View source for Football in Israel

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{EngvarB|date=April 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{distinguish|American football in Israel}}
{{Infobox sport overview
| title = Football in Israel
| image = [[File:Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem (cropped).jpg|250px]]
| imagesize = 250px
| image_alt = 
| caption = [[Teddy Stadium]], home of [[Israel national football team]] and two Israeli clubs
| union = [[Israel Football Association]]
| country = Israel
| sport = association football
| noncountry = <!-- other country this country represents -->
| teamlabel1 = <!-- overrides the "National team" label with custom label -->
| nationalteam = [[Israel national football team|Men's national team]]
| teamlabel2 = <!-- overrides the "Representative team" label with customer label -->
| repteam = <!-- overrides the representative team link, requires full wikitext syntax -->
| nickname = <!-- nicknames -->
| first = 
| registered = 
| clubs = 
| national_list = [[Israel State Cup]] <br> [[Toto Cup]] <br> [[Israel Super Cup]]
| club_list = [[Israeli Premier League]] <br> [[Liga Leumit]] <br> [[Liga Alef]] <br> [[Liga Bet]] <br> [[Liga Gimel]]
| intl_list = [[UEFA Champions League]] <br> [[UEFA Europa League]] <br> [[UEFA Conference League]] <br> [[UEFA Super Cup|Super Cup]] <br>[[FIFA Club World Cup]]<br>[[FIFA World Cup]] (National Team)<br> [[UEFA European Championship|European Championship]] (National Team)<br> [[UEFA Nations League]] (National Team)
| match = 
| league = 
}}

[[File:Bloomfield Stadium Maccabi 2019 2.jpg|thumb|[[Bloomfield Stadium]] in [[Tel Aviv]], home of [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]], [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] and [[Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C.|Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv]]]]
[[Association football|Football]] ({{langx|he|כַּדוּרֶגֶל}}, ''Kaduregel'', {{lit|legball}}), also known as soccer, is the most popular [[sport in Israel]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Gross |first=Tom |url=http://old.nationalreview.com/comment/gross200604111309.asp |title=Tom Gross on Soccer & Israel on National Review Online |publisher=Old.nationalreview.com |access-date=2013-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203030130/http://old.nationalreview.com/comment/gross200604111309.asp |archive-date=2013-12-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/fifa-asks-israel-to-assist-palestinian-soccer-1.1304976 |title=FIFA asks Israel to assist Palestinian soccer - CBC Sports - Soccer |publisher=Cbc.ca |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/01/28/262966.html |title=Israeli soccer club fans say no to Muslim players |date=28 January 2013 |publisher=Alarabiya.net |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Greenberg |first=Joel |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/soccer-racism-raises-concern-in-israel/2013/02/11/4120274c-7482-11e2-aa12-e6cf1d31106b_story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225040139/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-02-11/world/37034393_1_arab-players-racist-chants-jerusalem-mayor-nir-barkat |url-status=live |archive-date=2013-02-25 |title=Soccer racism raises concern in Israel - Washington Post |publisher=Articles.washingtonpost.com |date=2013-02-11 |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Ackerman |first=Gwen |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-09/israel-based-football-website-is-turning-fans-love-of-the-game-into-a-new-media-business.html |title=Israel-Based Football Website Is Turning Fans' Love of the Game Into a New Media Business |newspaper=Bloomberg |date=9 September 2013 |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/13/sport/football/football-germany-holocaust-israel/ |title=How German football is embracing Israel - CNN.com |date=13 June 2013 |publisher=CNN |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-features/football-israel-not-so-beautiful-game |title=Football in Israel, the not-so-beautiful game &#124; The Jewish Chronicle |publisher=Thejc.com |date=2008-08-28 |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref> Football as an organised sport, first developed in the [[United Kingdom]], who controlled [[Mandatory Palestine]] during the days of the [[Mandate for Palestine |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 [[Oceania Football Confederation|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.

==Israel Football Association==
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/18-letter-from/2434-israel |title=When Saturday Comes - Israel |publisher=Wsc.co.uk |date=2012-07-09 |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/104-Race/1361-anti-arab-league |title=When Saturday Comes - Anti-Arab league |publisher=Wsc.co.uk |date=2012-07-09 |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref>

==League system==
{{main|Israeli football league system}}

As of the 19-20 season, the Israeli football league system has five levels and 16 different divisions, all run by the IFA. Promotion and relegation operate between each level,  allowing clubs to progress from bottom to top within four seasons.

===Structure===
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==
In Israel, there are two major cup competitions: the [[Israel State Cup|State Cup]] and the [[Toto Cup]].

===State Cup===
The [[Israel State Cup|State Cup]] ({{langx|he|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 winner qualifies for the [[UEFA Europa Conference League]].

=== Toto Cup ===
The [[Toto Cup]] ({{langx|he|גביע הטוטו}}, ''Gvia HaToto'') is the Israeli equivalent of the English [[Football League Cup|League Cup]], the main difference being that there is a separate cup for the top and second divisions. The cup is played first in a group stage, with the highest placed teams qualifying for the knock-out stages. The winner does not qualify for the [[UEFA Europa Conference League]].

== Title Holders ==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |template=yes|name=Israeli Football Title Holders
|-
! Season || League Champions || State Cup holder || Toto Cup holder
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1928–29<small> (&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[1928 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| rowspan=3 bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Held'' || [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] <br> [[Maccabi Jerusalem F.C.|Maccabi Hasmonean Jerusalem]] ||rowspan=56 bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Held''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1929–30<small> (&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[1929 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
|rowspan=2|  [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1930–31<small> (&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[1930 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1931–32<small> ([[1931–32 Palestine League|PL]])</small>
| [[Palestine Police Force|British Police]] ||bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Held''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1932–33<small> ([[1932–33 Palestine League|PL]], [[1932 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Held'' || [[Palestine Police Force|British Police]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1933–34<small> ([[1933–34 Palestine League|PL]], [[1933 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] || [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1934–35<small> ([[1934–35 Palestine League|PL]], [[1934 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5|  [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1935–36<small> ([[1935–36 Palestine League|PL]], [[1935 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C.|Maccabi Petah Tikva]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1936–37<small> ([[1936–37 Palestine League|PL]])</small>
| colspan=2 bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Held''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1937<small> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;([[1937 Palestine League|PL]], [[1937 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1938<small> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;([[1938 Palestine League|PL]], [[1938 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1939<small> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[1939 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Held'' || [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1940<small> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;([[1940 Palestine League|PL]], [[1940 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] || [[Beitar Tel Aviv F.C.|Beitar Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1941–42<small> ([[1941–42 Palestine League|PL]], [[1941 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1942–43<small> ([[1942–43 Palestine League|PL]], [[1942 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Finished''  || [[Beitar Tel Aviv F.C.|Beitar Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1943–44<small> ([[1943–44 Palestine League|PL]])</small>
| rowspan=2| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] ||rowspan=3 bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Official'' 
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1944–45<small> ([[1944–45 Palestine League|PL]])</small>
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1945–46
| bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Held'' 
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1946–47<small> ([[1946–47 Palestine League|PL]], [[1946 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1947–48<small> ([[1947–48 Palestine League|PL]], [[1947 Palestine Cup|SC]])</small>
| rowspan=2 bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Finished'' || [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1948–49<small> ([[1947–48 Palestine League#Ligat Herum|PL]])</small>
| rowspan=3 bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Held'' 
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1949–50<small> ([[1949–50 Israeli League|PL]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1950–51
| bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Held''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1951–52<small> ([[1951–52 Liga Alef|PL]], [[1951–52 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C.|Maccabi Petah Tikva]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1952–53
| colspan=2 bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Held''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1953–54<small> ([[1953–54 Liga Alef|PL]], [[1953–54 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1954–55<small> ([[1954–55 Liga Alef|PL]], [[1954–55 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C.|Hapoel Petah Tikva]] || [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1955–56<small> ([[1955–56 Liga Leumit|PL]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Held''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1956–57<small> ([[1956–57 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1956–57 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C.|Hapoel Petah Tikva]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1957–58<small> ([[1957–58 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1957–58 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1958–59<small> ([[1958–59 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1958–59 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| rowspan=5| [[Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C.|Hapoel Petah Tikva]] || [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1959–60<small> ([[1959–60 Liga Leumit|PL]])</small>
| bgcolor=DDDDDD align=center| ''Not Held'' 
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1960–61<small> ([[1960–61 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1960–61 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1961–62<small> ([[1961–62 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1961–62 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1962–63<small> ([[1962–63 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1962–63 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Haifa F.C.|Hapoel Haifa]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1963–64<small> ([[1963–64 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1963–64 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Ramat Gan F.C.|Hapoel Ramat Gan]] ||rowspan=2| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1964–65<small> ([[1964–65 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1964–65 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan F.C.|Hakoah Ramat Gan]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1965–66<small> ([[1965–66 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1965–66 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Haifa F.C.|Hapoel Haifa]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1966–67<small> ([[1966–68 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1966–67 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| rowspan=2 bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1967–68<small> (&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[1967–68 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C.|Bnei Yehuda]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1968–69<small> ([[1968–69 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1968–69 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] || [[Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan F.C.|Hakoah Ramat Gan]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1969–70<small> ([[1969–70 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1969–70 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1970–71<small> ([[1970–71 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1970–71 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Netanya F.C.|Maccabi Netanya]] || [[Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan F.C.|Hakoah Ramat Gan]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1971–72<small> ([[1971–72 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1971–72 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1972–73<small> ([[1972–73 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1972–73 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan F.C.|Hakoah Ramat Gan]] || [[Hapoel Jerusalem F.C.|Hapoel Jerusalem]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1973–74<small> ([[1973–74 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1973–74 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Netanya F.C.|Maccabi Netanya]] || [[Hapoel Haifa F.C.|Hapoel Haifa]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1974–75<small> ([[1974–75 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1974–75 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| rowspan=2| [[Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C.|Hapoel Be'er Sheva]] || [[Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C.|Hapoel Kfar Saba]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1975–76<small> ([[1975–76 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1975–76 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1976–77<small> ([[1976–77 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1976–77 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1977–78<small> ([[1977–78 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1977–78 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Netanya F.C.|Maccabi Netanya]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Netanya F.C.|Maccabi Netanya]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1978–79<small> ([[1978–79 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1978–79 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1979–80<small> ([[1979–80 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1979–80 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Netanya F.C.|Maccabi Netanya]] || [[Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C.|Hapoel Kfar Saba]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1980–81<small> ([[1980–81 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1980–81 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] || [[Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C.|Bnei Yehuda]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1981–82<small> ([[1981–82 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1981–82 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C.|Hapoel Kfar Saba]] || [[Hapoel Yehud F.C.|Hapoel Yehud]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1982–83<small> ([[1982–83 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1982–83 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Netanya F.C.|Maccabi Netanya]] || [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1983–84<small> ([[1983–84 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1983–84 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| rowspan=2| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] || [[Hapoel Lod F.C.|Hapoel Lod]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1984–85<small> ([[1984–85 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1984–85 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1984–85 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| rowspan=2| [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]] || [[Maccabi Yavne F.C.|Maccabi Yavne]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1985–86<small> ([[1985–86 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1985–86 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1985–86 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C.|Hapoel Petah Tikva]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1986–87<small> ([[1986–87 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1986–87 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1986–87 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]] ||rowspan=2| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||rowspan=2| [[Shimshon Tel Aviv F.C.|Shimshon Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1987–88<small> ([[1987–88 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1987–88 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1987–88 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1988–89<small> ([[1988–89 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1988–89 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1988–89 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] || [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]] || [[Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C.|Hapoel Be'er Sheva]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1989–90<small> ([[1989–90 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1989–90 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1989–90 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| [[Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C.|Bnei Yehuda]] || [[Hapoel Kfar Saba F.C.|Hapoel Kfar Saba]] ||rowspan=2| [[Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C.|Hapoel Petah Tikva]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1990–91<small> ([[1990–91 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1990–91 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1990–91 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1991–92<small> ([[1991–92 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1991–92 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1991–92 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C.|Hapoel Petah Tikva]] || [[Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C.|Bnei Yehuda]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1992–93<small> ([[1992–93 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1992–93 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1992–93 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]] || [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] || [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1993–94<small> ([[1993–94 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1993–94 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1993–94 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] || [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1994–95<small> ([[1994–95 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1994–95 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1994–95 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] || [[Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C.|Maccabi Petah Tikva]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1995–96<small> ([[1995–96 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1995–96 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1995–96 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C.|Hapoel Be'er Sheva]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1996–97<small> ([[1996–97 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1996–97 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1996–97 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]] || [[Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C.|Hapoel Be'er Sheva]] || [[Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C.|Bnei Yehuda]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1997–98<small> ([[1997–98 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1997–98 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1997–98 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]] || [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1998–99<small> ([[1998–99 Liga Leumit|PL]], [[1998–99 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1998–99 Toto Cup Leumit|TC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Haifa F.C.|Hapoel Haifa]] || [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] || [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 1999–2000<small> ([[1999–2000 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[1999–2000 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[1999–2000 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] || [[Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C.|Maccabi Petah Tikva]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2000–01<small> ([[2000–01 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2000–01 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2000–01 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| rowspan=2| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] ||rowspan=2| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Haifa F.C.|Hapoel Haifa]] 
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2001–02<small> ([[2001–02 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2001–02 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2001–02 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] 
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2002–03<small> ([[2002–03 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2002–03 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2002–03 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Ramat Gan Giv'atayim F.C.|Hapoel Ramat Gan]] || [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2003–04<small> ([[2003–04 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2003–04 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2003–04 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| rowspan=2| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] || [[Bnei Sakhnin F.C.|Bnei Sakhnin]] || [[Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C.|Maccabi Petah Tikva]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2004–05<small> ([[2004–05 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2004–05 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2004–05 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C.|Hapoel Petah Tikva]] 
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2005–06<small> ([[2005–06 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2005–06 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2005–06 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
|bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] ||rowspan=2|  [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2006–07<small> ([[2006–07 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2006–07 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2006–07 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]] || [[Maccabi Herzliya F.C.|Maccabi Herzliya]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2007–08<small> ([[2007–08 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2007–08 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2007–08 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
|bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]] || [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2008–09<small> ([[2008–09 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2008–09 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2008–09 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] || [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]] || [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2009–10<small> ([[2009–10 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2009–10 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2009–10 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
|bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| Hapoel Tel Aviv || [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2010–11<small> ([[2010–11 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2010–11 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2010–11 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] ||rowspan=2|  Hapoel Tel Aviv || [[Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C.|Ironi Kiryat Shmona]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2011–12<small> ([[2011–12 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2011–12 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2011–12 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
|bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C.|Ironi Kiryat Shmona]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C.|Ironi Kiryat Shmona]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2012–13<small> ([[2012–13 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2012–13 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2012–13 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| rowspan=2| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Ramat Gan Giv'atayim F.C.|Hapoel Ramat Gan]] || [[Hapoel Haifa F.C.|Hapoel Haifa]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2013–14<small> ([[2013–14 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2013–14 Israel State Cup|SC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C.|Ironi Kiryat Shmona]] || {{n/a}}
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2014–15<small> ([[2014–15 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2014–15 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2014–15 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
|bgcolor=FFD1DC| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFD1DC| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFD1DC| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2015–16<small> ([[2015–16 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2015–16 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2015–16 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C.|Hapoel Be'er Sheva]] || [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] || [[Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C.|Maccabi Petah Tikva]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2016–17<small> ([[2016–17 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2016–17 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2016–17 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
|bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C.|Hapoel Be'er Sheva]] || [[Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C.|Bnei Yehuda]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C.|Hapoel Be'er Sheva]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2017–18<small> ([[2017–18 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2017–18 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2017–18 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| [[Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C.|Hapoel Be'er Sheva]] || [[Hapoel Haifa F.C.|Hapoel Haifa]] || [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2018–19<small> ([[2018–19 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2018–19 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2018–19 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
|bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C.|Bnei Yehuda]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2019–20<small> ([[2019–20 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2019–20 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2019–20 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C.|Hapoel Be'er Sheva]] || [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2020–21<small> ([[2020–21 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2020–21 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2020–21 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2021–22<small> ([[2021–22 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2021–22 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2021–22 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] || [[Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C.|Hapoel Be'er Sheva]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2022–23<small> ([[2022–23 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2022–23 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2022–23 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] || [[Beitar Jerusalem F.C.|Beitar Jerusalem]] || [[Maccabi Netanya F.C.|Maccabi Netanya]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2023–24<small> ([[2023–24 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2023–24 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2023–24 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C.|Maccabi Petah Tikva]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | 2024–25<small> ([[2024–25 Israeli Premier League|PL]], [[2024–25 Israel State Cup|SC]], [[2024–25 Toto Cup Al|TC]])</small>
| bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] || [[Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C.|Hapoel Be'er Sheva]] ||bgcolor=FFEFD5| [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]]
|-
! Season || League Champions || State Cup holder || Toto Cup holder
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!Legend
|-
|bgcolor=FFD1DC| Won all 3 titles in the same year
|-
|bgcolor=FFEFD5| Won 2 titles in the same year
|}

==Qualification for European competitions==
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:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Competition
!Who qualifies
!Notes
|-
||[[UEFA Champions League]]
|Premier League champions
|
|-
||[[UEFA Europa League]]
|State Cup winners
| If one of the top 3 teams in the Premier League also wins the State Cup, the fourth-placed team will be granted a Conference League spot.
|-
|rowspan="2"|[[UEFA Europa Conference League]]
|Clubs finishing second or third in the Premier League
|If the second or third-placed club has already qualified for the Conference League through the State Cup, then the fourth-placed club of the Premier League get a Conference League spot.
|-
|Any Israeli club that wins the UEFA Europa Conference League and has not already qualified for the Champions League or Europa League or Conference League
|By the UEFA Europa Conference League regulations (Regulation 1.07), this club's entry into the UEFA Europa Conference 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 Preliminary Round and First qualifying round go forward to the UEFA Europa League Second qualifying round
* All the losers of the UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round go forward to the UEFA Europa League Third qualifying round
* 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==
{{main|Israel national football team}}
Israel hosted and won the [[1964 AFC Asian Cup]]. Israel qualified for the [[FIFA World Cup|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 [[Football at the 1976 Summer Olympics|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 1-2 and 0-1 defeat against Iran respectively in [[1968 AFC Asian Cup]] and [[1974 Asian Games]], both held in Tehran when Israel and Iran were on friendly terms, the 3–2 win in [[France national football team|France]] in the [[1994 World Cup qualification]], which ended up disqualifying the French team from the [[1994 World Cup|World Cup]] in the United States, the defeat of [[Austria national football team|Austria]] 5–0 in 1999 during [[UEFA Euro 2000|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==

===British Mandate===
During the [[Mandatory Palestine|British Mandate for Palestine]], organised football consisted mainly of British and Jewish clubs, although Arab clubs also existed and took part in [[Israeli Football Association|IFA]] competitions. As early as 1906, [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|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 F.C.|Hapoel Haifa]] was formed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hapoel.org.il/?CategoryID=315|title=The Establishment of "Hapoel" - Hapoel Sport Association|website=www.hapoel.org.il|access-date=4 April 2018}}</ref> Shortly after formation, they joined the World [[Maccabi (sports)|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 labourers in [[Afula]], it was decided to break off from the World Maccabi Organization and create the [[Hapoel|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 organisations were formed, such as [[Betar|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 thus the oldest rivalry in Israel was born.

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 [[Israel State Cup|People's Cup]] began. This cup would later be known as Palestine Cup and, after the [[Israeli Declaration of Independence]], the Israel State Cup. In the [[1928 Palestine Cup|first final]], played in [[Tel Aviv]] two Jewish clubs, [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] met [[Maccabi Jerusalem F.C.|Maccabi Hasmonean Jerusalem]] and won 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 was the [[Palestine Police Force|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 F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] (4 titles) or [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] (5 titles).

During the British Mandate period, the [[Israel national football team|IFA representative team]] competed under the title of Eretz Israel/Palestine, operating as a virtually all-Jewish combination. The first international match was a [[1934 FIFA World Cup qualification|qualifying match]] for the [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934 World Cup]] against [[Egypt national football team|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 Palestinians, Jews, and British police 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 F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] tour of the United States in 1927, Maccabi Eretz Israel tour of [[Australia]] in 1939 and [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] tour of the US 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 FC|MTK Budapest]] and [[Hajduk Split]].

===Post independence===
Just four months after Israel gained independence, the [[Israel national football team|Israeli national team]] travelled to [[New York City]] to play their [[United States men's national soccer team|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 F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] became the first club to win the [[AFC Champions League#Tournament|Asian Club Championships]]. In the [[2001–02 UEFA Cup]] Hapoel reached the quarter-finals after knocking out [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], [[FC Lokomotiv Moscow|Lokomotiv Moscow]] and [[Parma F.C.|Parma]].

The 1970s  and early 1980 were dominated by [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]], [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] 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 [[Israel]]i 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 good results in European tournaments such as the [[UEFA Champions League]] and [[UEFA Cup]].

Israeli teams have also qualified for the [[UEFA Champions League]] group stage six times: [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] in the [[2002–03 UEFA Champions League|2002–03]], [[2009–10 UEFA Champions League|2009–10]] and [[2022–23 UEFA Champions League|2022-23]] seasons; [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] in the [[2004–05 UEFA Champions League|2004–05]] and [[2015-16 UEFA Champions League|2015-16]] seasons; and [[Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.|Hapoel Tel Aviv]] in the [[2010–11 UEFA Champions League|2010–11]] season.<ref>{{cite news |last1=von Mittelstaedt |first1=Juliane |title=Israeli Soccer Champion Sparks Urban Revival |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/the-secret-behind-israel-s-star-soccer-team-kiryat-shmona-a-856529.html |access-date=11 June 2022 |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |date=19 September 2012}}</ref>

After 2018, when [[Willibald Ruttensteiner|Willi Ruttensteiner]] was appointed as technical director of [[Israel national football team|the national team]], a national football academy was founded, and three supporting development centers were established. As well the training of the coaches was strengthened.<ref>{{cite news |title=Willi Ruttensteiner is no longer team boss of Israel |url=https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000133170699 |access-date=11 June 2022 |work=[[Der Standard]] |date=7 February 2022 |language=de}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Association football|Soccer |Israel}}
*[[List of football stadiums in Israel]]
*[[Women's football in Israel]]
*[[American football in Israel]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090505194611/http://eng.football.org.il/Pages/default.aspx Israel Football Association]
*[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/isra-intres.html RSSSF website]
*[https://archive.today/20130201181030/http://irs.sagepub.com/content/39/4/421.abstract (Un)Bounded Soccer: Globalization and Localization of the Game in Israel]

{{Football in Israel}}
{{Israel at international sports competitions}}
{{Football in Europe}}
{{Football in Asia}}

[[Category:Football in Israel| ]]