Israel National Under-19 Football Team

The team’s European championship appearances include the finals tournaments of 1997, 2014, and 2022; the earlier competition used an under-18 format.[1] The 2022 runner-up finish was its best result among those appearances and the first time a junior Israeli national team reached a major-tournament final.[1][2]

The European under-19 competition also provided a route to the FIFA Under-20 World Cup: Israel’s progress to the 2022 semifinals secured qualification for the following year’s world tournament.[6] Ofir Haim coached the 2022 side and remained the team’s coach in the qualifying programme reported in November 2026.[7][8]

Before the 2022 tournament, Israel had appeared at the European youth championship but had not won a match in the finals competition.[9] Qualification for the 2022 finals in Slovakia was secured with a 1–0 victory over Scotland.[10] Across its route to the final, Israel recorded victories over Cyprus, Moldova, Türkiye, Scotland, Austria, and France.[11]

The squad had been assembled only a few months before the tournament and was the youngest participating side.[7] Its initial stated objective was to finish third in its group and pursue qualification for the Under-20 World Cup; after reaching Slovakia, the players adopted a semifinal place as their target.[7]

Israel opened its group campaign on 19 June with a 2–2 draw against Serbia, then defeated Austria 4–2 three days later.[6] A 1–0 defeat against England in the final group match did not prevent Israel from finishing second and advancing to the semifinals.[6] The result marked the first time an Israeli team had reached the last four of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship and also secured a place at the 2023 Under-20 World Cup.[6]

Haim called reaching the semifinals a “tremendously exciting” achievement.[6] Before the match against France, he argued that Israel needed to compensate for European opponents’ physical ability and speed through “intellect and wisdom” and other aspects of its play.[6]

Israel defeated France 2–1 in the semifinal, taking a first-half lead when Oscar Gloukh’s cross resulted in an own goal by French defender Souleymane Toure.[2] El Yam Kancepolsky headed in Israel’s second goal after halftime, and Alan Virginius scored France’s reply.[2] England defeated Italy 2–1 in the other semifinal, setting up a second meeting with Israel in the tournament.[9]

The victory carried Israel beyond the third-place finish achieved by its under-17 team at the 1996 European Championships and into a junior major-tournament final for the first time.[2] After the France match, Haim declared, “There is no one more satisfied in the world than me,” and described the coming final as “David vs Goliath,” while making clear that Israel intended to win the cup.[2] He also said that the team had studied how France planned to play.[7]

In the final in Trnava, Slovakia, Gloukh scored in the 40th minute to give Israel a 1–0 lead over England.[3] Callum Doyle equalized in the second half, while Carney Chukwuemeka and Aaron Ramsey scored in extra time to complete a 3–1 England victory.[3] Israel dominated possession for much of the match and came close to equalizing after falling behind, but finished as runner-up.[11][1]

Afterward, Haim called the performance “heroic,” particularly in the first half, and said he was proud of his players.[3] He recalled that Israel had come close to taking a 2–0 lead and described the tournament as a strong beginning to the players’ careers.[3]

In October 2025 qualifying for the 2026 European Under-19 Championship, Israel began with a 0–0 draw against Luxembourg in Slovenia.[12] Ilai Ben Simon and Israel Dafa had chances without scoring, while Austria defeated host Slovenia 1–0 in the other group match.[12] Israel then drew 2–2 with Slovenia, with Yoav Solel scoring both Israeli goals, including one that put the team ahead.[13] After two matches, Israel stood second with two points behind Austria’s six; the top two teams qualified automatically for the elite round, while third place offered only a limited route through the ranking of third-placed teams.[13]

In a qualifying group played in March 2026, Israel lost 2–1 to Austria, defeated Germany 3–1, and drew 1–1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina.[14][15] Those four points placed Israel second in the four-team group and advanced it to the next qualifying stage.[14] The victory over Germany was Israel’s first against the German youth team.[15]

Haim said that his players had gone a month without competitive football because domestic leagues were suspended during the war and had played no warm-up matches before the qualifying tournament.[15] He also noted that four Israeli players were born in 2009 and were 17, whereas Germany’s starters and substitutes were born in 2008.[15]

The campaign used a new three-stage qualifying system. Israel began in one of seven four-team groups in Tier A. In the second stage, the bottom team in each group would be relegated while the other three advanced to the elite round; the winner of each elite-round group qualified for the 2027 finals.[15]

As of 6 November 2026, Haim’s team was scheduled to travel to Italy for another European Championship qualifying tournament, running from 11 to 17 November.[8] Its listed fixtures were against Ukraine on 11 November, Romania on 14 November, and Italy on 17 November.[8]

The 2022 European campaign secured Israel’s first appearance at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, played in Argentina in 2023.[4] In the group stage, the under-20 side lost 2–1 to Colombia, drew 1–1 with Senegal, and defeated Japan 2–1.[4] The winner against Japan came in stoppage time while Israel had ten players, giving the team four points and second place in Group 3, sufficient to reach the knockout rounds.[4]

Israel subsequently reached the semifinals, with its knockout run including a victory over Brazil.[5] After losing 1–0 to Uruguay, Israel defeated South Korea 3–1 in the third-place match to win the bronze medal.[5]

The third-place victory came despite the absence of five players who had been called up to older national teams.[5] Ran Binyamin, Omer Senior, and Khalaili scored against South Korea, with Khalaili recording his third goal of the tournament.[5]

Commentary on the 2022 campaign attributed part of the team’s development to Israeli clubs’ investment in youth departments, naming Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Beersheba, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Maccabi Petah Tikva, and Maccabi Netanya.[3] It highlighted Gloukh, Ariel Lugassy, and team captain Ilay Madmon.[3]

In September 2023, Israel was selected to host the eight-team 2027 UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals.[16] The decision was made at a UEFA committee meeting in Limassol as part of a policy intended to empower national football associations and strengthen European football.[16]