Israel

Israel in European Football

Israel is one of the most unusual participants in European competitions. It is located in Asia, but its national team and clubs have competed within the UEFA system for many years.

Why does Israel play in UEFA?

Israel was one of the founders of the Asian Football Confederation and competed in AFC competitions for many years. Over time, however, the Israeli national team and its clubs faced boycotts from some Arab and Muslim countries. In 1974, Israel was expelled from the AFC, after which it remained without affiliation to any continental confederation for some time.

Eventually, the Israeli football association was admitted to UEFA, first temporarily and then permanently in the 1990s. The decision was primarily sporting and organizational in nature. Israel needed a stable environment in which to play international matches, and the European federation became a natural place for it to compete after leaving the Asian structure.

Since then, the Israeli national team has taken part in European qualifiers, the Nations League, and the European Championship, while clubs can compete in the Champions League, the Europa League, and the Conference League.

Club results and the UEFA ranking

In recent years, Israel has been one of the stronger countries in the second tier of European football. Maccabi Tel Aviv regularly appears in the league phases of European cup competitions, while Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, and Hapoel Tel Aviv have also managed to record valuable wins.

In the 2026/27 season, Maccabi Tel Aviv impressively eliminated Sheriff Tiraspol in Europa League qualifying, while Hapoel Be'er Sheva advanced to the decisive round of Champions League qualifying after eliminating Crvena zvezda. Hapoel Tel Aviv managed to get past GKS Katowice in Conference League qualifying.

Israel currently sits around the upper half of the UEFA national ranking, with a record good enough to secure four clubs places in European competitions.

Matches outside Israel

Since autumn 2023, UEFA has not permitted its competition matches to be played on Israeli territory. The reason is the security situation linked to the war and the ongoing conflict in the region. The decision applies both to the national team and to Israeli clubs, which must hold matches formally designated as home games at neutral stadiums.

In recent seasons, Israeli teams have used venues in, among other places, Hungary, Cyprus, Poland, and Georgia. Maccabi Tel Aviv played its matches in Batumi, while Israel's national team matches were held in, among other places, Debrecen. In practice, this means having no home stadium of their own, reduced ticket revenue, and the constant need to plan travel.

Despite these difficulties, Israeli clubs remain an important force in European qualifying competitions. Their situation is considerably more complicated than that of most other participants, but their sporting results show that they are able to compete at a competitive level even under conditions of forced wandering. It should be noted, however, that according to many fans and experts, Israel should be treated the same as Russia when it comes to competing at the highest level of sport.