Israel Under-21
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)הנבחרת הצעירה (The Young Chosen Team)
התכולים-לבנים (The Skyblue and Whites)[1]
AssociationIsrael Football Association
ConfederationUEFA (Europe; 1990s–present)
Head coachGuy Luzon[2]
CaptainEthan Azoulay
Most capsArik Benado (39)[3]
Top scorerAlon Mizrahi (15)[4]
FIFA codeISR
First colours
Second colours
First international
 Israel 2–2 Greece 
(Greece; 1977)
Biggest defeat
 Czech Republic 5–1 Israel 
(Czech Republic; 25 April 2000)
Olympic Games
Appearances2 (first in 1968)
Best resultQuarter-finals (1968, 1976)
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances3 (first in 2007)
Best resultSemi-finals (2023)

The Israel national under-21 football team (Hebrew: הנבחרת הצעירה של ישראל בכדורגל) 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

The Israeli U21 squad at the final-tournament of the 2013 UEFA Euros Under-21 that was hosted by Israel
UEFA U-21 Championship Record Qualification record
Year Round Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D* L GF GA
Europe 1992 Did not qualify 6 3 2 0 17 3
France 1994 10 3 1 6 17 16
Spain 1996 10 3 3 4 12 11
Romania 1998 8 5 2 1 17 9
Slovakia 2000 8 2 2 4 6 13
Switzerland 2002 8 4 0 4 16 13
Germany 2004 8 3 1 4 6 11
Portugal 2006 8 4 3 1 11 7
Netherlands 2007 Group Stage 3 0 0 3 0 6 Squad 4 2 2 0 5 3
Sweden 2009 Did not qualify 8 5 2 1 16 5
Denmark 2011 8 5 1 2 18 8
Israel 2013 Group Stage 3 1 1 1 3 6 Squad Qualified as host
Czech Republic 2015 Did not qualify 8 5 0 3 22 15
Poland 2017 10 6 3 1 21 4
Italy San Marino 2019 10 4 2 4 17 18
Hungary Slovenia 2021 10 3 4 3 12 14
Romania Georgia (country) 2023 Semi-final 5 1 2 2 2 6 Squad 12 6 3 3 20 11
Total 3/17 11 2 3 6 5 18 - 136 63 31 41 233 161

2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

Main article: 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

Qualifiers – Group B

Main article: 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group D
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Germany 4 4 0 0 13 4 +9 12 Final tournament — 3–1 11 Oct '24 22 Mar '24 4–1 26 Mar '24
2  Poland 5 4 0 1 12 4 +8 12 Play-offs 15 Oct '24 — 26 Mar '24 3–0 5–0 2–1
3  Bulgaria 6 2 3 1 13 7 +6 9 2–3 10 Sep '24 — 1–1 6–0 1–0
4  Kosovo 6 2 2 2 8 10 −2 8 0–3 11 Oct '24 2–2 — 2–0 3–1
5  Estonia 6 0 1 5 2 19 −17 1 10 Sep '24 0–1 1–1 15 Oct '24 — 7 Sep '24
6  Israel 3 0 0 3 2 6 −4 0 10 Oct '24 21 Mar '24 15 Oct '24 10 Sep '24 4 Sep '24 —
Updated to match(es) played on 21 November 2023. Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Qualifiers play-offs

Main article: 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-offs

The four play-off winners qualify for the final tournament.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Croatia  3–3 (5–4 p)  Denmark 2–1 1–2 (a.e.t.)
Slovakia  3–5  Ukraine 3–2 0–3
Republic of Ireland  1–1 (1–3 p)  Israel 1–1 0–0 (a.e.t.)
Iceland  1–2  Czech Republic 1–2 0–0

2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship group stage (Final tournament)

Main article: 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship § Group_C

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England 3 3 0 0 6 0 +6 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Israel 3 1 1 1 2 3 −1 4
3  Czech Republic 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3
4  Germany 3 0 1 2 2 5 −3 1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Knockout stage

Main article: 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship § 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.[5]

Bracket

Main article: 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship § Bracket
 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
1 July – Boris Paichadze Stadium
 
 
 Georgia0 (3)
 
5 July – Adjarabet Arena
 
 Israel (p)0 (4)
 
 Israel0
 
2 July – Ramaz Shengelia Stadium
 
 England3
 
 England1
 
8 July – Adjarabet Arena
 
 Portugal0
 
 England1
 
1 July – Stadionul Rapid-Giulești
 
 Spain0
 
 Spain (a.e.t.)2
 
5 July – Stadionul Steaua
 
  Switzerland1
 
 Spain5
 
2 July – Cluj Arena
 
 Ukraine1
 
 France1
 
 
 Ukraine3
 

Results and fixtures

  Win   Draw   Loss

2022

Qualifiers play-offs

23 September 2022 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification
Play-off 1st leg		 Republic of Ireland  1–1  Israel Tallaght Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
21:00 (Israel Summer Time)
  • Ferguson 65'
 Report
Attendance: 6,786
Referee: Dario Bel (Croatia)
27 September 2022 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualification
Play-off 2nd leg		 Israel  0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–1 p)		  Republic of Ireland Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel
20:15 (Israel Summer Time) Report Attendance: 22,752
Referee: Nathan Verboomen (Belgium)
Penalties

1–1 on aggregate. Israel won 3–1 on penalties and qualified for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

2023

22 June 2023 (2023-06-22) UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Final tournament) Germany  1–1  Israel Ramaz Shengelia Stadium, Kutaisi, Georgia
19:00 (Israel Summer Time)
Report
Attendance: 2,442[6]
Referee: Willy Delajod (France)
25 June 2023 (2023-06-25) UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Final tournament) England  2–0  Israel Kutaisi, Georgia
19:00 (Israel Summer Time)
Report Stadium: Ramaz Shengelia Stadium
Attendance: 5,106[7]
Referee: Rade Obrenović (Slovenia)
28 June 2023 (2023-06-28) UEFA European Under-21 Championship group stage (Final tournament) Israel  1–0  Czech Republic Ramaz Shengelia Stadium, Kutaisi, Georgia
19:00 (Israel Summer Time)v
Report Attendance: 2,175[8]
Referee: Duje Strukan (Croatia)
1 July 2023 (2023-07-01) UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Quarter-finals		 Georgia  0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–4 p)		  Israel Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia
19:00 (Israel Summer Time) Report Attendance: 44,338[9]
Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway)
Penalties
5 July 2023 (2023-07-05) UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Semi-finals		 Israel  0–3  England Adjarabet Arena, Batumi, Georgia
19:00 (Israel Summer Time) Report

Coaching staff

Israel U21's last practice ahead of the 2023 UEFA Euros Under-21 qualifiers away match against Germany U21
As of 22 June 2023[2]
Position Name
Head Coach Israel Guy Luzon
Assistant Coach Israel Haim Cohen
Fitness Coach Israel Yossi Kakun
Israel Lidor Ganon
Goalkeeping Coach Israel Victor Buchnik
Analyst Israel Liron Glat

Players

Current squad

Bolded names denote players who have been capped for the senior team.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Tomer Tzarfati (2003-10-16) 16 October 2003 (age 20) 4 0 Israel Maccabi Netanya
18 1GK Niv Eliasi (2002-02-01) 1 February 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva
2 2DF Guy Deznet (2005-11-01) 1 November 2005 (age 18) 3 0 Israel Macabi Petah Tikva
3 2DF Tal Archel (2003-06-10) 10 June 2003 (age 20) 2 0 Israel Hapoel Tel Aviv
5 2DF Denis Kulikov (2004-08-24) 24 August 2004 (age 19) 2 0 Israel Macabi Netanya
6 2DF Matan Levi (2002-02-19) 19 February 2002 (age 22) 1 0 Israel Macabi Netanya
12 2DF Hadar Fuchs (2003-12-13) 13 December 2003 (age 20) 2 0 Israel Macabi Petah Tikva
19 2DF Jonathan Mulder (2002-01-02) 2 January 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Netherlands TOP Oss
22 2DF Li On Mizrahi (2002-10-24) 24 October 2002 (age 21) 4 0 Israel Beitar Jerusalem
4 3MF Ethan Azoulay (2002-05-26) 26 May 2002 (age 21) 14 0 Israel Maccabi Netanya
10 3MF Shalev Harush (2002-05-08) 8 May 2002 (age 21) 2 0 Israel F.C. Ashdod
11 3MF Roy Nawi (2004-03-04) 4 March 2004 (age 19) 1 0 Israel Hapoel Petah Tikva
13 3MF Ayano Preda (2002-04-29) 29 April 2002 (age 21) 3 0 Israel Hapoel Jerusalem
14 3MF Bassam Zarura (2002-11-13) 13 November 2002 (age 21) 1 0 Israel Maccabi Netanya
15 3MF Tai Abed (2004-08-03) 3 August 2004 (age 19) 3 0 Netherlands Jong PSV
16 3MF Ran Binyamin (2004-02-06) 6 February 2004 (age 20) 2 1 Israel Hapoel Tel Aviv
20 3MF Amir Ganah (2004-09-07) 7 September 2004 (age 19) 3 0 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva
21 3MF Adi Yona (2004-04-17) 17 April 2004 (age 19) 1 0 Israel Beitar Jerusalem
7 4FW Stav Nahmani (2002-01-20) 20 January 2002 (age 22) 7 2 Israel F.C. Ashdod
8 4FW Or Roizman (2002-03-22) 22 March 2002 (age 21) 2 0 Israel Hapoel Jerusalem
9 4FW Bassel Khoury (2003-12-16) 16 December 2003 (age 20) 0 0 Israel Bnei Sakhnin
17 4FW Suf Podgoreanu (2002-01-20) 20 January 2002 (age 22) 8 1 Israel Maccabi Haifa
23 4FW Hamza Shibli (2004-08-19) 19 August 2004 (age 19) 1 0 Israel Maccabi Haifa

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.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Lior Gliklich (2003-01-02) 2 January 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Israel Hapoel Rishon LeZion v.  Ukraine, 19 November 2022
GK Maor Erlich (2003-03-03) 3 March 2003 (age 20) 0 0 Israel F.C. Kafr Qasim v.  Bulgaria, 12 September 2023
DF Noam Malmoud (2002-08-02) 2 August 2002 (age 21) 4 0 Israel Hapoel Jerusalem v.   Switzerland, 28 March 2023
DF Stav Lemkin (2003-04-02) 2 April 2003 (age 20) 11 1 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk v.   Switzerland, 28 March 2023
DF Shaked Hakmon (2002-06-15) 15 June 2002 (age 21) 1 0 Israel F.C. Ashdod v.  Bulgaria, 12 September 2023
DF Ilay Feingold (2004-08-23) 23 August 2004 (age 19) 1 0 Israel Macabi Haifa v.  Bulgaria, 12 September 2023
MF Niv Gotlieb (2002-10-29) 29 October 2002 (age 21) 0 0 Israel Hapoel Hadera v.  Ukraine, 19 November 2022
MF Noam Muche (2003-07-30) 30 July 2003 (age 20) 1 0 Israel F.C. Ashdod v.  Bulgaria, 12 September 2023
MF El Yam Kancepolsky (2003-12-22) 22 December 2003 (age 20) 1 0 Israel Hapoel Tel Aviv v.  Bulgaria, 12 September 2023
MF Ilay Madmon (2003-02-03) 3 February 2003 (age 21) 1 0 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva v.  Bulgaria, 12 September 2023
FW Idan Gorno (2004-08-09) 9 August 2004 (age 19) 6 1 Israel Maccabi Petah Tikva v.  Bulgaria, 12 September 2023
FW Dor Turgeman (2003-10-24) 24 October 2003 (age 20) 7 1 Israel MaccabiTel Aviv v.  Bulgaria, 12 September 2023
FW Mohammed Abu Rumi (2004-03-10) 10 March 2004 (age 19) 3 0 Israel Ironi Kiryat Shmona v.  Bulgaria, 12 September 2023

Records

Most capped players

Rank Player Club(s) Career U-21 Caps
1 Arik Benado Maccabi Haifa, Beitar Jerusalem 1992–1995 39
2 Nir Sivilia Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, Beitar Jerusalem 1993–1997 34
2 Shay Holtzman Maccabi Netanya, Maccabi Haifa, Tzafririm Holon 1992–1995 34
3 Dekel Keinan Maccabi Haifa, Bnei Sakhnin, Maccabi Netanya 2003–2007 30
4 Alon Halfon Maccabi Netanya, Hapoel Haifa 1993–1995 29
4 Tom Almadon Maccabi Haifa 2004–2007 29
5 Ofer Talker Maccabi Ironi Ashdod, Hapoel Haifa 1992–1995 28
6 Ofir Kopel Maccabi Haifa 1994–1997 27
7 Lior Jan Maccabi Tel Aviv 2006–2008 26
8 Moshe Ohayon Ashdod 2001–2005 24

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

Rank Player Club(s) Career U-21 Goals
1 Alon Mizrahi Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv 1992–1993 15
2 Shay Holtzman Maccabi Netanya, Maccabi Haifa, Tzafririm Holon 1992–1995 14
3 Mu'nas Dabbur Maccabi Tel Aviv, Grasshopper 2011–2014 13
4 Nir Sivilia Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, Beitar Jerusalem 1993–1997 12
5 Ben Sahar Chelsea, Espanyol 2007–2010 8
5 Maor Buzaglo Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Petah Tikva, Bnei Sakhnin, Maccabi Tel Aviv 2007–2010 8
6 Eli Abarbanel Hapoel Petah Tikva 1994–1999 7
6 Amir Turgeman Ironi Ashdod 1992–1993 7

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

References

  1. ^ Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs publication The Flag and the Emblem Archived 2007-04-17 at the Wayback Machine by art historian Alec Mishory, wherein he quotes "The Provisional Council of State Proclamation of the Flag of the State of Israel" made on 28 October 1948 by Joseph Sprinzak, Speaker.
  2. ^ a b "Israel Football Association - U21 National Team - Team Staff".
  3. ^ http://football.org.il/NationalTeam/Pages/NationalTeamAppearance.aspx?NATIONAL_TEAM_ID=943&PAGE_NUM=1[dead link]
  4. ^ http://football.org.il/NationalTeam/Pages/NationalTeamCaptivate.aspx?NATIONAL_TEAM_ID=943&PAGE_NUM=1[dead link]
  5. ^ "2021–23 UEFA European Under-21 Championship regulations". UEFA.
  6. ^ "Germany vs. Israel" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  7. ^ "England vs. Israel" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Israel vs. Czech Republic" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Georgia vs. Israel" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  10. ^ "עם נחמני ופודגוראנו: פורסם סגל הנבחרת הצעירה" (in Hebrew). The Sport Channel. Retrieved 12 November 2023.

External links

Football in Israel
National sports teams of Israel
National under-21 men's football teams of Europe (UEFA)
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