad	(1998-09-11) 11 September 1998 (age 26)	10	0	Kairat	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
DF	Gil Cohen	(2000-11-08) 8 November 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Beitar Jerusalem	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
DF	Uri Dahan	(1999-12-07) 7 December 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Beitar Jerusalem	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
DF	Ofir Davidzada	(1991-05-05) 5 May 1991 (age 34)	19	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv	v.  Iceland, 21 March 2024
DF	Miguel Vítor	(1989-06-30) 30 June 1989 (age 36)	12	0	Hapoel Be'er Sheva	v.  Iceland, 21 March 2024
DF	Stav Lemkin	(2003-04-02) 2 April 2003 (age 22)	3	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv	v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023
DF	Avishay Cohen	(1995-06-19) 19 June 1995 (age 30)	1	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv	v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023
MF	Ramzi Safouri	(1995-10-21) 21 October 1995 (age 29)	17	1	Antalyaspor	v.  Italy, 14 October 2024
MF	Eliel Peretz	(1996-11-18) 18 November 1996 (age 28)	2	0	Hapoel Be'er Sheva	v.  Italy, 14 October 2024
MF	Neta Lavi	(1996-08-25) 25 August 1996 (age 28)	22	0	Gamba Osaka	v.  Italy, 9 September 2024
MF	Dan Glazer	(1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 (age 28)	21	1	Pari Nizhny Novgorod	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
MF	Gadi Kinda	(1994-03-23) 23 March 1994 (age 31)	10	2	Maccabi Haifa	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
MF	Mohammed Kna'an	(2000-01-14) 14 January 2000 (age 25)	3	1	Ashdod	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
MF	Roei Gordana	(1990-07-06) 6 July 1990 (age 35)	2	0	Hapoel Be'er Sheva	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
MF	Goni Naor	(1999-04-23) 23 April 1999 (age 26)	2	0	Hapoel Tel Aviv	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
MF	Yoav Hofmayster	(2000-12-25) 25 December 2000 (age 24)	1	0	Korona Kielce	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
MF	Eden Shamir	(1995-06-25) 25 June 1995 (age 30)	1	0	Maccabi Petah Tikva	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
MF	Ofek Bitton	(1999-09-27) 27 September 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Hapoel Jerusalem	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
MF	Ido Shahar	(2001-08-20) 20 August 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv	v.  Iceland, 21 March 2024
MF	Tomer Yosefi	(1999-02-02) 2 February 1999 (age 26)	0	0	Hapoel Be'er Sheva	v.  Iceland, 21 March 2024
MF	Eden Kartsev	(2000-04-11) 11 April 2000 (age 25)	6	0	Shenzhen Peng City	v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023
FW	Omri Altman	(1994-03-23) 23 March 1994 (age 31)	2	0	Volos	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
FW	Alon Turgeman	(1991-06-09) 9 June 1991 (age 34)	2	0	Hapoel Be'er Sheva	v.  Belarus, 11 June 2024
FW	Eran Zahavi	(1987-07-25) 25 July 1987 (age 37)	74	35	Maccabi Tel Aviv	v.  Iceland, 21 March 2024
FW	Shon Weissman	(1996-02-14) 14 February 1996 (age 29)	33	6	Granada	v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023
FW	Idan Gorno	(2004-08-09) 9 August 2004 (age 20)	4	0	Crown Legacy	v.  Andorra, 21 November 2023

Team Records

Players in bold are still active with Israel.

These numbers 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 Records

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Outcome	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Confederation
As  Mandatory Palestine											As  Mandatory Palestine
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
2030
2034
Total	1/22	Group stage	3	0	2	1	1	3	—		Final Round	130	43	35	52	180	180	—

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Outcome	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1960–1992	Not a UEFA member										Not a UEFA member
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											Play-offs	11	4	3	4	12	15
2028	To be determined										To be determined
2032
Total	—										Play-offs	80	32	17	31	124	103

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
League phase													Finals
Season	LG	Grp	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK		Year	Pos	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
2018–19	C	1	2nd	4	2	0	2	6	5		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

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 Main article: Israel at the AFC Asian Cup 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 Main article: Israel at the Asian Games 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 –

Head-to-Head Records

This table shows Israel's record against other teams.

      Positive record       Neutral record       Negative record

Opponents	Pld	W	D	L
Albania	6	4	0	2
Andorra	6	6	0	0
Argentina	5	1	1	3
Armenia	1	1	0	0
Australia	17	3	9	5
Austria	13	3	4	6
Azerbaijan	5	3	2	0
Belarus	8	6	0	2
Belgium	9	2	0	7
Bosnia and Herzegovina	4	2	1	1
Brazil	3	0	0	3
Bulgaria	7	1	2	4
Cameroon	3	0	2	1
Canada	6	6	0	0
Chile	2	1	0	1
Chinese Taipei	7	6	0	1
Colombia	2	0	1	1
Costa Rica	3	3	0	0
Croatia	9	0	1	8
Cyprus	16	9	3	4
Czech Republic	4	0	0	4
Denmark	10	1	0	9
Egypt	2	0	0	2
El Salvador	1	1	0	0
England	4	0	2	2
Estonia	3	3	0	0
Ethiopia	4	4	0	0
Faroe Islands	5	4	1	0
Finland	5	2	1	2
France	11	1	5	5
Georgia	6	3	2	1
Germany	5	0	0	5
Ghana	1	1	0	0
Greece	19	3	5	11
Guatemala	2	1	1	0
Honduras	2	2	0	0
Hong Kong	3	3	0	0
Hungary	6	2	2	2
Iceland	6	2	3	1
India	4	4	0	0
Indonesia	1	1	0	0
Iran	5	1	1	3
Italy	7	0	1	6
Ivory Coast	2	0	1	1
Japan	7	7	0	0
Kosovo	2	0	1	1
Latvia	7	5	1	1
Lebanon	1	1	0	0
Liechtenstein	4	4	0	0
Lithuania	5	4	1	0
Luxembourg	9	9	0	0
Malaysia	2	2	0	0
Malta	9	6	2	1
Mexico	2	1	0	1
Moldova	8	5	3	0
Montenegro	1	1	0	0
Myanmar	2	1	0	1
Netherlands	4	0	0	4
New Zealand	8	6	1	1
Macedonia	7	4	1	2
Northern Ireland	10	1	5	4
Norway	2	1	0	1
Pakistan	2	1	1	0
Philippines	1	1	0	0
Poland	11	2	4	5
Portugal	7	1	2	4
Republic of Ireland	5	1	3	1
Romania	24	5	7	12
Russia	14	4	3	7
San Marino	2	2	0	0
Scotland	11	2	3	6
Serbia	12	3	1	8
Singapore	1	1	0	0
Slovakia	7	2	2	3
Slovenia	4	0	3	1
South Africa	1	0	0	1
South Korea	11	2	4	5
Spain	6	0	1	5
Sri Lanka	3	3	0	0
Sweden	12	1	4	7
Switzerland	9	1	5	3
Thailand	3	1	2	0
Turkey	6	2	0	4
Ukraine	6	1	3	2
United States	6	3	1	2
Uruguay	6	1	1	4
Uzbekistan	1	1	0	0
Vietnam	4	3	0	1
Wales	6	0	3	3
Zambia	1	1	0	0

FIFA World Ranking History

This chart shows how Israel's FIFA World Ranking has changed over the years.

FIFA World Ranking history for Israel.

Team Achievements

Continental Titles

When Israel was a member of the AFC (Asia):

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

• Asian Games
  • Silver Medal (1): 1974

Summary of Medals

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

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Israel para niños

• 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