History of the Israel National Football Team

During the British Mandate period, football was played across Palestine by Jewish, Arab, and British communities, whose clubs competed in local tournaments.[3] The National Library of Israel describes their sporting ties as reflecting "a single complex reality in which cooperation was the rule and not the exception."[3] The Palestine Football Association, also known as the Eretz Israel Football Association, was founded in 1928 at Egypt's suggestion and was the territory's first national sports federation.[3][6] One condition attached to its acceptance into FIFA was the inclusion of all population groups in the country.[3]

Players from all three communities were, at least in principle, eligible for a representative side that could play foreign opponents, though the National Library notes that this happened "in principle, if not always in practice."[3] The association entered FIFA in 1928, and the team joined World Cup qualifying for the 1934 tournament.[1][2]

The pre-independence representative side played five recorded matches under the names Eretz Israel or Palestine. Its competitive debut came in March 1934, when it traveled to Cairo and lost 7–1 to Egypt; Abraham Nudelman scored its first goal.[2] Egypt won the return leg in Tel Aviv 4–1, completing an 11–2 aggregate victory.[2] Contemporary newspaper reports attributed the team's two goals to strong winds rather than accurate shooting, while another report highlighted the corner-kick count of "0:2 in favor of the Hebrews" as an incongruous bright spot.[8]

Despite the scores, the matches took place in a friendly atmosphere. Players described their reception in Cairo as exemplary, and the Egyptian delegation was warmly received in Palestine.[8] INSS retrospectively presents the encounters as the end of a period when the Arab-Jewish conflict remained largely contained within Palestine.[8]

In 1938 World Cup qualifying, Eretz Israel lost 3–1 to Greece at the Maccabiah Stadium and 1–0 in Athens, where a 90th-minute penalty decided the match.[2] Its final pre-state appearance was a friendly against Lebanon in Tel Aviv on 27 April 1940. Eretz Israel won 5–1 before more than 10,000 spectators, with Werner Kaspi scoring twice; it was the side's first and only victory before the Second World War halted further international matches.[9]

Israel's first international match under its new name took place in New York City on 26 September 1948, while the War of Independence was still being fought.[9] Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion had decided to send the team on a United States tour, partly to raise funds for the new state. Before approximately 40,000 spectators, most of them Jewish, the United States defeated Israel 3–1; captain Shmuel Ben-Dror scored Israel's goal.[9]

The state team followed the institutional lineage of the pre-state association that had entered FIFA and World Cup qualifying during the Mandate period.[2][1] Sources differ slightly over the beginning of Israel's formal Asian affiliation: Britannica dates its AFC membership to 1954, while Walla dates its acceptance and first Asian Cup participation to 1956.[10][1] The team appeared at the Asian Cup in Hong Kong in August 1956.[1]

Israel developed one of its strongest international records during its years in Asian competition. It finished runner-up in the Asian Cup in 1956 and 1960, won the tournament as host in 1964, and placed third in 1968.[11]

Political refusals shaped the team's World Cup campaigns. In qualifying for the 1958 tournament, Turkey, Indonesia, and Sudan declined to play Israel. FIFA then required Israel to contest a special playoff rather than qualify without playing; Wales won both legs 2–0 and advanced to the World Cup.[2] Israel's first victory in an actual World Cup qualifier came on 27 November 1960, when it defeated Cyprus 6–1 at Ramat Gan after eleven defeats and one draw in previous qualifying matches. Shlomo Levy scored a hat trick, Nahum Stelmach scored twice, and Shlomo Nahari added the sixth after a 1–1 first leg in Nicosia.[2]

Israel also produced a notable Olympic qualifying result in 1960, defeating Yugoslavia 2–1 before 55,000 spectators in Belgrade. Rafi Levi scored both Israeli goals, with goalkeeper Ya'akov Hodorov beginning the move that produced the 67th-minute winner. Israel did not reach the Rome Olympics, while Yugoslavia went on to win the gold medal.[12]

The 1964 Asian Cup

Israel's sole continental championship came in 1964, when it hosted a four-team Asian Cup tournament at Ramat Gan Stadium. Under coach Yosef Merimovich, Israel beat Hong Kong 1–0, India 2–0, and South Korea 2–1 without dropping a point.[13] Mordechai "Mot'le" Spiegler scored against Hong Kong and India, Yohai Aharoni also scored against India, and Motzi Leon and Gideon Tish scored in the decisive match against South Korea.[13]

Prime Minister Levi Eshkol attended the opening ceremony, former national-team player Shiyeh Glazer lit the tournament torch, and recently retired goalkeeper Yaakov Hodorov administered the athletes' oath. Crowds of 35,000 attended the opening match and 40,000 watched the title-clinching victory; President Zalman Shazar presented the trophy to captain Nahum Stelmach.[13] Britannica reports that eleven of the sixteen entrants withdrew before the final tournament, without specifying their reasons.[10]

Israel reached the quarterfinals of the 1968 Mexico City Olympic football tournament, where its match against Bulgaria ended 1–1 after extra time and elimination was decided by drawing lots.[14] Israel was also selected to host the 1972 Asian Cup but withdrew from the commitment.[11]

Expulsion from the Asian Football Confederation

Israel's position in Asian football became increasingly difficult as numerous countries refused to play it. At the 1974 AFC congress, Kuwait introduced a resolution to remove Israel; seventeen countries voted in favor, thirteen—including Iran—opposed it, and six abstained.[1] FIFA president João Havelange promised not to abandon Israel and retained the team in Asian Olympic qualifying for the 1976 Montreal Games.[1]

The 1974 vote was the decisive institutional break, although Israel's continued participation in the 1976 Olympic qualifying process shows that the transition was not instantaneous. Israel subsequently spent years without a permanent continental home, competing in European and Oceania qualifying arrangements.

At the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Israel again reached the quarterfinals before losing 4–1 to Brazil. It was Israel's last appearance in the men's Olympic football tournament until 2024.[14]

Israel's qualification for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico remains the high-water mark of its senior international history. Israel defeated New Zealand twice at Ramat Gan, 4–0 and 2–0, before facing Australia for the qualifying place. It won the first leg 1–0 through Giora Spiegel and drew 1–1 in Sydney, where Mordechai Spiegler scored, to advance on aggregate.[15] North Korea had declined to face Israel in an earlier qualifying round and withdrew from the tournament.[5] Morocco had refused to play Israel at the 1968 Olympics, leading FIFA to place Israel and Morocco in separate first-round groups at the World Cup.[5]

The political circumstances attracted attention beyond football. Yemen issued a World Cup stamp sheet that mistakenly included Israel among the participating countries; according to INSS, Israel's name was subsequently covered by a black stripe.[8] INSS also states that Israel's qualification was met with embarrassment and limited coverage in the Arab world.[8]

In Mexico, Israel faced Italy, Uruguay, and Sweden. The team was coached by Emmanuel Scheffer and captained by Mordechai Spiegler.[4] Israel opened with a 2–0 defeat to Uruguay and then drew 1–1 with Sweden, with Spiegler scoring Israel's only goal of the tournament. The final match against Italy ended 0–0; contemporary accounts report that the referee disallowed two Italian goals.[4] Israel finished last in the group but earned two points and conceded only three goals.

The National Library of Israel characterizes the tournament as a turning point, stating that the increased attention raised Israeli footballers' international standing and that the domestic league subsequently became professional.[16] It also places the achievement three years after the Six-Day War and describes it as reinforcing an image of a strong and determined Israel.[16] The Jewish Virtual Library calls the 1970 World Cup Israel's most impressive football achievement.[17]

Israel has not returned to the senior World Cup finals since 1970 and, through 2026, has never qualified for a UEFA European Championship.[17][18]

Following its removal from Asian football, Israel competed under several regional arrangements. For the 1982 World Cup, it was placed in a European qualifying group and finished last, including defeats of 3–1 and 1–0 against Scotland.[15] FIFA later placed Israel in the Oceania qualifying zone.

Israel won the Oceania zone in qualifying for the 1990 World Cup and advanced to a two-leg playoff against Colombia.[6] Colombia won the first leg 1–0 in Barranquilla, while the return in Ramat Gan ended 0–0.[15] Israel had recorded only one victory—a 1–0 win over New Zealand—during its six-match Oceania group campaign.[15]

The transition to European football was gradual. UEFA invited Israeli youth teams to its championships from 1987 and admitted the Israeli league champion and cup-holder to club competitions in 1992.[6] The senior team began European World Cup qualifying on 28 October 1992 with a 5–2 defeat to Austria in Vienna; Itzik Zohar scored both Israeli goals under coach Shlomo Scharf.[19] Walla distinguishes this competitive participation from full UEFA membership, which was formally approved at the 1994 Vienna congress.[1]

Israel's entry into European qualifying brought regular competition against established continental powers. During the campaign for the 1994 World Cup, Israel defeated France 3–2 in Paris in one of its most celebrated upsets.[12] Ronen Harazi put Israel ahead before Franck Sauzée and David Ginola gave France a 2–1 lead. Eyal Berkovic equalized in the 83rd minute, and Reuven Atar scored the winner in the 93rd after a run by Ronny Rosenthal. A French victory would have secured qualification, but France ultimately missed the World Cup.[12]

Israel began its European qualifying career in the sixth tier of UEFA's seeding system, rose to the fourth tier after one campaign, and later established itself in the third tier.[19] The stronger competition brought heavy defeats as well as prominent victories and placed Israel in regular contact with Europe's leading football nations.

The Euro 2000 qualifying campaign produced another landmark result. On 6 June 1999, Israel defeated Austria 5–0 at Ramat Gan in a match for second place in the group and a playoff berth.[20] Approximately 43,000 spectators attended. Eyal Berkovic scored twice, Haim Revivo added the second goal, Alon Mizrahi scored the fourth, and Najwan Ghrayib completed the victory in the 75th minute.[20]

By the early 21st century, the national team had become notable for the diversity of its squad. In Israel's Nations League matches from September through November 2018, eight of the 22 squad members were members of minority communities, according to INSS.[7] At one point during the October match against Albania, six of Israel's eleven players were members of minorities: Aïd Habshi, Biram Kayal, Bibras Natcho, Dia Saba, Munas Dabbur, and Taleb Tawatha.[7] INSS presents the squad as an example of minority integration through football.

Israel reached the quarterfinals at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, where it drew 1–1 with Bulgaria after extra time and was eliminated by drawing lots. At Montreal in 1976, Israel again reached the quarterfinals before losing 4–1 to Brazil.[14]

Israel returned to the men's Olympic football tournament at the Paris Games in 2024, ending a 48-year absence.[14] The Olympic side qualified through the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship; unlike the senior World Cup and European Championship teams, Olympic men's squads are age-restricted, with a limited number of over-age players.[14]

Political isolation runs throughout the team's history. INSS links the limited sporting contact between Israel and Arab states to the contested concept of "normalization." It distinguishes official government relations accepted by some states with peace agreements from civilian economic, cultural, and sporting ties that remain controversial. The source identifies several forms of opposition, including ideological rejection, conditioning contact on resolution of the Palestinian issue, and opposition to what it describes as continued Israeli occupation.[8]

Israel's removal from Asian football was the most consequential institutional expression of that isolation. The Kuwait-backed resolution passed by seventeen votes to thirteen, with six abstentions.[1] A later Times of Israel account situates the vote amid pan-Arab nationalism and solidarity with the Palestinian people.[21] INSS describes the resulting period as one in which Israel was isolated from its regional surroundings and required to compete across East Asia, Oceania, and Europe.[8]

In 2015, the Palestinian Football Association, led by Jibril Rajoub, campaigned to expel Israel from FIFA. INSS compares the demand with South Africa's exclusion during the apartheid era while emphasizing substantial differences between the cases. The effort had failed by the article's 2019 publication, although calls for a sports boycott continued.[7]

Individual campaigns illustrate the effects of political refusals. North Korea withdrew from 1970 World Cup qualifying rather than face Israel, while Morocco had refused to play Israel at the 1968 Olympics.[5] In the 1958 campaign, Turkey, Indonesia, and Sudan declined to play, but Israel did not qualify automatically: FIFA ordered a playoff that Wales won.[2] Walla also reports that numerous Muslim-majority countries refused fixtures during Israel's Asian years.[1]

Sources use several names for the pre-1948 representative side, including Palestine, Eretz Israel, Mandatory Palestine, and the Hebrew Palestine team.[8][2] The side represented the territory under the British Mandate rather than the later State of Israel, but it was organized through the institutional predecessor of the Israel Football Association. The historical names should therefore be preserved while the institutional continuity is explained.[9]

Sources also describe different milestones in Israel's transition to European football. A Ynet account calls the October 1992 qualifier against Austria the team's first European match as a full member, while Walla distinguishes competitive participation from formal full UEFA membership, which it dates to the 1994 Vienna congress.[19][1] The accounts appear to use "full member" for different stages of the transition.

The clearest verified milestone in Israel's departure from Asian football is the AFC vote of 1974.[1] Contemporary retrospective accounts also describe Israel as having been removed in 1974, while Walla notes that FIFA retained it in Asian Olympic qualifying for 1976.[13][1] Continued participation after the vote helps explain why some later accounts treat the transition as a multi-stage process rather than a single clean break.