List of Israel international footballers

This article is about Israel national football team players with at least 20 appearances. For the current national team squad, see Israel national football team.

A black-and-white photograph of a football team lining up before a match. Eleven men in old-fashioned association football attire stand in a line: ten wear white shirts, white shorts and black socks, and the other wears a dark shirt. Beside the players stand two suited men, and beside them stands another player in different colours, his dark shirt marked "CCCP".
Israel (in white) line up ahead of a friendly match against the Soviet Union in 1956

The Israel national football team has represented Israel in international association football since 1934, when it played its first official game (as Mandatory Palestine or Eretz Israel—"Land of Israel") against Egypt.[1] It is fielded by the Israel Football Association (IFA), which has governed football in the country since 1928,[2] and has borne its present name since the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948. Israel competed as a member of the Asian Football Confederation from 1956 until 1974, when it was expelled for political reasons;[2] it then played without formal affiliation to any regional bloc for two decades. In 1994 the IFA was made a full member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), enabling the inclusion of Israeli teams in UEFA competitions.[2]

Since 1934, more than 491 players have appeared for the Israel national team;[3] those 111 with 20 or more caps are listed here. The Israel national team's only major honour is the AFC Asian Cup, which it hosted and won in 1964.[4] It has qualified for the FIFA World Cup final tournament once, in 1970, and for the Summer Olympic Games twice, in 1968 and in 1976.[4][5][6]

Israel's all-time top goalscorer is Mordechai Spiegler, who scored 33 international goals in 83 matches between 1963 and 1977.[7][8] Yossi Benayoun, a midfielder, holds the record for the most national team appearances, having played for Israel 99 times between 1998 and 2017.[3][9] The team's highest-capped goalkeeper, Dudu Aouate, represented Israel 78 times between 1999 and 2013.[10] The most-capped player of non-Jewish background is Bibras Natcho, who appeared for the Israeli squad 88 times between 2010 and 2023, scoring 4 goals.[11]

  1. ^ Goldberg, Asher (4 August 2011). "Defeat at the bottom of the Pyramids in Cairo" (in Hebrew). Israel Football Association. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "Israel make their mark". Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference appslist was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Goldberg, Asher (20 September 2011). "The Persian Market in Tehran" (in Hebrew). Israel Football Association. Archived from [football.org.il/Archive/Articles/Pages/historyiran_14septemberl2011.aspx.aspx.aspx the original] on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  5. ^ "1968 Mexico City Men's Olympic Football Tournament – Fixtures and Results". International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). Archived from the original on 16 July 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  6. ^ "1976 Montreal Men's Olympic Football Tournament – Fixtures and Results". International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). Archived from the original on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference MordechaiSpiegler was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "National Team Goalscorers list" (in Hebrew). Israel Football Association. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference YossiBenayoun was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference DuduAouate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference BibrasNatchho was invoked but never defined (see the help page).