The Israel national under-21 football team () 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 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.
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
UEFA U-21 Championship RecordQualification recordYearRoundSquad 1992Did not qualify6321116 1994103161716 1996103341211 19988521179 20008224613 200284041613 20048314611 20068431117 2007Group Stage300306Squad422053 2009Did not qualify10532178 20118512188 2013Group Stage311136Squad Qualified as host 2015Did not qualify85032215 201710631214 2019104241718 2021103431214 2023Semi-final512226Squad126332011 2025Did not qualify10109518Total3/1711236518 - 148643252233185
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Qualifiers – Group B
Qualifiers play-offs
The four play-off winners qualify for the final tournament.
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship group stage (Final tournament)
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.
Bracket
Results and fixtures
2022
Qualifiers play-offs
1–1 on aggregate. Israel has won 3–1 on penalties, and therefore has qualified for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
2023
Israel has qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Coaching staff
Position Name Head coach Guy Luzon Assistant Coach Haim Cohen Fitness Coach Yossi Kakun Lidor Ganon Goalkeeping Coach Victor Buchnik Analyst Liron Glat
Players Current squad The following players were called up for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Slovenia and Norway on 29 September and 6 October 2026; respectively Caps and goals correct as of: 6 October 2026, after the match against Norway Bolded names denote players who have been capped for the senior team.
Maccabi Haifa defender Lisav Naif Eissat was also called up. On 2 September 2025, his request to switch international allegiance to Romania was approved by FIFA.
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.
INJ Withdrew due to injury or illness PRE Preliminary/extended squad RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension due to either a red card, or two accumulated yellow cards WD Player withdrew from the squad due to neither injury nor illness issue U21 Player withdrew from the squad to play for the national under-21 team
Records Most capped players Rank Player Club(s) Career U-21 Caps1Arik BenadoMaccabi Haifa, Beitar Jerusalem1992–1995392Nir SiviliaMaccabi Tel Aviv, Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, Beitar Jerusalem1993–1997342Shay HoltzmanMaccabi Netanya, Maccabi Haifa, Tzafririm Holon1992–1995343Dekel KeinanMaccabi Haifa, Bnei Sakhnin, Maccabi Netanya2003–2007304Alon HalfonMaccabi Netanya, Hapoel Haifa1993–1995294Tom AlmadonMaccabi Haifa 2004–2007295Ofer TalkerMaccabi Ironi Ashdod, Hapoel Haifa1992–1995286Ofir KopelMaccabi Haifa1994–1997277Lior JanMaccabi Tel Aviv2006–2008268Moshe OhayonAshdod2001–200524 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 Goals1Alon MizrahiBnei Yehuda Tel Aviv1992–1993152Shay HoltzmanMaccabi Netanya, Maccabi Haifa, Tzafririm Holon1992–1995143Mu'nas DabburMaccabi Tel Aviv, Grasshopper2011–2014134Nir SiviliaMaccabi Tel Aviv, Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, Beitar Jerusalem1993–1997125Ben SaharChelsea, Espanyol2007–201085Maor BuzagloMaccabi Haifa, Hapoel Petah Tikva, Bnei Sakhnin, Maccabi Tel Aviv2007–201086Eli AbarbanelHapoel Petah Tikva1994–199976Amir TurgemanIroni Ashdod1992–19937 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
UEFA European Under-21 Championship Israel national football team – senior men's squad Israel national under-23 football team – Olympic men's squad Israel national under-20 football team Israel national under-19 football team Israel national under-18 football team Israel national under-17 football team Israel national under-16 football team
References
External links Uefa Under-21 website Contains full results archive The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-21 Championship hosts and additional statistics, such as the Group Winners table for the 1998 qualifiers.