Liga Bet (Hebrew: ליגה ב', lit. League B) is the fourth tier of the Israeli football league system. It is divided into four regional divisions.

History

League football started in Israel in 1949–50, a year after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. However, the financial and security crises gripping the young nation caused the 1950–51 season to be abandoned before it had started. When football resumed in 1951–52, the new top division went by the name of Liga Alef with Liga Bet as the second division. The 1952–53 season was also not played, and Liga Bet resumed in 1953–54.

In the 1955–56 season, Liga Leumit came into existence as the new top division, with Liga Alef becoming the second division and Liga Bet demoted to the third division. Restructuring in 1976 saw the creation of Liga Artzit as a new second tier, and the second demotion of Liga Bet, as it became the fourth division. Further restructuring to create the Israeli Premier League in 1999 saw Liga Bet demoted again, this time to the fifth tier. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Liga Artzit was scrapped as the Premier League and Liga Leumit were expanded to 16 clubs each, resulting in Liga Bet returning to the fourth tier.

Structure

Since the 1959-60 season, Liga Bet is split into four regional divisions, North A, North B, South A and South B. Because Israel's northern half is much more densely populated than the desert south, the divisions are not spread equally and the southernmost division, South B, covers about two-thirds of the country. Although this inequality is partially offset by the fact that there are so few clubs south of Beersheba (Arad, Dimona, Yeroham, Mitzpe Ramon and Eilat are the only sizable towns south of the city), the northern clubs tend to be clustered in the Galilee region, making travel to away matches much less of a chore.

Each division has sixteen clubs, who play each other home and away to make a 30-game season. The club finishing top of each regional division is promoted to Liga Alef, whilst the second to fifth-placed clubs in each division play-off at the end of the season, until the play-off winner of North A faces the play-off winner of North B, and the play-off winner of South A faces the play-off winner of South B. The two winners advance to a decisive match against the two third-bottom clubs in Liga Alef, North and South, for a place in that division. The club finishing bottom of each regional division is relegated to Liga Gimel, the fifth and bottom tier, whilst another club from each division is relegated after relegation play-offs, involving the clubs that finished twelfth to fifteenth in each division. Coming into Liga Bet are the two clubs are relegated from each of the regional Liga Alef divisions (and one or two more, had they failed the play-off) and the eight clubs promoted from Liga Gimel. The clubs are then pooled and assigned to the most geographically appropriate of the four divisions.

Current members

The following teams participating at the 2020-2021 season:

Previous seasons

North A

¹ Hapoel Kafr Sumei were also promoted as the best runners-up in Liga Bet North divisions.

² Hapoel Tel Hanan finished in the relegation zone but were transferred to the North B division.

³ Season played with only 15 teams.

⁴ Hapoel Sakhnin finished bottom but were not demoted.

⁵ Beitar Acre finished bottom but were not demoted.

⁶ Hapoel Umm al-Fahm were also promoted after play-off victory over Maccabi Shefa-'Amr of Liga Alef North.

⁷ Beitar Haifa were also promoted after play-off victory over Maccabi Tamra of Liga Alef North.

⁸ Hapoel Deir Hana finished in the relegation zone but were not demoted as both teams relegated from the northern division of Liga Alef folded.

⁹ Maccabi Tamra were also promoted after play-off victory over Beitar Haifa of Liga Alef North.

¹⁰ There was no automatic promotion in the 2011-12 season. Tzeirei Bir al-Maksur lost in promotion play-offs to Hapoel Migdal HaEmek of North B and to Hapoel Hadera of Liga Alef North and remained in Liga Bet.

¹¹ Maccabi Sektzia Ma'alot-Tarshiha were also promoted after play-off victory over Hapoel Daliyat al-Karmel of Liga Alef North.

North B

¹ Hapoel Bnei Nazareth finished in the relegation zone but were not demoted.

² Maccabi Daliyat al-Karmel finished in the relegation zone but were not demoted.

³ Maccabi Daliyat al-Karmel and Hapoel Kafr Misr/Nein finished in the relegation zone but were not demoted.

⁴ Ironi Tiberias were also promoted after play-off victory over Hapoel Kafr Sumei of Liga Alef North.

⁵ Hapoel Ramot Menashe Megiddo were also promoted after play-off victory over Hapoel Bnei Jadeidi of Liga Alef North.

⁶ F.C. Givat Olga were also promoted after play-off victory over Ironi Sayid Umm al-Fahm of Liga Alef North.

⁷ Hapoel Iksal were also promoted after play-off victory over Hapoel Asi Gilboa of Liga Alef North.

South A

¹ Hapoel Jaljulia were also promoted as the second best runners-up in Liga Bet South divisions, after one spot vacated in Liga Alef South.

² Season played with 18 teams.

³ Maccabi Yehud finished in the relegation zone but were not demoted.

⁴ Maccabi Yehud finished bottom but were transferred to Liga Bet South B.

⁵ Beitar Kfar Saba were also promoted as the best runners-up in Liga Bet South divisions, after one spot vacated in Liga Alef South as Hapoel Maxim Lod folded.

⁶ Maccabi Amishav Petah Tikva were also promoted as the best runners-up in Liga Bet South divisions, after one spot vacated in Liga Alef South as Hapoel Umm al-Fahm folded.

⁷ F.C. Kafr Qasim were also promoted after play-off victory over Hapoel Arad of Liga Alef South.

⁸ Hapoel Hod HaSharon were also promoted after play-off victory over Maccabi Be'er Sheva of Liga Alef South.

⁹ F.C. Tira were also promoted after play-off victory over Maccabi Amishav Petah Tikva of Liga Alef South.

South B

¹ Maccabi Jerusalem/Ma'ale Adumim were also promoted as the best runners-up in Liga Bet South divisions.

² Beitar Kiryat Gat were also promoted as the best runners-up in Liga Bet South divisions.

³ Hapoel Aliyah Kfar Saba finished in the relegation zone but were not demoted.

⁴ Maccabi Kiryat Ekron and Hapoel Oranit finished in the relegation zone but were not demoted.

⁵ Ironi Nes Tziona were also promoted after play-off victory over Beitar Giv'at Ze'ev of Liga Alef South.

⁶ Tzeirei Rahat and Maccabi Yehud finished in the relegation zone but were not demoted.

⁷ Ironi Ramla were also promoted after play-off victory over Maccabi Sha'arayim of Liga Alef South.

⁸ Maccabi Kiryat Malakhi were also promoted due to the merger of Liga Alef South clubs, Beitar Kiryat Gat and Maccabi Kiryat Gat.

⁹ Hapoel Bnei Lakhish finished in the relegation zone but were not demoted.

¹⁰ Hapoel Arad were also promoted after play-off victory over Hapoel Tzafririm Holon of Liga Alef South.

¹¹ Hapoel F.C. Ortodoxim Lod were also promoted after play-off victory over Hapoel Nahlat Yehuda of Liga Alef South.