# Israel national under-21 football team

The Israel national under-21 football team (Hebrew: הנבחרת הצעירה של ישראל בכדורגל עד גיל 21) is the national under-21 football team of Israel, and is controlled by the Israel Football Association (IFA). It is considered to be the feeder team for the senior Israel national football team.
This team consists of Israeli players aged 21 or under at the start of each two-year UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship campaign, so players can be, and often are, up to 23 years old. Team members may also simultaneously qualify to various teams for Under-20s (for non-UEFA tournaments), Under-19s and Under 17s, or even the senior national team, so long as theymeet the respective age restriction. It is also possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior level (provided the player is eligible).
The U-21 team has been constructed following Israel's acceptance as a full member of UEFA. A draw in a qualifier against Greece in Greece was Israel U-21s' first fixture during the early 1990s.
Israel U-21s do not have a permanent home. They play in stadia dotted all around Israel in an attempt to encourage fans in all areas of the country to support the team. Because of the lesser interest compared to the senior national team, smaller grounds are usually used (such as HaMoshava Stadium in Petah Tikva, Israel).
The team qualified for the European Championships for the first time in 2007, reaching the final stage held in the Netherlands, after beating the French Under-21 team 2–1 on aggregate.

## Competitive history

There is no Under-21 World Cup, although there is an Under-20 World Cup. European U-21 teams compete for the European Championship, with the finals every even-numbered year. It will be held in odd-numbered years from 2007. Israel has never fared well in European Under-21 Football Championships.
The current campaign started shortly after the 2006 finals – the qualification stage of the 2007 competition. UEFA have decided to shift the next tournament forward to avoid a clash with senior tournaments taking place in even-numbered years. The competition has therefore been reduced as qualifying must be completed in a year's less time. In their three-team qualification group, Israel finished ahead of Turkey and Wales. In the two-legged play-off against France for a place in the final stage, the team achieved a surprising 1–1 draw in France, and won the home match 1–0, with Amir Taga scoring in stoppage time.
Note: The year of the tournament represents the year in which it ends.

## Competitive record
### UEFA European Under-21 Championship

| UEFA U-21 Championship Record | UEFA U-21 Championship Record | UEFA U-21 Championship Record | UEFA U-21 Championship Record | UEFA U-21 Championship Record | UEFA U-21 Championship Record | UEFA U-21 Championship Record | UEFA U-21 Championship Record | UEFA U-21 Championship Record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record |
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
| 1992 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 6 |
| 1994 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 16 |
| 1996 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 11 |
| 1998 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 9 |
| 2000 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 13 |
| 2002 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 13 |
| 2004 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11 |
| 2006 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 7 |
| 2007 | Group Stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | Squad | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| 2009 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 8 |
| 2011 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 8 |
| 2013 | Group Stage | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | Squad | Qualified as host | Qualified as host | Qualified as host | Qualified as host | Qualified as host | Qualified as host |
| 2015 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 15 |
| 2017 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 4 |
| 2019 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 18 |
| 2021 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 14 |
| 2023 | Semi-final | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Squad | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 11 |
| 2025 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 18 |
| Total | 3/17 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 18 | - | 148 | 64 | 32 | 52 | 233 | 185 |

## 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
### Qualifiers – Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | | | |
| 1 | Germany | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 10 | +25 | 26 | Final tournament | — | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 |
| 2 | Poland | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 10 | +14 | 22 | Final tournament | 3–3 | — | 0–1 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2–1 |
| 3 | Bulgaria | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 12 | +5 | 15 | | 2–3 | 1–3 | — | 1–1 | 6–0 | 1–0 |
| 4 | Kosovo | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 17 | −7 | 12 | | 0–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| 5 | Estonia | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 31 | −24 | 7 | | 1–10 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | — | 1–0 |
| 6 | Israel | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 18 | −13 | 3 | | 1–5 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | — |

#### Qualifiers play-offs

The four play-off winners qualify for the final tournament.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Croatia | 3–3 (5–4 p) | Denmark | 2–1 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Slovakia | 3–5 | Ukraine | 3–2 | 0–3 |
| Republic of Ireland | 1–1 (1–3 p) | Israel | 1–1 | 0–0 (a.e.t.) |
| Iceland | 1–2 | Czech Republic | 1–2 | 0–0 |

### 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship group stage (Final tournament)

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Israel | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Germany | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 | |

### Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, extra time and a penalty shoot-out are used to decide the winners if necessary. As France qualified as hosts and England are ineligible for the 2024 Summer Olympics, their results will be used to determine whether an Olympic play-off match would be required and who would participate.

#### Bracket

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| 1 July – Boris Paichadze Stadium | 1 July – Boris Paichadze Stadium | | | |
| Georgia | 0 (3) | | | |
| Georgia | 0 (3) | 5 July – Adjarabet Arena | 5 July – Adjarabet Arena | | |
| Israel (p) | 0 (4) | 5 July – Adjarabet Arena | 5 July – Adjarabet Arena | |
| Israel (p) | 0 (4) | Israel | 0 | |
| 2 July – Ramaz Shengelia Stadium | 2 July – Ramaz Shengelia Stadium | | Israel | 0 | |
| 2 July – Ramaz Shengelia Stadium | 2 July – Ramaz Shengelia Stadium | England | 3 | |
| England | 1 | England | 3 | |
| England | 1 | | | | 8 July – Adjarabet Arena | 8 July – Adjarabet Arena |
| Portugal | 0 | | | | 8 July – Adjarabet Arena | 8 July – Adjarabet Arena |
| Portugal | 0 | | | | England | 1 |
| 1 July – Stadionul Rapid-Giulești | 1 July – Stadionul Rapid-Giulești | | | | | England | 1 |
| 1 July – Stadionul Rapid-Giulești | 1 July – Stadionul Rapid-Giulești | | | | Spain | 0 |
| Spain (a.e.t.) | 2 | | | | Spain | 0 |
| Spain (a.e.t.) | 2 | 5 July – Stadionul Steaua | 5 July – Stadionul Steaua | | | |
| Switzerland | 1 | 5 July – Stadionul Steaua | 5 July – Stadionul Steaua | | | |
| Switzerland | 1 | Spain | 5 | | | |
| 2 July – Cluj Arena | 2 July – Cluj Arena | | Spain | 5 | | | |
| 2 July – Cluj Arena | 2 July – Cluj Arena | Ukraine | 1 | |
| France | 1 | Ukraine | 1 | |
| Ukraine | 3 | | | |

## Results and fixtures

Win  Draw  Loss

### 2022
#### Qualifiers play-offs

1–1 on aggregate. Israel has won 3–1 on penalties, and therefore has qualified for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

### 2023

Israel has qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

## Coaching staff

    As of 22 June 2023
| Position | Name |
| Head Coach | Guy Luzon |
| Assistant Coach | Haim Cohen |
| Fitness Coach | Yossi Kakun |
| Fitness Coach | Lidor Ganon |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Victor Buchnik |
| Analyst | Liron Glat |

## Players
### Current squad

* The following players were called up for the Friendly Match on 19 March 2025 against Cyprus; respectively.
* Caps and goals correct as of: 8 September 2024, after the match against Estonia
Bolded names denote players who have been capped for the senior team.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
| 1GK | Ofek Melika | (2005-01-23) 23 January 2005 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 1GK | Dor Binyamini | (2005-05-06) 6 May 2005 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
| 1GK | Tamir Stoller | (2004-08-01) 1 August 2004 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | Hapoel Ramat HaSharon |
| 2DF | Ilay Feingold | (2004-08-23) 23 August 2004 (age 20) | 3 | 0 | New England Revolution |
| 2DF | Guy Dezent | (2005-11-01) 1 November 2005 (age 19) | 3 | 0 | Maccabi Petah Tikva |
| 2DF | Noam Ben Harush | (2005-05-13) 13 May 2005 (age 19) | 2 | 0 | Hapoel Haifa |
| 2DF | Nikita Stoinov | (2005-08-24) 24 August 2005 (age 19) | 1 | 0 | Maccabi Netanya |
| 2DF | Lisav Naif Eissat | (2005-01-13) 13 January 2005 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | Hapoel Hadera |
| 2DF | Bashar Abdah | (2004-12-01) 1 December 2004 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | Hapoel Hadera |
| 2DF | Yonatan Laish | (2005-01-27) 27 January 2005 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| 3MF | Adi Yona | (2004-04-17) 17 April 2004 (age 20) | 5 | 1 | Beitar Jerusalem |
| 3MF | Ran Binyamin | (2004-02-06) 6 February 2004 (age 21) | 3 | 1 | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
| 3MF | Niv Yehoshua | (2005-01-28) 28 January 2005 (age 20) | 3 | 1 | Maccabi Petah Tikva |
| 3MF | Tai Abed | (2004-08-03) 3 August 2004 (age 20) | 3 | 0 | Jong PSV |
| 3MF | Yanai Distelfeld | (2005-08-01) 1 August 2005 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| 3MF | Bar Lin | (2004-08-08) 8 August 2004 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | Hapoel Haifa |
| 3MF | Liam Hermesh | (2004-03-12) 12 March 2004 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | Maccabi Haifa |
| 3MF | Ido Cohen | (2005-02-17) 17 February 2005 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | Maccabi Petah Tikva |
| 3MF | Anis Porat Ayash | (2005-04-15) 15 April 2005 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | Hapoel Haifa |
| 4FW | Idan Gorno | (2004-08-09) 9 August 2004 (age 20) | 7 | 1 | Charlotte |
| 4FW | Amir Ganah | (2004-09-07) 7 September 2004 (age 20) | 7 | 0 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
| 4FW | Mohamad Abu Rumi | (2004-03-10) 10 March 2004 (age 21) | 7 | 0 | Ironi Kiryat Shmona |
| 4FW | Elad Madmon | (2004-02-10) 10 February 2004 (age 21) | 5 | 1 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 4FW | Mor Buskila | (2004-08-01) 1 August 2004 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | Hapoel Ramat Gan |
| 4FW | Ori Azo | (2005-07-17) 17 July 2005 (age 19) | 0 | 0 | F.C. Ashdod |

### Recent call-ups

The following players have previously been called up to the Israel under-21 squad in the last 12 months and remain eligible for selection.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
| DF | Denis Kulikov | (2004-08-24) 24 August 2004 (age 20) | 2 | 0 | Ironi Kiryat Shmona | v. Kosovo, 21 November 2023 |
| DF | Or Israelov | (2004-09-02) 2 September 2004 (age 20) | 2 | 0 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | v. Estonia, 8 September 2024 |
| MF | Roy Nawi | (2004-03-04) 4 March 2004 (age 21) | 4 | 0 | Hapoel Haifa | v. Estonia, 8 September 2024 |
| MF | Yanir Ben Eliezer | (2006-06-11) 11 June 2006 (age 18) | 0 | 0 | Hougang United | |
| MF | Yarin Levi | (2005-08-01) 1 August 2005 (age 19) | 3 | 0 | Beitar Jerusalem | v. Estonia, 8 September 2024 |
| MF | Lior Kasa | (2005-09-27) 27 September 2005 (age 19) | 2 | 0 | Genoa | v. Estonia, 8 September 2024 |
| MF | Liran Hazan | (2006-05-10) 10 May 2006 (age 18) | 0 | 0 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | v. Estonia, 8 September 2024 |
| FW | Hamza Shibli | (2004-08-19) 19 August 2004 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | Maccabi Bnei Reineh | v. Kosovo, 21 November 2023 |
| FW | Sayed Abu Farchi | (2006-05-11) 11 May 2006 (age 18) | 0 | 0 | Maccabi Bnei Reineh | v. Estonia, 8 September 2024 |
| $^{INJ}$ Withdrew due to injury or illness $^{PRE}$ Preliminary/extended squad $^{RET}$ Retired from the national team $^{SUS}$ Serving suspension due to either a red card, or two accumulated yellow cards $^{WD}$ Player withdrew from the squad due to neither injury nor illness issue $^{U21}$ Player withdrew from the squad to play for the national under-21 team |||||||

## Records
### Most capped players

| Rank | Player | Club(s) | Career | U-21 Caps |
| 1 | Arik Benado | Maccabi Haifa, Beitar Jerusalem | 1992–1995 | 39 |
| 2 | Nir Sivilia | Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, Beitar Jerusalem | 1993–1997 | 34 |
| 2 | Shay Holtzman | Maccabi Netanya, Maccabi Haifa, Tzafririm Holon | 1992–1995 | 34 |
| 3 | Dekel Keinan | Maccabi Haifa, Bnei Sakhnin, Maccabi Netanya | 2003–2007 | 30 |
| 4 | Alon Halfon | Maccabi Netanya, Hapoel Haifa | 1993–1995 | 29 |
| 4 | Tom Almadon | Maccabi Haifa | 2004–2007 | 29 |
| 5 | Ofer Talker | Maccabi Ironi Ashdod, Hapoel Haifa | 1992–1995 | 28 |
| 6 | Ofir Kopel | Maccabi Haifa | 1994–1997 | 27 |
| 7 | Lior Jan | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 2006–2008 | 26 |
| 8 | Moshe Ohayon | Ashdod | 2001–2005 | 24 |
Note: Club(s) represents the permanent clubs during the player's time in the Under-21s. Those players in bold are still eligible to play for the team.

### Leading goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Club(s) | Career | U-21 Goals |
| 1 | Alon Mizrahi | Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv | 1992–1993 | 15 |
| 2 | Shay Holtzman | Maccabi Netanya, Maccabi Haifa, Tzafririm Holon | 1992–1995 | 14 |
| 3 | Mu'nas Dabbur | Maccabi Tel Aviv, Grasshopper | 2011–2014 | 13 |
| 4 | Nir Sivilia | Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, Beitar Jerusalem | 1993–1997 | 12 |
| 5 | Ben Sahar | Chelsea, Espanyol | 2007–2010 | 8 |
| 5 | Maor Buzaglo | Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Petah Tikva, Bnei Sakhnin, Maccabi Tel Aviv | 2007–2010 | 8 |
| 6 | Eli Abarbanel | Hapoel Petah Tikva | 1994–1999 | 7 |
| 6 | Amir Turgeman | Ironi Ashdod | 1992–1993 | 7 |
Note: Club(s) represents the permanent clubs during the player's time in the Under-21s. Those players in bold are still eligible to play for the team.