The Israel national football team is governed by the Israel Football Association (IFA) and competes under UEFA, having made the transition from the Asian Football Confederation in 1992 for political reasons — several Asian nations refused to play against Israel, making regional competition effectively impossible. This unusual geographical arrangement means Israel competes in European qualification for the FIFA World Cup and participates in the UEFA Nations League, giving Israeli football a distinctly European competitive identity despite the country's location in the Middle East.
Israel's most celebrated moment in international football came at the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, the national team's only appearance at the tournament to date. That qualification, achieved through the AFC/OFC pathway of the time, remains a defining milestone in the program's history. In the decades since, Israel has competed consistently in UEFA European Championship qualifying but has yet to reach the finals of that tournament.
Domestically, the IFA oversees a pyramid of five levels encompassing 16 divisions and around 220 member clubs, with the Premier League at the summit. The national team draws from this ecosystem, and Israeli club football has produced players who have gone on to careers in major European leagues.
Israel's footballing identity is shaped by resilience and the challenge of competing against established European nations while building its infrastructure. The team plays its home matches at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa and Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, rotating venues to serve fans across the country.