2023–24 Israeli Premier League

The season began on the weekend of August 25, 2023, with 14 clubs in the Premier League, also called Ligat Ha’al. Newly promoted teams included Maccabi Petah Tikva and Hapoel Petah Tikva. Maccabi Haifa entered the campaign seeking a fourth consecutive championship and was regarded as the preseason favorite after winning the previous three titles.[1]

The campaign was interrupted by the war that began following the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023. When league play returned roughly six weeks later, teams faced twice-weekly matches to make up postponed fixtures.[2]

The league returned to play roughly six weeks after the war began. Matches initially took place without spectators, while stadium attendance was restored gradually under Home Front Command restrictions. In December, an agreement allowed supporters to return, initially with a cap of 1,000 per match; by January, the permitted attendance had risen to as many as 15,000. Promotion and relegation remained in place during the disrupted season.[2][3]

The return to play compressed the schedule. A midseason report recorded an average of 2.83 goals per match across the five rounds before the war-related break, falling to 2.12 in the first five rounds after play resumed and rising to 3.11 in the most recent five rounds covered. Overall, the reported rate after 15 rounds was 2.69 goals per match, described at the time as the league’s highest average in 20 years. The report associated the post-break increase with the heavy fixture schedule, fatigue, injuries, and weaker defensive play.[8]

The schedule also affected preparation. Beitar Jerusalem coach Yossi Abukasis said that playing twice a week left little time for on-field training between recovery and preparation for the next match. In one round covered by the report, 30 goals were scored, a total described as the highest in more than a decade.[8]

Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa contested the lead through the season. In February, Tel Aviv’s 5–1 win over Maccabi Netanya brought it level with Haifa, which had drawn 1–1 with Hapoel Haifa.[9] By March 6, a one-point deduction for Haifa, linked to continuing discipline over fan unruliness, put Tel Aviv one point ahead.[10] On March 12, Tel Aviv held a four-point lead after beating Beitar Jerusalem 1–0, with Dor Bitton scoring from a penalty in the 45th minute.[11]

The regular season fed into upper and lower playoff groups. The top six advanced to the championship group: Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Hapoel Haifa, Maccabi Bnei Reineh, and Bnei Sakhnin. The other eight clubs entered the lower group. At the end of the regular season, Tel Aviv led with 62 points, followed by Haifa on 55 and Be’er Sheva on 49.[6] Maccabi Bnei Reineh secured a top-six place with a 2–1 win over Haifa, scoring twice late in the match.[11]

Maccabi Tel Aviv clinched the championship on May 18, 2024, defeating Hapoel Be’er Sheva 3–0 with two rounds still to play. It was the club’s 25th league title and its sixth under owner Mitch Goldhar.[4] The championship was Tel Aviv’s first since 2019–20 and ended Maccabi Haifa’s run of three consecutive titles.[12] Tel Aviv finished with 85 points and 75 goals, 11 points ahead of the runner-up.[13]

The title-clinching match turned sharply at the outset. Be’er Sheva defender Miguel Vitor was sent off after 14 seconds for fouling Dan Bitton as he advanced toward goal. Dor Turgeman scored in the 28th minute, Ofir Davidsada added a goal eight minutes later, and substitute Ido Shahar completed the score in the 69th minute. Milson assisted on Tel Aviv’s second and third goals.[4] Be’er Sheva coach Elyaniv Barda said the dismissal made the match “complicated very quickly” and noted that it was the tenth game that season in which his team had a player sent off.[12]

About 25,000 supporters attended the match at Bloomfield Stadium. Maccabi dedicated the championship plate to the hostages still in Gaza and to club supporters who had died in battle or been murdered during the year.[4] The club was due to begin qualification for the UEFA Champions League in July.[12]

The relegation contest also concluded in the season’s final weeks. Hapoel Tel Aviv was relegated after losing the week before its final fixture. It ended its campaign with a 1–0 win over Hapoel Hadera, with Sagi Genis scoring in the 35th minute. Ashdod SC survived after completing a successful relegation playoff.[12]

The upper playoff group contained the six highest-placed clubs after the regular season, while the remaining eight competed in the lower group.[6] Maccabi Bnei Reineh’s qualification was confirmed with its late 2–1 victory over Maccabi Haifa; at that point, Maccabi Petah Tikva was still pursuing a place in the championship group and Bnei Sakhnin had not yet secured its position.[11]

Dean David of Maccabi Haifa and Eran Zahavi of Maccabi Tel Aviv shared the league’s top-scorer award with 20 goals each. It was David’s first time winning the accolade and Zahavi’s fourth. Zahavi thereby joined Moshe Romano, Oded Machnes, David Lavi, and Alon Mizrahi among the five players reported to have won the award four times.[7]

Contemporary statistical assessments emphasized Maccabi Tel Aviv’s consistency: it led the league in 35 of 36 rounds, losing first place only in round 21 after a 10-point lead over Maccabi Haifa had disappeared. Its 85 points exceeded the total of every champion in the preceding decade except the two Maccabi Tel Aviv sides coached by Vladimir Ivic.[13][5]

Midseason analysis of the league’s unusually high scoring rate was more cautious, arguing that fixture congestion, fatigue, injuries, inexperienced goalkeepers, and weakened defensive play contributed to the 2.69-goal average rather than treating the number as evidence of improved quality.[8]