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Nickname(s) | הנבחרת הצעירה (The Young Chosen Team) התכולים-לבנים (The Skyblue and Whites)[1] | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Israel Football Association | ||
Confederation | UEFA (Europe; 1990s–present) | ||
Head coach | Guy Luzon[2] | ||
Captain | Ethan Azoulay | ||
Most caps | Arik Benado (39)[3] | ||
Top scorer | Alon Mizrahi (15)[4] | ||
FIFA code | ISR | ||
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First international | |||
![]() ![]() (Xanthi, Greece; 21 November 1990) | |||
Biggest win | |||
![]() ![]() (Herzliya, Israel; 26 October 1993) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
![]() ![]() (Herzliya, Israel; 13 October 1998) ![]() ![]() (Groningen, Netherlands; 16 June 2007) ![]() ![]() (Tel Aviv, Israel; 8 June 2013) | |||
UEFA U-21 Championship | |||
Appearances | 3 (first in 2007) | ||
Best result | Semi-finals (2023) |
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.
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