Israel national under-21 football team

Israel national under-21 football team
The Israel national under-21 football team 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 the meet 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 the 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 get behind Israel. Because of the lesser appeal 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
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Qualifiers – Group B
Qualifiers play-offs
The four play-off winners qualify for the final tournament.
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2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship group stage (Final tournament)
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
Results and fixtures
2022
Qualifiers play-offs
1–1 on aggregate. Israel won 3–1 on penalties and qualified for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
2023
Coaching staff
Players
Current squad
The following players were called-up for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against on 12 October 2023 and on 17 October 2023.
Caps and goals correct as of: 12 September 2023, after the match against
Bolded names denote players who have been capped for the senior team.
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.
Records
Most capped players
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
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.
See also
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Israel national football team – senior men's squad
Israel national under-20 football team
Israel national under-19 football team
Israel national under-18 football team
Israel national under-17 football team
Israel national under-16 football team
References
External links
Uefa Under-21 website Contains full results archive
The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-21 Championship hosts and additional statistics, such as the Group Winners table for the 1998 qualifiers.
European national under-21 association football teams
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Youth football in Israel