Israel reached the World Cup for the first time in 1954. The national team would be placed in Group D in the preliminary round, where they would finish in a 3-way tie, after splitting their two games. They would ultimately secure a spot in the final round based on point difference. There Israel would be overwhelmed, as they dropped six of their seven matches to accumulate an (1–6) record, with their only win coming in a 48–45 overtime victory against France. Israel would end their inaugural appearance at the tournament in 8th place.