Israel national football team
| Nickname(s) | הכחולים-לבנים (The Blues and Whites) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Israel Football Association (IFA) | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) (1991–present) OFC (Oceania) (1974–91) AFC (Asia) (1954–74) |
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| Head coach | Eli Guttman | ||
| Captain | Yossi Benayoun | ||
| Most caps | Arik Benado (94) | ||
| Top scorer | Mordechai Spiegler (33) | ||
| Home stadium | Ramat Gan Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | ISR | ||
| FIFA ranking | 62 | ||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 15 (November 2008) | ||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 82 (July 2012, August 2012, October 2012) | ||
| Elo ranking | 49 | ||
| Highest Elo ranking | 15 (1976) | ||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 80 (February 1968) | ||
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| First international | |||
| Eretz Israel: (Cairo, Egypt; 16 March 1934) Israel: (New York, United States; 26 September 1948) |
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| Biggest win | |||
(Wellington, New Zealand; 23 March 1988) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||
(Cairo, Egypt; 16 March 1934) (Kaiserslautern, Germany; 12 February 2002) |
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| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (First in 1970) | ||
| Best result | Round 1, 1970 | ||
| AFC Asian Cup | |||
| Appearances | 4 (First in 1956) | ||
| Best result | Winners, 1964 | ||
The Israel national football team (Hebrew: נבחרת ישראל בכדורגל, Nivḥeret Yisra'el BeKaduregel ; Arabic: منتخب إسرائيل لكرة القدم) is the national football team of Israel, governed by the Israel Football Association (IFA).
Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Israel National Team, during the British Mandate. Israel has competed in FIFA World Cup qualifiers in three different confederations, competing in the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation before settling in Europe as a member of the Union of European Football Associations in 1994.
The Israeli side qualified for their only FIFA World Cup to date in 1970. Israel also hosted and won the AFC Asian Cup in 1964, and was finalist in 1956 and 1960.
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History[edit]
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2010) |
Football has a long and rich tradition in Israel. The game was originally introduced during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Palestine FA was formed in 1928, and joined FIFA in the same year, but at the time the association was made up of Arab clubs, Jewish clubs. and clubs representing British policemen and soldiers serving in the region during the British Mandate rule that spanned the period between World War One and the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. The Palestine national team made its debut against Egypt in 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification, losing 1–7 in Cairo. The team played five international matches, including a friendly match against Lebanon, until the British Mandate for Palestine was dissolved.
Upon the creation of the State of Israel in May 1948, the IFA became the official association of the new state. The Israel national team's first match as an independent nation was on 26 September 1948, against the USA Olympic Team. The game was won by the USA 1–3, and in the 20th minute of the game Shmuel Ben-Dror scored the first goal after the creation of the State of Israel.
Asian Football Confederation membership[edit]
Israel competed in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) between 1954 and 1974. Due to the Arab–Israeli conflict, several Muslim states refused to compete against Israel. The political situation culminated in Israel winning the 1958 World Cup qualifying stage for Asia and Africa without playing a single game, forcing FIFA to schedule a playoff between Israel and Wales to ensure the team did not qualify without playing at least one game (which Wales won).
Israel hosted and won the 1964 AFC Asian Cup. In 1968, Israel went to their first Olympic Games and lost to Bulgaria in the quarterfinals.
In 1969, Israel qualified for its first and only FIFA World Cup, via Asia/Oceania, and earned two points after draws with Sweden and finalist Italy, and a loss to Uruguay.
In 1976, Israel went to its second Olympic Games and lost in the quarterfinals again, this time against Brazil. In 1972 and 1977, it attempted World Cup qualification as part of Asia, which both times ended in failure.
Years in exile[edit]
In 1974, Israel was expelled from the AFC. During the 1980s, it played the majority of its matches against European teams, and competed in the European stage of qualification for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. For the next two tournaments, it entered Oceania's qualification stage. In 1989, Israel made it to the CONMEBOL-OFC playoffs for the 1990 World Cup to play against Colombia, which qualified from the South American group, but lost (1–0, 0–0).
European Football Confederation membership[edit]
In 1991, Israeli clubs began participating in European club competitions, and Israel returned to the European leg of World Cup qualifying in 1992. In 1994, Israel received full UEFA membership, 20 years after it had left Asia. Within Europe, Israel has been a relatively minor nation, though with some successes, notably winning 3–2 in Paris against France in 1993, and 5–0 against Austria in 1999. That year, Israel made it to the playoffs of UEFA Euro 2000, but was beaten by Denmark.
Israel came close to advancing to the playoff stage in their 2006 World Cup qualifying group, finishing third, behind France, and tied on points with Switzerland, which also remained unbeaten in 10 matches after 4 wins and 6 draws. The Swiss had a better goal difference, though, and advanced to the qualification play-off. Coach Avram Grant announced his resignation on 26 October 2005. After the end of his contract, he was succeeded by Dror Kashtan.
In UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, Israel finished fourth in Group E, behind Croatia, Russia, and England, respectively. The 4–3 home loss to Croatia was the first loss after 13 consecutive official games and 9 home games without a loss.
In 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, Israel again came in fourth, behind Switzerland, Greece, and Latvia. For the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, Kashtan was replaced as coach by Frenchman Luis Fernández, but to no avail, as Israel finished a distant third behind Greece and Croatia.
The continued presence of the Israeli Football Association in UEFA was a precedent cited by Australia to justify its transfer from the Oceania Football Confederation to the Asian Football Confederation.
Stadium[edit]
The Israel national football team's home stadium is the national stadium in Ramat Gan. The stadium seats 41,583 and is the only stadium in Israel which is in a world-class standard. The stadium is mixed-use, fit for athletic competitions alongside its more popular usage as a football stadium when it hosts Israel international football matches and the UEFA Champions League games of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa in the 2004–05 and 2009–10 seasons, respectively.
Competition history[edit]
FIFA World Cup[edit]
| FIFA World Cup record | FIFA World Cup Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Did Not Qualify (as Eretz Israel Team) |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | |||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Did Not Qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | |||||||||
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 14 | ||||||||||
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 12 | ||||||||||
| Group Stage | 12th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | ||
| Did Not Qualify | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 2 | |||||||||
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 27 | ||||||||||
| 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 20 | 10 | ||||||||||
| To Be Determined | |||||||||||||||
| Total | Group Stage | 1/19 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 102 | 33 | 29 | 40 | 137 | 149 | |
Olympic record[edit]
| Olympics Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
| Did Not Qualify | ||||||||
| Quarter-finals | – | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 7 | |
| Did Not Qualify | ||||||||
| Quarter-finals | – | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | |
| Withdrew | ||||||||
| Did Not Qualify | ||||||||
| Total | Quarter-finals | 2/10 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 14 |
Since the 1992 Summer Olympics, the football competition is played as an Under-23 competition
AFC Asian Cup[edit]
| AFC Asian Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
| Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | |
| Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | |
| Champions | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
| Third Place | 3rd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 5 | |
| Withdrew | ||||||||
| Total | Champions | 4/15 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 15 |
Israel did not compete in a regional competition between the years 1968 and 1994, although in 1972 they were scheduled to compete in the AFC Asian Cup
UEFA European Championship record[edit]
| UEFA European Championship record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
| Did Not Qualify | ||||||||
| To Be Determined | ||||||||
2014 FIFA World Cup[edit]
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group F[edit]
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Fixtures[edit]
The match schedule was determined at a meeting in the city of Luxembourg, Luxembourg on Friday, 25 November 2011.[1]
| 7 September 2012 21:00 UTC+5 |
Azerbaijan |
1–1 | Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, Baku Attendance: 22,211 Referee: Matej Jug (Slovenia) |
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| Abishov |
Report | Natkho |
| 11 September 2012 20:00 UTC+3 |
Israel |
0–4 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan Attendance: 28,131 Referee: Mark Clattenburg (England) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Kerzhakov Kokorin Fayzulin |
| 12 October 2012 21:00 UTC+2 |
Luxembourg |
0–6 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg Attendance: 2,631 Referee: Leontios Trattou (Cyprus) |
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| Report | Radi Ben Basat Hemed Melikson |
| 16 October 2012 18:00 UTC+2 |
Israel |
3–0 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan Attendance: 20,400 Referee: Harald Lechner (Austria) |
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| Hemed Ben Basat |
Report |
| 22 March 2013 14:45 UTC+2 |
Israel |
3–3 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan Attendance: 41,583 Referee: Stéphane Lannoy (France) |
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| Hemed Ben Basat Gershon |
Report | Alves Postiga Coentrão |
| 26 March 2013 19:45 UTC±0 |
Northern Ireland |
0–2 | Windsor Park, Belfast Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Hannes Kaasik (Estonia) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Refaelov Ben Basat |
| 7 September 2013 |
Israel |
v | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 September 2013 |
Russia |
v | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 October 2013 |
Portugal |
v | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 October 2013 |
Israel |
v | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Friendly matches[edit]
| Friendly 29 February 2012 | 2–3 | Petah Tikva, Israel | ||||
| Hemed Sahar |
Report | Gusev Konoplyanka Yarmolenko |
Stadium: HaMoshava Stadium Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Lubrication Mrtziniak, Poland |
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| Friendly 26 May 2012 | 2–1 | Hartberg, Austria | ||||
| Baros Lafata |
Report | Shechter |
Stadium: Stadion Hartberg Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Richard Trutz, Slovakia |
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| Friendly 31 May 2012 | 2–0 | Leipzig, Germany | ||||
| Gomez Schürrle |
Report | Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 43,241 Referee: Kevin Blom, Netherlands |
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| Friendly 15 August 2012 | 1–1 | Budapest, Hungary | ||||
| Dzsudzsak |
Report | Hemed |
Stadium: Ferenc Puskás Stadium Attendance: 14,000 Referee: Ivan Kruzliak, Slovakia |
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| Friendly 14 November 2012 | 1–2 | Jerusalem, Israel | ||||
| Damari |
Report | Kislyak Balanovich |
Stadium: Teddy Stadium Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Simon Lee Evans, Wales |
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| Friendly 6 February 2013 | 2–1 | Netanya, Israel | ||||
| Ben Basat Refaelov |
Report | Forsell |
Stadium: Netanya Stadium Attendance: 6,150 Referee: Padraigh Sutton, Ireland |
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| Friendly 2 June 2013 | 0–2 | New York, United States | ||||
| Report | Ezra Abuhatzira |
Stadium: Citi Field Attendance: 32,000 |
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| Friendly 14 August 2013 | v | Kyiv, Ukraine | ||||
| Stadium: Dynamo Stadium |
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Coaching staff[edit]
- As of 14 November 2012[2]
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Manager | Eli Guttman | |
| Assistant Manager | Yossi Abukasis | |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Giora Antman | |
| Technical Manager | Israel Shchuchinski | |
| Mental Advisor | Alon Olman | |
| Head Doctor | Mark Rosnovsky | |
| Nutritionist | Lior Many | |
| Physiotherapist | Liran Lifshitz | |
| Masseur | Eduard Kravzov | |
| Masseur | Shmuel Rozentsvaig | |
| Masseur | Moris Krikheli | |
| Head of Logistics | Yossi Hezi | |
| Head of Logistics | Gideon Mashiach |
Current squad[edit]
The following 22 players were named for the friendly match against Honduras on the 2nd of June 2013.
Caps and goals updated as of June 2, 2013 after a match against Honduras.
Recent call-ups[edit]
The following players have also been called up to the Israeli squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament.
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Player history[edit]
Most capped players[edit]
As of June 2, 2013, the ten players with the most caps for Israel are:
| Rank. | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arik Benado | 1995–2007 | 94 | 0 |
| 2 | Yossi Benayoun | 1998–present | 93 | 24 |
| 3 | Alon Harazi | 1992–2006 | 89 | 2 |
| 4 | Amir Schelach | 1992–2001 | 85 | 0 |
| 5 | Mordechai Spiegler | 1963–1977 | 83 | 33 |
| Nir Klinger | 1987–1997 | 83 | 2 | |
| 6 | Avi Nimni | 1992–2005 | 80 | 17 |
| 7 | Tal Banin | 1990–2003 | 78 | 12 |
| Itzhak Shum | 1969–1981 | 78 | 10 | |
| Eyal Berkovic | 1992–2004 | 78 | 9 |
Top goalscorers[edit]
As of June 2, 2013, the ten players with the most goals for Israel are:
| Rank. | Player | Career | Goals | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mordechai Spiegler | 1963–1977 | 33 | 83 |
| 2 | Yehoshua Feigenbaum | 1966–1977 | 24 | 50 |
| Yossi Benayoun | 1998–present | 24 | 93 | |
| 3 | Ronen Harazi | 1992–1999 | 23 | 53 |
| 4 | Nahum Stelmach | 1956–1968 | 22 | 61 |
| 5 | Gidi Damti | 1971–1981 | 21 | 69 |
| 6 | Giora Spiegel | 1965–1980 | 18 | 44 |
| Yehoshua Glazer | 1949–1961 | 18 | 35 | |
| 7 | Eli Ohana | 1984–1997 | 17 | 51 |
| Avi Nimni | 1992–2005 | 17 | 80 |
Managers[edit]
| Manager | Years as manager | Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF | GA | Win%[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | |
| 1949 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 33.33 | |
| 1950 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 50.00 | |
| 1953–54 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 0.00 | |
| 1956 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 40.00 | |
| 1957 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0.00 | |
| 1958 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 40.00 | |
| 1959–63 | 31 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 49 | 63 | 38.71 | |
| 1963–64 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 66.67 | |
| 1964 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.00 | |
| 1964 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 100.00 | |
| 1964–65 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 33.33 | |
| 1965–68 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 15 | 43 | 45 | 32.00 | |
| 1968–70 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 44 | 34 | 33.33 | |
| 1970–73 | 19 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 27 | 13 | 52.63 | |
| 1973–77 | 36 | 17 | 11 | 8 | 67 | 34 | 47.22 | |
| 1978–79 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 15 | 38.46 | |
| 1980–81 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 20.00 | |
| 1983–86 | 27 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 39 | 36 | 29.63 | |
| 1986–88 | 20 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 27 | 35 | 20.00 | |
| 1988–92 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 30 | 27.78 | |
| 1992–2000 | 82 | 31 | 18 | 33 | 131 | 118 | 37.80 | |
| 2000–02 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 29 | 33 | 35.00 | |
| 2002–06 | 33 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 55 | 37 | 42.42 | |
| 2006–10 | 19 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 27 | 19 | 52.63 | |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100.00 | |
| 2010–2011 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 40.00 | |
| 2011– | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 19 | 38.46 |
Honours[edit]
- Group stage (1): 1970
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Azerbaijan begins with away match against Israel – MATCH SCHEDULE". 25 November 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ "National team staff". Israel Football Association. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
- ^ Win% is rounded to two decimal places
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Israel national football team |
- The Israel Football Association (official)
- Israel National Team Statistics (Hebrew)
- RSSSF – List of "A" Games
- RSSSF – List of Official Games
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